TANZANIA NATURE AND PHOTO TOUR 2027

NDUTU, NGORONGORO & TARANGIRE

A comfortable nature and photography tour, visiting luxury hotels and lodges. Experience unique Ndutu, the famous Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park, known for its high density of elephant.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND NATURE TRIP WITH TOP PHOTOGRAPHER AND TOP LOCAL TOUR OPERATOR AND GUIDES

Photography trip with full-time professional photographer (for 30 years) and biologist Martin van Lokven, known from National Geographic Traveler and ANWB Reizen magazine. Awarded many times in international photography trips, such as European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Lowland Photo Contest, Asferico, and Oasis; at the latter, he was even the overall winner in 2011. He is also an ambassador for Think Tank and NiSi, and a partner of Leofoto. See also MARTIN VAN LOKVEN, AWARDS, WORK, and PUBLICATIONS.

Our local tour operator is fantastic. I have been working with them since 2015, when I was able to choose my own safari operator for a report for National Geographic Traveler. Things sometimes went wrong with safari operators before that, but now everything is perfectly organized. Our English-speaking guides and drivers (driver guides) are top-notch, with enormous knowledge of wildlife and Ndutu. Combined with Martin’s photography expertise, this guarantees an unforgettable photo trip. And for those who are less experienced photographers, it guarantees an unforgettable nature experience.

Our 4×4 extended Toyota Land Cruisers are impeccably maintained. Each vehicle has six seats for four participants.

PROGRAM

Day 1: Departure from Schiphol Airport, direct flight to Arusha, Tanzania
Day 2: To Ndutu
Day 3: Game drives in Ndutu, morning and afternoon
Day 4: Game drives in Ndutu, morning and afternoon
Day 5: Game drives in Ndutu, morning and afternoon
Day 6: Game drives in Ndutu, morning and afternoon
Day 7: Morning game drive in Ndutu, afternoon game drive to Ngorongoro
Day 8: Full day in Ngorongoro Crater
Day 9: To Tarangire, afternoon game drive
Day 10: Morning game drive in Tarangire, change clothes and freshen up in Arusha, evening flight to Schiphol
Day 11: Arrival at Schiphol Airport early in the morning.

UNIQUE NDUTU
Ndutu is essentially a small piece of the Serengeti National Park within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. While in the Serengeti, you must stay on the tracks, off-road driving is permitted in Ndutu. You can get up close to the animals, including cheetah, lion, leopard, wildebeest, giraffe, and elephant, and watch them close-up.
Unique is also the Ndutu Safari Lodge, a small-scale lodge near the former camp of the famous filmmaker Hugo van Lawick, a truly fantastic location!

ALSO UNIQUE, THERMAL VIEWER

In 2026, we took a thermal viewer along for the first time. Great for finding a leopard, for example. Or zebras and an eland antelope in front of the lodge just before dinner at the Ndutu Safari Lodge. In 2027, this viewer will definitely be coming along!

PRICE INDICATION
The price indication for this tour is € 5,400 – 5,500, excluding airfare from Amsterdam to Arusha.

Single room supplement is € 750, subject to price changes, as the 2027 rates are not yet available.

Return flights start at € 1,235, subject to price changes, as the 2027 rates are not yet available.

At this moment (February 2026) there are already 2 people interested. Booking is not yet possible, but showing interest is 😉 If you’d like to stay informed about this trip or receive a PDF with information, feel free to email me. I’ll let you know when the trip is available for booking, so you don’t miss out.

The maximum number of participants is seven, with me being the eighth sharing two extended 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers. It’s an exclusive trip with plenty of individual space, six seats for four persons.

Also, if you’d like to book a safari like this for a small group, please inquire about the possibilities.

Are you interested or do you want more information, feel free to MAIL me.

NDUTU, NGORONGORO & TARANGIRE

Ndutu
The Ndutu region is an area in northern Tanzania on the border of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It consists of vast grasslands, low-lying open acacia woodland, and the alkaline Lake Ndutu, known for its flamingos. The Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated on the lake’s shores.

The open grasslands of Ndutu are the breeding ground for almost all wildebeest calves that participate in the great migration. Calves are born from January to April, primarily in the surrounding open grasslands. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves are born in just a few weeks. Many zebras and gazelles are also born here. After rainfall, the short grass of these grasslands is of great importance to wildebeest.

The area is home to abundant wildlife year-round, including cats such as lion, cheetah, leopard, serval, caracal, and African wildcat. Hyenas and jackals are also plentiful.Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, and various antelope species can also be seen.

With luck, you might see wildebeest crossing Lake Ndutu. Sometimes, the striped hyena can be seen along the lakeshore.

See:
TANZANIA, THE WILD PARADISE, my article about Ndutu in National Geographic Traveler.

NDUTU, SECRET SERENGETI, about the area and my love for Ndutu.

TANZANIA, WILDLIFE & NATURE, photos of Tanzania, wildlife, and lodges. Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and especially Ndutu.

Ngorongoro Crater
I don’t need to write much about this; it’s world famous! The crater has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

The largest intact caldera in the world. At an altitude of 2,200 meters, with a diameter of over 20 kilometers, it is home to approximately 25,000 large mammals, with a maximum population of up to 500,000. It has a high density of lions, hyenas, buffalo, wildebeest, and zebras. You can also see eland, hippos, and elephants. The icing on the cake is the black rhino. There are approximately thirty of them.

Tarangire National Park
Known and famous for its high density of elephants—among the highest in Africa—and its large, ancient baobab trees. It features an uneven landscape, bisected by the Tarangire River.
The park is located near the turnoff from Arusha to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Ndutu. It is therefore easy to visit on the way there or back. Returning is more convenient, as this gives us time for a game drive on the last morning.
See TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Ndutu Safari Lodge
See the website of the Ndutu Safari Lodge NDUTU SAFARI LODGE, featuring many of my photos, taken during the eight days I spent in Ndutu and Ngorongoro in 2015 for National Geographic Traveler (Dutch edition). The header on the homepage—elephants in the Ngorongoro Crater—is also mine.

All the photos in the gallery, including the mirrored zebras, are mine, including the header (lion); see GALLERY NDUTU SAFARI LODGE.
This is the lodge from which Hugo van Lawick and Jane Goodall (then married) collaborated on films and publications in the late 1960s.
This classic safari lodge is located on the edge of Lake Ndutu, is small and cozy. Once you’ve been, you’ll want to go back!

Ngorongoro Rim Lodge
Brand new lodge, only opened in July of this year, overlooking the crater.
See NGORONGORO RIM LODGE.
Located on the eastern side of the crater, with beautiful, quick, and easy access.

Tarangire Safari Lodge
Beautifully situated lodge with luxurious tents and private stone bathrooms. Overlooking the Tarangire River, where elephants often cross around lunchtime.
See TARANGIRE SAFARI LODGE. The header photo on the homepage shows the river view from the lodge grounds, just outside the tents. The same applies to the photo at the top of this page.

INFORMATION AND CONTACT
Interested? EMAIL me for more information.

TRAVEL TERMS AND CONDITIONS MARTIN VAN LOKVEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Different terms and conditions and guarantees apply to the Tanzania tour organised by Martin himself than when travelling with SNP Natuurreizen. The General Travel Terms and Conditions of Martin van Lokven Photography do apply to the Tanzania tour. See also GENERAL TRAVEL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Martin van Lokven Photography is a member of the Guarantee Fund for Specialized Tour Operators (GGTO) and the Association of Small-Scale Travel Organizations (VvKR).

VvKR represents the interests of small, often specialized, travel organizations. Through VvKR, we join forces and share our expertise to achieve the greatest possible security and satisfaction for both the travel organization and the consumer.