Wildlife Event · January to March
Calving Season on the Ndutu Plains
Half a million births in six weeks, and every predator knows it.
Southern Serengeti & Ndutu, Ngorongoro Conservation AreaPeak: The first three weeks of February
The event
On the short-grass plains around Ndutu the wildebeest drop nearly half a million calves inside a few weeks. It is the most concentrated wildlife spectacle in Africa and the best big-cat action of the year.
Calving is the quieter half of the migration story and, for many guides, the better one. The herds stand still on open short grass instead of strung out through bush, which means you see the whole system at once: mothers, newborns on unsteady legs, and the cheetah, lion and hyena working the edges.
The plains are green, the light after an afternoon storm is extraordinary, and vehicle numbers are a fraction of the July peak. Ndutu also permits controlled off-road driving, so a sighting can be approached properly rather than watched from a track.
This is the season we recommend to photographers and to anyone who has done a dry-season safari and wants to see the Serengeti behave completely differently.
What you actually get
- Births and first steps at close range on open plains
- Peak cheetah season — open ground favours the hunt
- Off-road driving permitted in the Ndutu area
- Green-season light and dramatic storm skies
- Lower vehicle density and shoulder-season pricing
Timed to this event
Journeys built around it
These itineraries run in or overlap the January to March window. Dates flex to your flights — tell us your arrival and we route backwards from it.
Elsewhere on the calendar
See all events →June to October
The Great Migration
Between June and October roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle push north through the Serengeti and pile up at the Mara River. We camp where the herds actually are and move as they move.
- Season
- June to October
- Where
- Serengeti
- Journeys
- 4 built around it
Late February
Kilimanjaro Marathon
Full marathon, half and 5km through the coffee country below Kilimanjaro. We handle Moshi logistics, race-week acclimatisation, and the safari or summit climb that follows.
- Season
- Late February
- Where
- Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro
- Journeys
- 6 built around it
Hold your place for Calving Season on the Ndutu Plains
January to March fills earliest. Tell us your window and we will confirm what is still open.