Northern Tanzania
Tanzania’s oldest and most celebrated national park — a million hectares of grassland, granite kopjes and riverine forest where the Great Migration writes its endless circle and the big cats reign.
Northern Tanzania · Wild & Nature Safaris
Discover
The Maasai called it Siringet — the place where the land runs on forever. Standing on the open plains south of Seronera, it is easy to understand why: grassland rolls unbroken to a horizon softened by heat haze, broken only by the dark islands of granite kopjes and the occasional umbrella acacia.
The Serengeti is not a park of landmarks but of movement. Each year more than 1.5 million wildebeest, some 200,000 zebra and hundreds of thousands of gazelle trace a vast clockwise arc through the ecosystem in search of fresh grazing, drawing predators and photographers in their wake. Away from the herds, the central Serengeti supports one of the highest concentrations of large carnivores anywhere on earth — leopards along the Seronera River, cheetahs on the eastern plains and lion prides that have been studied for decades.
Wildlife & Natural Highlights
Every destination has its own rhythm and its own icons. These are the encounters, landscapes and moments that define Serengeti.
More than 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra circle the ecosystem each year — calving on the southern plains in February, river crossings in the north from July to October.
One of the highest densities of large carnivores in Africa: resident lion prides, leopards of the Seronera riverine forest and cheetahs hunting the open eastern plains.
Ancient granite outcrops rise from the grass like islands — lion prides use them as lookouts, and the light on them at dusk is unforgettable.
Between July and October the herds gather on the banks of the Mara in the far north, then plunge across in thundering, chaotic columns.
Short-grass plains in the south, long-grass savannah in the north, riverine forest along the watercourses — a landscape that never repeats itself.
Over 500 species, from ostriches and secretary birds on the plains to Fischer’s lovebirds and lilac-breasted rollers in the woodlands.
Best Time to Visit
June to October for the Mara River crossings · January to March for calving season and predator action.
December – March
Short rains turn the southern plains emerald. Calving peaks in February on the Ndutu short-grass plains, with thousands of calves born each day and predators in constant attendance.
April – May
Lush, dramatic and quiet. Few travellers, excellent rates and a Serengeti at its greenest — though some camps close and tracks can be soft.
June – October
Classic game viewing. The herds push north through the Western Corridor and across the Mara River, and wildlife concentrates around water.
November
The herds turn south again beneath storm-heavy skies. Fresh grazing, beautiful light and far fewer vehicles than mid-year.
Safari Experiences
From first light on the plains to the last glow on the water — the experiences that make Serengeti unforgettable.
Morning and afternoon drives across the central and northern plains — the Seronera Valley for leopards, Kogatende and Lamai for the crossings.
Lift off before dawn and drift over the herds in silence, landing for a bush breakfast laid out on the plains.
Set out on foot with an armed guide from a walking camp — tracks, birds and the scale of the plains seen at ground level.
Specialist vehicles with open sides, bean bags and guides who understand light, behaviour and patience.
Spend an afternoon in a Maasai boma on the park’s boundary, learning how life here has been shaped by wildlife for centuries.
End the day with a drink on a granite outcrop as the plains turn gold and the lions begin to stir.
Recommended Journeys
Hand-crafted itineraries built around this destination — each one shaped, paced and priced for the way you want to travel.
Follow more than a million wildebeest across the Serengeti’s endless plains — a private five-day journey through the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth, timed to the herds and shaped entirely around you.
From $3,450 per person
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Experience one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles on this four-day Ndutu Migration Safari, specially crafted around the dramatic wildebeest calving season in Tanzania’s Southern Serengeti.
Private safari · enquire for pricing
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A four-day private Tanzania safari linking baobab-dotted Tarangire, the legendary Serengeti plains and the wildlife-filled floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Private safari · enquire for pricing
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Good to Know
The questions travellers ask us most often about Serengeti.
— Northern Tanzania
The dramatic Mara River crossings concentrate in the northern Serengeti between July and October. The herds move constantly, so we position camps around their location rather than a fixed calendar — and always build in flexibility.
Absolutely. The central Serengeti holds resident wildlife year-round — lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and giraffes — and the calving season of January to March is, for many travellers, even more spectacular than the crossings.
Three nights is a sensible minimum; five allows you to combine two or three areas of the park and to travel at a safari pace rather than a sightseeing one.
Yes. We use family-friendly camps with flexible game-drive timing, and the short distances of the central Serengeti make it well suited to younger travellers. Most camps welcome children from the age of six.
Beautifully. A short flight from the Serengeti or Arusha reaches the coast in around two hours, so you can be watching lions at dawn and walking a white-sand beach the same evening.