Mara River crossings peak August – September · limited northern camps remain
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SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Where the Earth Breathes
The Migration Year
Hover or tap a month
February
Ndutu & Southern Plains
Calving season — 8,000 births a day.
Dec – Mar
Calving · South
Apr – May
Green · Central
Jun – Jul
Grumeti · West
Aug – Oct
Mara · North
Nov
Return south
The Endless Plain
A Landscape Older Than Memory
Fourteen thousand square kilometres of grassland, kopje and riverine forest — and the oldest migration route on Earth.
The name comes from the Maasai siringet — the place where the land runs on forever. Stand on the southern plains in February and you understand it immediately: grass to every horizon, broken only by granite kopjes that rise like islands from a green sea.
The Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but its real distinction is ecological. This is the last place on Earth where a million-strong ungulate migration still completes its ancient circuit unbroken — 1.5 million wildebeest, 250,000 zebra and 400,000 gazelle moving in a clockwise loop that has run, uninterrupted, for well over a million years.
Everything here is arranged around the rain. The herds follow it, the predators follow the herds, and the traveller follows all of them.
What that means practically is that the Serengeti is not one destination but several. The southern plains around Ndutu are a calving ground from December to March. The Western Corridor carries the herds along the Grumeti in May and June. The north, around Kogatende and the Mara River, holds the crossings from July into October. And Seronera, in the centre, offers resident big cats and reliable game viewing every month of the year.
Our guides plan each Serengeti itinerary around where the herds actually are — not where a brochure says they should be. That single decision is the difference between watching the migration and merely visiting the park.
Established
1951
Status
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Area
14,763 km²
Elevation
920 – 1,850 m
Mammal species
Over 70
Bird species
Over 500
Lion population
~3,000 — the largest in Africa
Getting there
1 hr flight from Arusha, or 8 hrs by road via Ngorongoro
Airstrips
Seronera, Kogatende, Grumeti, Ndutu
Park fees
From $70 per adult per day
Malaria
Present — prophylaxis advised
Ideal stay
3 – 5 nights
Four Serengetis
Know Where to Be, and When
The park divides into four distinct regions. Each has its season — and choosing correctly is the whole art of a Serengeti safari.
Dec – Mar
Southern Plains & Ndutu
Short-grass plains where the herds calve. Roughly 8,000 wildebeest are born each day in February, and the predator density that follows is unmatched anywhere on the continent.
Year-round
Seronera & Central
The Seronera River valley holds water all year, which means resident lion prides, leopard in the sausage trees and cheetah on the open ground — regardless of where the migration is.
May – Jul
Western Corridor
A finger of land reaching toward Lake Victoria, following the Grumeti River. Rutting season, the first crossings, and enormous resident crocodiles — with far fewer vehicles than the north.
Jul – Oct
Northern Serengeti & Mara
Kogatende and Lamai, on the Mara River. This is where the crossings happen — the single most dramatic wildlife event on Earth, and the reason most travellers come in August.
The Wildlife
The Densest Predator Population on Earth
Roughly 3,000 lions, 1,000 leopards and the largest cheetah population in Africa — all sustained by the migration passing through.
1.5M
Wildebeest
3,000
Lions
250K
Zebra
500+
Bird species
Rhino remain the hard one. A small, closely protected black rhino population survives in the Moru Kopjes — sightings are rare and never guaranteed. Travellers set on the full Big Five usually pair the Serengeti with a day in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Big Five — Realistic Sighting Odds
Lion
Near certain
Elephant
Very likely
Buffalo
Very likely
Leopard
Good odds
Rhino
Rare
Also Frequently Seen
Cheetah
Spotted hyena
Giraffe
Nile crocodile
Hippo
Serval
Bat-eared fox
Topi & eland
Experiences
Ways to Meet the Serengeti
Beyond the game drive — the experiences that turn a safari into something you'll still be describing in twenty years.
✦
Great Migration Game Drive
Full days in an open-roof 4×4 with a guide who knows the herds' position because he was there yesterday. In season, this means river crossings; out of season, it means predators on the plains.
◈
Hot Air Balloon Safari
Lift off before dawn and drift a few metres above the grass as the plains turn gold beneath you. Ends with a champagne bush breakfast set under an acacia. The single most requested add-on we book.
◇
Bush Walking Safari
On foot with an armed ranger and a walking guide. You lose the ability to cover ground and gain everything else — tracks, dung, birdsong, the specific feeling of being a species among species.
◆
Big Cat Photography
Dedicated photographic vehicles with bean bags, no fixed schedule and a guide briefed to hold position for the light rather than chase the next sighting. Built for people who came for the images.
▲
Mobile Fly-Camping
Seasonal camps that move with the herds — canvas, bucket showers, dinner under the stars and lion contact-calling somewhere past the firelight. As close to the old safari as still legally exists.
✧
Maasai Cultural Visit
A visit to a working Maasai boma on the park's eastern boundary, arranged directly with the community rather than through a middleman. Honest, unstaged, and paid fairly at the source.
Timing
There Is No Bad Month — Only Different Ones
An honest breakdown of what each season actually delivers, including the ones most operators quietly discourage.
Season
What's Happening
Consider
Verdict
Jan – MarCalving season
Herds concentrated on the southern short-grass plains around Ndutu. Calving peaks in February, and predator action is at its most intense and most visible of the entire year.
Occasional afternoon showers. Southern camps book out early for February.
Peak for predators
Apr – MayLong rains
The green season. Landscapes are at their most beautiful, birdlife peaks with migrants present, and the park is close to empty of other vehicles.
Heaviest rain of the year. Some roads become difficult and a few camps close entirely.
Best value & solitude
Jun – JulDry season begins
Herds move through the Western Corridor and toward the Grumeti. Rutting season, first crossings, and excellent weather with far lighter crowds than August.
Crossing timing is never guaranteed — the herds move on rain, not calendars.
Excellent all round
Aug – OctMara crossings
The northern Serengeti and the Mara River. Peak river-crossing season and the images everyone recognises. Dry, clear weather and superb general game viewing throughout.
Highest rates and busiest crossing points. Book eight to twelve months ahead.
Peak season
Nov – DecShort rains
Brief afternoon showers push the herds back south through the central and eastern park. Landscapes turn green again and rates drop noticeably before the Christmas period.
Rain is short but daily. Mid-December onward climbs back to peak pricing.
Quiet & good value
Where to Stay
Camps That Move With the Herds
Location matters more than thread count. We place you within the migration's reach first, then match the comfort level to your budget.
Luxury
Permanent Lodges
Full-service lodges with pools, spa treatments and private decks overlooking the plains. Best for travellers who want the Serengeti without giving up any comfort at all.
From $650 per person / night
Our Recommendation
Mobile Tented Camps
Seasonal camps that relocate three or four times a year to stay with the herds. En-suite canvas, proper beds, excellent food — and a location no permanent lodge can match.
From $420 per person / night
Value
Public Campsites
Serviced camping inside the park with your own crew, cook and mess tent. Basic shared facilities, unbeatable value, and honestly the most atmospheric nights on the plains.
From $180 per person / night
Journeys
Safaris Featuring the Serengeti
Every one of these can be reshaped around your dates, pace and budget.
5 Days
·
From $3,000
The classic Northern Circuit loop — Tarangire's elephants, the Serengeti plains and a full day on the Ngorongoro crater floor.
View Itinerary →
7 Days
·
From $4,600
Built around the northern Serengeti in crossing season, with four nights at Kogatende to give the herds time to commit to the water.
Enquire →
6 Days
·
From $3,900
January to March on the southern short-grass plains, when the calving draws in every predator on the ecosystem at once.
Enquire →
10 Days
·
From $5,400
Six nights on the plains followed by four on the Indian Ocean. The most requested combination we run, and for good reason.
Enquire →Keep Exploring
Other Tanzanian Destinations
Most journeys combine two or three. Tell us which pull at you and we will build the route.
NgorongoroThe Eighth Wonder
TarangireLand of Giants
Lake ManyaraTree-Climbing Lions
KilimanjaroRoof of Africa
Arusha & Mt MeruThe Gateway
MkomaziRhino Sanctuary
RuahaThe Hidden Giant
Nyerere / SelousUntamed Reserve
MahaleChimp Kingdom
GombeGoodall's Forest
ZanzibarStone Town & Beaches
PembaThe Green Island
Before You Go
Serengeti Questions, Answered Plainly
Three nights is the practical minimum — anything less and you spend most of your time in transit rather than with the animals. Four or five nights is the sweet spot, and it lets you cover two regions of the park. If you're travelling specifically for the Mara crossings, budget four nights in the north alone, because the herds cross on their own schedule and patience is genuinely part of the strategy.
The migration is always somewhere in the ecosystem — it never leaves. What can't be guaranteed is a river crossing on a specific day, because the herds move in response to rainfall rather than the calendar. Any operator who promises you a crossing on a set date is selling you something they can't control. What we do instead is place you in the right region for your dates and give you enough nights there for the odds to work in your favour.
Flying takes about an hour to Seronera and saves you a long day each way, which matters most on shorter trips and for the northern Serengeti. Driving takes roughly eight hours but takes you through the Ngorongoro Highlands and Olduvai Gorge, and it's considerably cheaper. Most of our clients fly one direction and drive the other — you get the scenery without losing two full days to the road.
Camping safaris start around $250 to $300 per person per day all-inclusive. Mid-range tented camps run $400 to $600, and luxury lodges range from $650 upward, with the top properties well past $1,500 in peak season. Those figures include park fees, which are substantial in Tanzania — currently from $70 per adult per day — along with your vehicle, guide, accommodation and meals. International flights and tips are separate.
Yes, with some planning. Most camps accept children from about six years old, and some have family tents or exclusive-use options. Game drives are long, so a private vehicle is worth the extra cost with young children — it means you set the pace and can head back when attention runs out. Walking safaris and balloon flights generally have minimum ages of twelve and seven respectively. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we'll build around them.
It is, provided you follow your guide. Tanzania is politically stable and safari tourism is extremely well established here. The genuine considerations are health rather than security: malaria prophylaxis is advised, yellow fever vaccination is required if you're arriving from an endemic country, and comprehensive travel insurance including medical evacuation is non-negotiable on any trip we run. Every one of our vehicles carries a first-aid kit and satellite communication.
Plan Your Serengeti
Tell Us When You Want to Travel
Give us your dates and we'll tell you exactly where the herds will be — and build the journey around them. No cost, no commitment.
