The Serengeti National Park is Tanzania's largest and most famous park. Established in 1951, it gets its name from the Masaai word Siringet meaning 'Endless Plain'. Covering over 14 000 km² of grassland plains and savannah, it's not hard to see why.

Serengeti is loved for its sweeping plains, abundant wildlife and the breathtaking annual Great Migration.

 the Serengeti joins the Masaai Mara Game Reserve at its northern border with Kenya. This unfenced border ensures that the Great Migration continues unhindered each year. The park covers a huge area and offers a number of different biomes. Tanzania's Serengeti National Park is among the most spectacular safari experiences out there. The sheer number of animals (over a million wildebeest, not to mention thousands of zebras and large numbers of other animals), the beauty and vastness of the land, the abundance of predators and predator-prey interaction, all combine to make the Serengeti arguably the top safari destination in the world. The migration is a seasonal affair, but there are also areas such as the central Seronera area which are great for game viewing all year round and have plenty of resident wildlife. The Serengeti is Tanzania's flagship national park, and one of the best safari destinations in the world. A minimum of 3 nights is recommended to make the most of the Serengeti, and the ideal would be to stay 6 nights, in two different areas of the park.

 

The Great Migration

Often referred to as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, the movement of almost two million wildebeest, 500 000 zebra, hundreds of thousands of antelope, followed closely by those that hunt them, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The annual migration actually happens all year, as the animals move in a circular route through the area in search of better grazing and water.

In the wet season (November to March), the herds are mainly on the southern plains – northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area and around Ndutu – with all their new-born calves. The predators have a field day during this time. As the rains stop in March, the herds move through the central area to the western corridor (Grumeti River area), and then north to the northern area and Mara river, the border between Tanzania and Kenya around May.

The famous crossings happen at the Grumeti River in the western corridor around June/July and at the Mara River in August/September going upwards, and around October coming down. In November, the herds move southwards again, arriving back on the southern plains in November/December.

​

Serengeti Wildlife

The Serengeti teems with animals: wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra, giraffe, eland, topi, kongoni, impala and other antelope. It is also home to lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena.

This is game-watching country of the highest degree.

​

The Big Five

While a hundred years' ago, the Big Five were the most sought-after animals to hunt, these days they're the most sought after to see and shoot with cameras, not guns.

The Serengeti offers its visitors the opportunity to see these incredible creatures, with healthy populations of all five - lions, leopards, rhinos, Cape Buffalo and elephant. 

​

The Little Five

Often forgotten in the excitement of seeing Africa's larger animals, Serengeti also offers an incredible array of smaller, fascinating creatures such as the Serengeti's 'Little Five'.

These are sometimes harder to spot, but no less awe-inducing, with similar names to their bigger colleagues: ant lion, leopard tortoise, rhino beetle, buffalo weaver and elephant shrew.

 

The Herbivores

The plains of the Serengeti are home to millions of herd animals including over sixteen species of antelope, elephant, zebra, giraffe, rhino, hippo and aardvark.

The over a million wildebeest that form the main show in the breathtaking annual Great Migration are usually preceded by over a million zebra, and followed by almost half a million gazelles. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience 

Predators

With such a healthy and abundant population of 'prey', a vast number of predators also call the Serengeti home. From tiny insects like the Praying Mantis all the way through smaller cats like the Serval and Caracal to leopards, cheetah and the mighty lion, they're all here.

Let's not forget the dogs, either. Serengeti is home to the endangered Wild Dogs, jackals, foxes and the ever-so-ugly hyena!

​

 Birds

With over 540 species of bird, Serengeti is a birdwatcher's paradise. Tiny sunbirds, tall and lanky ostriches, less-than-pretty vultures and graceful, soaring birds of prey are but a tiny sample of what's to see here.

​

Slitherers and Other Reptiles

Not only is the Serengeti known for its monstrous crocodiles (in excess of 5 metres long), there are also a large variety of lizards, frogs, tortoises and snakes.

​

Things to See and Do in the Greater Serengeti Migration Area

• Game drives – both day and night

• Witness the Great Migration

• Hot air ballooning at dawn over Serengeti

• Meet local tribes and learn about their customs and traditions

• Walking safaris to get up-close to the micro-systems of the African bush

• Mobile tented camping – move around in order to get the best game sightings

• Be enchanted by all the baby wildebeest during calving season around Lake Ndutu (around February)

• Horseback safaris

​

Best Time to Visit

There is no ‘bad’ time to visit the Greater Serengeti Migration Area, as many areas have resident game that doesn’t follow the migration route.

The short rains usually fall around November and December, and the long rains around March to May. Dry season is between June and October. Some camps close during the wet season.

If seeing the Great Migration is top of your bucket list, please remember that nature works to her own schedule and the movement of the animals is unpredictable and highly dependent on the rains and weather. There is a pattern as to where they move and, based on previous years, experts can provide an estimate of when they’ll be where. Speak to our consultants about the best time to go, and where, to getting the best chances of witnessing this incredible natural phenomenon.

Do remember though, that this area is one of the world’s best game viewing parks, even if you miss the migration!

​

Getting There

By car: Ngorongoro is about 185 km from Arusha by road. The trip can take between two and four hours. Serengeti is further on (about 325 km from Arusha). The road passes Lake Manyara, goes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area past Olduvai Gorge, and takes approximately eight hours.

By air: There are daily flights from Arusha to Lake Manyara Airstrip, from where it is a scenic 1½ hour trip to the Ngorongoro Crater. Flights into Serengeti can land at a number of airstrips, including Seronera or Grumeti and daily scheduled flights run throughout high season. Charter flights are also available. Arusha is served by two airports: domestic Arusha Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport with daily flights from local, African and international destinations.

​

Climate

There are two rains seasons,the long season start from murch to may and a shorter season start from october to may