Ndutu Lodge; Safaris in The Serengeti, Tanzania

Ndutu Lodge

Ndutu is a low-key lodge, quietly situated on the warmer banks of Lake Ndutu just outside the Southern Serengeti. The camp is a small and charming choice offering semi-luxury good-quality accommodation.

Ndutu Lodge – The Facts

Ndutu Lodge – The Detail

Ndutu lodge was originally built for an eccentric safari-loving colonial named George Dove, whose portrait hangs in the hallway. Similarities have been noted between the waxed curve of his handlebar moustache and the impressive trophy horns that he hung on the walls of his camp, which he opened in 1967 as a basic safari-goers bolthole intended to last for just a few years.

Ndutu’s small thatched stone rooms are designed in a utilitarian block style, but are well placed in a wild, ground-level location with wildlife potentially close at hand and the chance to sit back and enjoy great, silent, uninterrupted sunsets.

Ndutu is run as a joint venture with Gibbs Farm, which supplies masses of fresh home-grown produce to embellish the dining tables each day. The central areas are comfortable and well designed, with the bar and dining room open-sided to make the most of incredibly fresh air and views beneath plenty of grand makuti thatch and wooden beams. Each night a camp fire is lit beneath the stars and bush babies scuttle across the rafters for snacks.

The lodge itself is excellently placed in the middle of the path of the Great Migration, which covers the nearby plains from late November through to March. The surrounding area is excellent for bird watching, with an astounding 400 species of birds listed on the camp records. Resident game, albeit not as good as Seronera, is good due to areas of year round water.

Ndutu Lodge – Our view

Basic would be underselling Ndutu – the lodge has everything you need, yet is never over the top. Ndutu Lodge is a highly renowned lodge in one of the more secluded areas just outside the Serengeti. We absolutely love Ndutu – it is very popular with real safari buffs and photographers, obviously during migration season from December through to March but increasingly more so out of season. The atmosphere in camp is unpretentious and relaxed yet frightfully efficient….we love it, such a great view!