Serengeti
The plains, the big cats and the migration. Fifteen thousand square kilometres of grassland where the wildebeest migration moves through the year and the big cats are seen daily.
The plains, the big cats and the migration
The Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest national park and, at close to fifteen thousand square kilometres, one of the largest. The central Seronera valley has resident lion, leopard and cheetah all year, which is why a first safari usually starts there. Around it the great migration of some one and a half million wildebeest and zebra moves in a loop: calving on the southern plains from January to March, crossing the Grumeti in the west around May and June, and crossing the Mara river in the north from July to October.
From Zanzibar the Serengeti is a morning away by light aircraft, which is the trip we are known for: the beach one day, the plains the next. We plan where in the park you stay by the month you travel, so you are in front of the herds rather than chasing them, and we will say honestly when a drive-in safari from Arusha through Tarangire and the crater is the better use of your days.
- Best months
- Jun to Oct for the river crossings, Jan to Mar for calving
- Getting there
- Seronera airstrip in the central Serengeti, a morning's flying from Zanzibar with a stop in Arusha
- How long
- Three nights at the least
- What it costs
- From $1,293 per person sharing in our 4 day Drive in, fly out: Serengeti short safari trip.
Park fees are set per person per day by the park authority and are the largest fixed cost of any Serengeti safari; we include them, along with the light aircraft flights and the vehicle. What moves the price is the camp, from a good mobile camp to a lodge with a pool, and whether you fly or drive in.
The reasons people come
- Lion, leopard and cheetah in the Seronera valley all year
- Wildebeest calving on the southern plains, January to March
- Mara river crossings in the north, July to October
- A dawn balloon flight over the plains, followed by a bush breakfast
- Kopjes, the granite outcrops the lions use as lookouts
- Night skies with no town within a hundred kilometres
Experiences here: The Great Migration, Hot-air balloon safari, Photography safaris.
- 1Serengeti
Ready-made, adjustable
Every one of these visits Serengeti. Each bends to your dates, group and budget.
Drive in, fly out: Serengeti short safari
Tanzania essentials: Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti
Classic safari: Manyara, Ngorongoro & Serengeti
Zanzibar & fly-in Serengeti
Ngorongoro & Serengeti highlights
Big cats & a Serengeti balloon
Where we sleep in Serengeti
The places our itineraries here book, by standard. Every one can be swapped.
Africa Safari Serengeti Ikoma
Just outside the Ikoma gate, with a pool, and walks and night drives that the park itself does not allow.
2 of our trips sleep here
Sound of Silence Serengeti
A permanent tented lodge in the central Serengeti, the standard our green-season Serengeti nights assume.
11 of our trips sleep here
Serengeti Plains Camp
A tented camp placed for the eastern plains and their cheetah.
One of our trips sleeps here
Lemala Nanyukie
Tented suites with private plunge pools in the eastern Serengeti, open all year.
One of our trips sleeps hereWhat people ask about Serengeti
When is the river crossing?
Herds cross the Mara river in the northern Serengeti between July and October, but not to a timetable. Staying three nights in the north in that window gives a good chance; we will never promise a crossing on a given day.
Should I fly or drive in?
Fly if your days are few or you are coming from Zanzibar: it is a morning rather than a long day on the road. Drive if you want Tarangire and the crater on the way and have a week for the north; our drive in, fly out trip does both.
Is three nights enough?
Three nights gives two full days of game drives and is the least we suggest. Four or five lets you stay in two areas of the park, which in migration season is the difference between hoping and seeing.
Tell us your month and how many days you have, and we will say what Serengeti can be.
We reply within 4 working hours. No deposit to ask.