Wildlife Safari Popular 8-Day Tanzania Safari with Lake Eyasi & Maasai Culture
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Central Serengeti (2) · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Eyasi · +1 more
Explore Destination · Tanzania
Serengeti National Park
Plan a Serengeti safari: where the wildebeest migration is each month, which region to stay in, how to get there from Arusha and when to go.
- CountryTanzania
- Best timeThe Serengeti works in every month; what changes is where you should b...
- Trips10 sample trips
- Destinations nearbyCentral Serengeti, Ndutu Area
Serengeti safari: what to know
Serengeti National Park covers 14,763 km² of northern Tanzania and holds the largest remaining land migration on the planet: about 1.3 million wildebeest and more than 200,000 zebra moving in a year-long loop after the rain. The park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, and its name comes from the Maa word siringet, usually translated as "the place where the land runs on forever".
What to know before you go
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Four regions, four different safaris
Where you stay matters more here than in almost any other park. The central Seronera valley has permanent water and resident lion, leopard and cheetah all year. The southern plains around Ndutu fill with calving wildebeest from December to March. The Western Corridor sees the herds bunch up along the Grumeti River in May and June. The north, around Kogatende and the Mara River, is where the river crossings happen between July and October.
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Wildlife beyond the migration
The Serengeti supports roughly 3,000 lions, one of the largest populations in Africa, along with leopard along the Seronera River, cheetah on the open eastern plains, large clans of spotted hyena, and more than 500 recorded bird species. Black rhino survive in small numbers around the Moru Kopjes. The granite outcrops called kopjes are worth slow, careful scanning: lions use them as lookouts and cubs are often hidden in the rocks.
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Getting to the Serengeti
From Arusha it is about 320 km to Seronera, a full day by road that most itineraries break with a night in Karatu or at Ngorongoro. Scheduled light aircraft fly from Arusha to several Serengeti airstrips in around an hour, which is the practical choice for the far north.
When to visit Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti works in every month; what changes is where you should be. June to October is dry, with thin vegetation and the Mara River crossings in the north from July. December to March puts the herds on the southern plains, with calving peaking in February. April and May bring the long rains: some camps close and tracks get muddy, but rates drop sharply and the central Serengeti still has its resident cats.
Where It Is
Serengeti National Park and the other places we travel to nearby.
Serengeti National Park
Trips that include Serengeti National Park
Sample itineraries. Every trip is private, so we change the days, lodges and pace to suit you.
Wildlife Safari Popular 
Great Migration Popular 10-Day Serengeti Migration Safari, Lake Eyasi & Zanzibar
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Central Serengeti (2) · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Eyasi · +1 more
Beach & Island Popular 8-Day Zanzibar & Northern Tanzania Safari
Zanzibar (2) · Tarangire National Park · Central Serengeti (2) · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Eyasi
Great Migration Popular 8-Day Fly-In Serengeti Safari & Zanzibar Beach Holiday
Zanzibar (3) · Serengeti National Park (2) · Karatu · Lake Eyasi
Beach & Island Popular 10-Day Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar: Serengeti, Dolphins & Spice
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Central Serengeti (3) · Zanzibar (3) · Stone Town
Cultural Immersion Popular 11-Day Tanzania Safari: Migration, Ngorongoro & Local Culture
Arusha (2) · Tarangire National Park · Ngorongoro Crater (2) · Central Serengeti (3) · Lake Manyara National Park (2)
Wildlife Safari Best Value 8-Day Northern Circuit Big Five Safari
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Lake Manyara National Park · Central Serengeti (2) · Ngorongoro Crater (2)
Honeymoon Safari Romantic 
Wildlife Safari Popular 6-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari Adventure
Arusha Town · Tarangire National Park · Serengeti National Park (2) · Ngorongoro Crater
Plan Your Safari to Serengeti National Park
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Questions about Serengeti National Park
How many days do you need in the Serengeti?
Three nights is the practical minimum because the park is so large and the drive in from Arusha takes most of a day. Four or five nights lets you combine two regions, for example central Seronera with the north or the southern plains.
When is the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti?
The herds are inside the Serengeti ecosystem all year. They calve on the southern plains from December to March, move through the centre and Western Corridor from April to June, and cross the Mara River in the north between July and October before heading south again in November.
Can you see the Big Five in the Serengeti?
Lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo are seen regularly. Black rhino live in the park but are scarce and hard to find, so most travellers add Ngorongoro Crater, where rhino sightings are far more likely.
Is it better to drive or fly to the Serengeti?
Driving is cheaper and lets you visit Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro on the way. Flying takes about an hour from Arusha and saves a full day each way, which matters most for the northern Serengeti.
Destinations nearby
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