Serengeti National Park

Why visit Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is Tanzania's most famous wilderness: almost 15,000 square kilometres of short-grass plains, granite kopjes, river valleys and acacia woodland. It is home to the largest movement of land mammals on Earth — more than a million wildebeest, with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle — and to some of the highest densities of lion, cheetah and spotted hyena in Africa.

The park is varied enough that every area has its own character. The southern plains around Ndutu are the calving grounds early in the year; the central Seronera Valley holds resident big cats all year round; the western corridor follows the Grumeti River; and the far north, around the Mara River, is where the famous river crossings take place in the dry season.

When to go and where to stay

The Serengeti is worth visiting in every month, but the best area changes with the season. From December to March, the herds and their predators gather in the south for the calving season. From April to June they move through the central and western Serengeti. From July to October they reach the north and cross the Mara River, before heading south again in November. A good itinerary follows this rhythm rather than staying in one place all year.

Most visitors arrive by road on the Northern Circuit, combining the Serengeti with the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, or fly into one of the park's airstrips. Allow at least three nights to see more than one area. Browse our Serengeti safaris or ask us to plan a route around your travel dates.