Question 1

Is January a good time for a safari in Tanzania?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and for one reason above the others. The migration herds are concentrated on the southern Serengeti plains and the calving is under way, which produces more daylight predator activity on open ground than any other month. The plains also stay drivable, because they are in the rain shadow of the Ngorongoro highlands.

Question 2

Has the calving started by January?

Accepted Answer

It has begun by January and it builds through the month. Early January is the gathering and the first births. From about the third week it becomes the event people fly for, and the peak falls from late January into February.

Question 3

Is Ndutu better in early or late January?

Accepted Answer

Late, on both counts that matter. The calving is heavier and the rate is lower, because our peak band ends on 5 January. Early January gives you the herds assembling and the holiday crowd at the same time.

Question 4

Is Ndutu drivable in January?

Accepted Answer

Usually, and better than anywhere else on the circuit that month. The southern plains are the driest corner of the ecosystem because the Ngorongoro highlands take the moisture out of the air before it reaches them. A storm can still close a track for an afternoon, and our guides route around the ones that go first.

Question 5

Is January cheaper after New Year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, from 6 January. A double or twin at Karatu Tented Lodge goes from $144 to $130 per person per night and at Mawe Tented Camp from $280 to $247. Gnu Ndutu Camp holds one rate all season, and park fees do not move until 15 March.

Question 6

Can children watch the calving?

Accepted Answer

Some can and some should not, and it is worth deciding before you book rather than on the plain. Predators take newborn calves in front of the vehicle, in daylight, at close range. Families who have talked about it in advance handle it well.

Question 7

Can you see the Big Five in Tanzania in January?

Accepted Answer

January gives you good chances of elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard on a week-long route. Black rhino is possible in the Ngorongoro Crater and never guaranteed, which is true in every month.

Question 8

How many days do you need in January?

Accepted Answer

Five is enough, because the animals are in one place and you are not covering ground to find them. Seven if you want the central Serengeti and its resident cats in the route as well as the calving plains.

Question 9

How long is the drive from Arusha to the calving grounds?

Accepted Answer

About five hours to Ndutu, or about two and a half hours if you start from our lodge at Karatu. You can fly it instead, in about an hour and five minutes from Arusha.

Question 10

Does it rain much in Tanzania in January?

Accepted Answer

Usually short afternoon or evening showers rather than sustained rain, and less of it on the southern plains than anywhere else on the circuit. Published research puts the south east of the Serengeti at about a third of the annual rainfall of the north west, because the Ngorongoro highlands block the moisture coming in from the Indian Ocean.

Question 11

Do you need a malaria tablet for Tanzania in January?

Accepted Answer

That is a question for a travel clinic rather than for us, and it is worth asking early. Malaria is present across northern Tanzania in every month, and January is a wet month, so mosquito numbers are higher than in the dry season.

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