Tanzania / Northern Safari Circuit / SerengetiSerengeti
Endless Plains, Big Cats and the Great Migration
Tanzania's most famous park, 14,750 km² of grass plains and granite kopjes. The central Seronera valley has resident lions, leopards and cheetahs all year, the densest big-cat viewing in Africa, and is the base for most first safaris; the Great Migration of some 1.5 million wildebeest circles the park through the year (south from January to March, west in May and June, north to the Mara River from July to October; see the alerts). Reached in a day's drive from Arusha through the Ngorongoro highlands (with the conservation area's transit fee) or by an hour's bush flight to the Seronera airstrip. Park fee US$82.60 a person a day in high season (US$70.80 in low); stays inside the park add a concession fee, which the prices here include.
Highlights
- Big cats in the Seronera valley
- The Great Migration (by season)
- Lions on the Moru and Simba kopjes
- Retima hippo pool
- Dawn balloon flight (optional, about US$600)
- Sundowner on the plains
Things to do
- Full-day game drive in the Seronera valleyMorning · 8h
- Early-morning game drive for the big catsMorning · 4h
- Moru kopjes and the Maasai rock paintingsAfternoon · 3h
- Retima hippo poolAfternoon · 2h
- Sundowner on the plainsEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: June – October, January – March
Heads up
Migration: Calving Season at Ndutu
From about January to March the wildebeest herds are on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where some half a million calves are born, most in February, with lions, cheetahs and hyenas following. Stay at a camp in the Ndutu area, or allow 2-3 hours each way from Seronera or Karatu. The central Seronera valley still has its resident cats.
Heads up
Migration: the Western Corridor
In May and June the herds move through the western corridor towards the Grumeti River, with the first river crossings. A western-corridor camp, or a long drive west from Seronera, puts you near them; the timing moves with the rains.
Heads up
Migration: the Herds Are in the North
From about July to October the herds are in the far north on the Mara River, a 6-hour drive or a bush flight from Seronera. The central Serengeti is still excellent for big cats, and quieter for it. Add the Northern Serengeti to see the crossings.
Heads up
Migration: the Herds Return South
In November and December the herds come back south through the eastern and central Serengeti, following the short rains to the calving plains. Herds can be anywhere along the way; ask your camp where they are a week ahead.
Worth knowing
Long Rains: Muddy Tracks, Some Camps Closed
April and May are the long rains: heavy downpours most afternoons, muddy and sometimes impassable tracks, and some camps and lodges closed. The animals are still there (Ngorongoro Crater is good all year) and lodges cut their rates by a third or more, but allow extra time on the roads and pick a lodge that is open.
- Christmas and New Year peak — The busiest fortnight of the year in Zanzibar and on the northern circuit: lodges set peak rates and minimum stays, Zanzibar resorts add gala dinners, and Kilimanjaro climbs fill. Book lodges, bush flights and the climb by September or October.
Part of a longer route
Serengeti is a stop on a curated circuit through Tanzania.