Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park, in northern Tanzania, is the country’s most famous protected area and the beating heart of the Great Migration, one of the largest overland wildlife movements on earth. Covering roughly 14,750 square kilometres of open grassland, acacia woodland and rocky kopjes, the Serengeti forms the southern half of an ecosystem that continues north across the border into Kenya’s Maasai Mara, its Maa-derived name meaning “endless plains,” an apt description of the park’s vast, largely flat horizon.
The Great Migration
A Year-Round Circuit, Not a Single Event
Roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in a continuous clockwise circuit driven by rainfall, calving on the southern plains around January to March before moving north through the central and western Serengeti and crossing into the Mara around July to October.
The Southern Calving Season
Between January and March, the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and neighbouring Ndutu area see roughly 500,000 wildebeest calves born within a few concentrated weeks, drawing predators in numbers rarely matched anywhere else in Africa.
River Crossings
The migration’s Serengeti-side river crossings, particularly at the Grumeti River in the west, offer many of the same dramatic scenes travellers associate with the Mara, without the crowds sometimes seen at the more famous northern crossings.
Wildlife of the Serengeti
The Big Five and Predator Density
The Serengeti holds a full Big Five population alongside what is often considered the best lion viewing in Africa, with well-studied prides across the park’s different regions, plus healthy cheetah and leopard populations, the latter often spotted resting in the branches of sausage trees along the Seronera River valley.
The Seronera Valley
Central Serengeti’s Seronera Valley is the park’s most reliable year-round game-viewing area, given its permanent water and resident wildlife populations that don’t depend on the migration’s seasonal presence.
Regions of the Park
Southern and Central Serengeti
Best for the calving season and reliable year-round predator sightings around Seronera.
Western Corridor
Known for the Grumeti River crossings, typically from around May to July as the migration moves west before turning north.
Northern Serengeti
The Mara River crossing zone, busiest from roughly July to October when the migration reaches the Kenyan border area, offering some of the most dramatic and heavily photographed scenes in the park.
Activities
Game Drives
Twice-daily 4×4 game drives remain the core Serengeti activity, with dawn and dusk offering the best predator activity and light.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris
A pre-dawn balloon flight over the plains, typically followed by a champagne bush breakfast, is one of the Serengeti’s signature experiences and a genuinely different way to appreciate the ecosystem’s scale.
Walking Safaris
Guided walking safaris are available in select areas with an armed ranger, offering a slower, more sensory way to experience the plains beyond a vehicle window.
Where to Stay
Luxury Options
Singita Grumeti and Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti rank among the park’s most celebrated luxury properties, both offering prime access to different stages of the migration circuit.
Mid-range and Budget Options
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge and a range of mobile tented camps, which move seasonally to follow the migration, offer additional options across most comfort levels.
Best Time to Visit
The Serengeti rewards visits year-round given its resident wildlife, though timing a trip to a specific migration phase, calving in the south from January to March or river crossings further north from July to October, is worth planning around if that is a priority for your trip.