What is the Serengeti?
The Serengeti National Park covers 14,763 km² of northern Tanzania — roughly the size of Northern Ireland — and is the oldest national park in the country, gazetted in 1951. Its name comes from the Maasai word siringet, "the place where the land runs on forever".
It is famous for one thing above all: the Great Migration, the year-round movement of around 1.3 million wildebeest, 250,000 zebra and several hundred thousand gazelle following the rains in a roughly circular route between the southern plains and Kenya's Masai Mara. This is the largest overland movement of animals left on earth, and it happens continuously — there is no month when it stops.
The Serengeti also holds one of the densest lion populations in Africa (roughly 3,000 animals) and more than 500 recorded bird species. Together with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area it forms a single ecosystem of about 30,000 km², and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
The five regions of the Serengeti
The park is larger than some countries, and where you stay determines what you see. These are the main areas, and when each one is at its best.
Seronera (Central Serengeti)
The heart of the park and the safest choice for a first visit. The river valley holds water year-round, so resident game never leaves: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and cheetah are here in every month. Best all year, ideal for 2–3 night first-time visits.
Ndutu and the southern plains
From December to March the migration herds concentrate here to calve, and the density of predators that follows them is extraordinary — the best time and place in Tanzania to watch a hunt. Outside those months the plains empty out almost completely.
Western Corridor and the Grumeti River
A long arm of the park reaching west towards Lake Victoria. The herds pass through around May to July, and the Grumeti crossings happen here — smaller than the Mara, but with some of the largest crocodiles in Africa waiting in the pools.
Kogatende and the Northern Serengeti
Rolling hills and thick bush along the Mara River, on the Kenyan border. From July to October this is where the river crossings happen. Outside crossing season it is one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the park.
The Great Migration, month by month
The migration is not an event with a date. It is a continuous circuit driven by rainfall, and the herds are somewhere in the ecosystem in every month of the year.
| Months | Where the herds are | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Dec–Mar | Ndutu & southern plains | Calving season. Around 400,000 calves born, with predator action at its highest of the year. |
| Apr–May | Moving north-west | Long rains. The columns form and move through the central Serengeti towards the Western Corridor. |
| Jun–Jul | Western Corridor | Grumeti River crossings. Smaller than the Mara but with enormous crocodiles and a fraction of the vehicles. |
| Jul–Oct | Northern Serengeti & Masai Mara | Mara River crossings — the classic image. August and September are the peak months. |
| Nov–Dec | Returning south | Short rains pull the herds back down through the eastern Serengeti towards the calving grounds. |
Rain shifts this pattern by two or three weeks in either direction — no operator can promise a crossing on a fixed date.
Wildlife: what you will actually see
On a three-day safari in the central Serengeti, based on our guides' sighting records.
Lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo are all realistic on a three-day Serengeti safari. Black rhino is not: a small protected population survives around the Moru Kopjes, but sightings are rare and usually distant. If seeing rhino matters to you, add the Ngorongoro Crater to your itinerary.
The Serengeti's lion population of around 3,000 is the largest in Africa, organised into prides that hold territory for generations. Cheetah favour the open southern plains where they can run; leopard favour the riverine acacias. Spotted hyena are far more numerous than most visitors expect and are accomplished hunters in their own right.
When to visit
There is no closed season. What changes is what you see, how many other vehicles are at the sighting, and what you pay.
First safari, want it easy: June to October. Sparse vegetation, animals concentrated at water, reliable weather. Want the most wildlife drama: late January to February in Ndutu.
Want value and space: March, April, May or November. You will get rain, and you will also get the park almost to yourself at a fraction of the price.
Where to stay
Accommodation is the single biggest variable in what a Serengeti safari costs. The distances are so large that where you sleep determines how much of your day is spent driving rather than watching.
Budget
from $35.40/night park fee + camping
Public campsite: your own tent, shared long-drop toilets and cold showers, cook prepares meals on site. Inside the park, for the adventurous.
Mid-range
$150–400/night
Lodge or tented camp inside the park: permanent building or canvas with proper beds and en-suite bathrooms. You wake up inside the ecosystem.
Luxury
$300–700+/night
Mobile camps that relocate to follow the migration, or premium tented camps. Small, remote, few vehicles nearby.
Sleeping inside the park costs more — a concession fee of $59.00 per adult per night on top of the room rate — but you are already in the middle of the action at dawn and dusk, when predators are most active.
Park fees (2026)
Fees are set by TANAPA, the Tanzania National Parks Authority, and are identical for every operator.
| Category | Adult (16+) | Child (5–15) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry, per 24 hours | $82.60 | $23.60 |
| Concession, sleeping inside park (per night) | $59.00 | $11.80 |
| Public campsite (per night) | $35.40 | $5.90 |
All figures include 18% VAT. Children under 5 enter free. Fees are reviewed by the government and can change without notice — your written quote from us always states the exact amount for your dates.
Serengeti in pictures
Serengeti National Park — frequently asked questions
The 2026 non-resident entry fee is $82.60 per adult and $23.60 per child aged 5–15, per 24 hours, including 18% VAT. Children under 5 enter free. If you sleep inside the park there is also a concession fee of $59.00 per adult per night, or $35.40 for a public campsite.
Three days is the realistic minimum, and four to five is the sweet spot. With fewer than three days the long drive from Arusha consumes most of your trip — you would see more wildlife by visiting Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater instead.
June to October for the easiest game viewing and the Mara River crossings. Late January and February for the calving season in Ndutu, which is arguably the better wildlife spectacle. March to May is wet, empty and cheapest.
No, and be sceptical of anyone who promises one. Crossings are unpredictable: herds can wait on the bank for a full day and then walk away. Three nights at Kogatende between July and October gives you a good chance, not a guarantee.
Four of them reliably — lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. Black rhino survive only in small numbers around the Moru Kopjes and are rarely seen. For rhino, add the Ngorongoro Crater to your itinerary.
By road it is about 325 km and 7–8 hours to Seronera, usually broken with a stop in Ngorongoro or Karatu. By light aircraft it is around 1 hour 15 minutes. Many itineraries drive one way and fly the other.
Yes — camping safaris start from around €200 per person per day. You get the same guide, the same vehicle and the same animals; you save on where you sleep. Travelling in a group of four rather than two also cuts the per-person cost substantially.
They are the same ecosystem divided by a border. The Serengeti is roughly fifteen times larger, has more varied habitats and far more space between vehicles; the Mara is more compact, so sightings come faster but with more crowding.