Intro
About Serengeti National Park
Activities
Wildlife

The world’s most famous game reserve

Serengeti National Park, an area of grassy plains as far as the horizon goes – with countless ungulates and large groups of predators in their wake – is famous for the great migration of over a million wildebeest and zebras.

Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
and is at the top of the list of most stunning safari parks in Africa.

Surface 14.763 km2
Best travel season all year
Dry seasonJune to October
Green season November to May

About Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is unique in its natural beauty. From the southern savannas, dotted with acacias and wild animals and the forests in the west, to the hilly Mara river area in the north.
This area has hardly changed since early humans set foot here.

The Great Migration of wildebeests

Throughout the year, millions of wild animals such as wildebeests, zebras and Thomson gazelles roam the endless plains of the Serengeti in search of water and fresh grass. A spectacular natural phenomenon you cannot miss! This migration – also known as the “great migration” – of the nearly 2 million ungulates, takes place every year.

When compiling a safari to the Serengeti we take into account the season in which you travel and the location of the animals. Therefore, we ensure you are always in the best place.

January and February: the herds are on the southern plains. About 500,000 calves are born in a period of two to four weeks. A wondeful time to be there!
March to May: the beasts are rutted and move west. The rainy period ensures the growth of beautiful flowers and plants.

June: the animals migrate from the west to the north. This is a great time to be in the Serengeti. There’s a good chance you see the herds crossing the rivers.
July: the animals live scattered and migrate to the north of the park.
August to October: you find the wildebeests scattered across the grass landscape in the north. There is a good chance you see them crossing the river. This is a fantastic period for your safari at the Mara River, where there are few visitors.
November to mid December: the wildebeests return to the south and are often scattered. It’s difficult to estimate where the animals are during this period, but it is a nice and quiet time to stay at this location.
Mid December to mid January: the wildebeests arrive in the south again.

Climate and season in the Serengeti

The weather in Serengeti National Park is moderate and pleasant. During the year, it rarely gets too hot during the day, but cools off at night and in the morning.

June to October
During this dry period the afternoon temperatures are around 25 degrees. The days are clear with blue skies. The grass is yellow and shorter. At night it cools down a bit, sometimes to around 15 degrees. The great migration is happening between the west and north of the park. September and October are highlights where the animals are in northern Serengeti and try their best to cross the rivers. This is a quieter period and you stay far in the north of the park against the Kenyan border. The south is known for its large numbers of cats, which can be seen very well during this period due to the lack of vegetation due to the drought.

November and December
In this period, rain falls for around 30 days. Your safari won’t experience much disruption because it never rains all day. It is around 27 degrees during the day and around 15 degrees at night.

January and February
This is the dry season between two green seasons. A wonderful time to visit Serengeti National Park as this is the time during which all calves are born on the southern plains. This part has vast plains which are beautifully green in this period due to the rains.

March to May
During this period there are a lot of clouds and there are showers on most days. It never rains all day. The average temperatures are around 26 degrees during the day and 16 degrees at night and sometimes even a lot cooler due to the cold fronts. The migration is in full swing and there is little tourism, which means you have many places to yourself.

Interesting facts

1. Serengeti means “endless plains” in the Maasai language.

2. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was founded in 1951.

3. The Olduvai gorge is a 50 kilometer long gorge with steep walls located in the eastern part of the Serengeti. The canyon is called the cradle of humanity. 2.5 million year old fossil remains of human ancestors were found here.

4. In 1959, to protect animals in the Serengeti National Park, the British evicted the last residents, the Maasai, from the park and moved them to the Ngorongoro Protected Area.

5. The Serengeti plain is interrupted by granite rocks known as cups. These rocks are the result of volcanic activity. A habitat has been created around these cups for animals that don’t want to live on plains. You often see lions on the lookout.

6. The numbers of migrating animals are immense: first are 260,000 zebras, then 1.7 million wildebeests, followed by hundreds of thousands of other wild animals, including around 470,000 gazelles.

7. The Great Migration: Millions of wild animals such as wildebeests, zebras and Thomson’s gazelles constantly roam the Serengeti in search of water and fresh grass. An instinct so entrenched to move in search of water that no gorge or river full of crocodiles can stop them. From August to October, the animals are in the north and cross the Mara River en masse.

8. The Ndutu area in the southern Serengeti is known for its large numbers of lions, leopards, cheetahs, civets, serval and wild cats. The freshwater in the marshes present here attracts the ungulates, which in turn attracts the cats. In the dry season, with less greenery, they are clearly visible.

Activities

Experience Serengeti National Park as a vast and peaceful area, by joining us to the most beautiful and remote places in the park. Away from the beaten track.
It’s also possible to take short or multi-day walks.

Balloon flight

This is Tanzania from high altitude.
Get carried away by the wind and experience the Serengeti from the air!

The hot air balloon leaves early in the morning to see the magnificent sun rise over the endless plains. After a flight of about an hour – in the middle of the wilderness – a delicious champagne breakfast awaits you. It doesn’t get better!

Jeep safari

A jeep safari in Serengeti National Park is a unique experience! It’s the perfect way to explore this vast park.
You enjoy full days of safari in Serengeti National Park. The number of days you stay here and the desired property is, together with you, determined in advance by Explore Tanzania.
We take into account the season in which you travel and where the migrating animals are at that moment. Because you should definitely not miss this wild spectacle.

Walking safari

Walking in the Serengeti is a unique experience and is only possible in a few places in the park. Only a handful of organizations received permission to walk here. Explore Tanzania is one of these.

The walks in the Serengeti are multi-day, with a minimum of two nights in a tent in the walking zone. You can fill these days according to your wishes. The goal is not to cover as many kilometers as possible, but to enjoy the environment, nature and animals.

Be surprised by the natural beauty of Tanzania! We cooperate with Jean du Plessis, a pioneer in organizing these walking safaris. He looks for the most remote and unique locations in Tanzania for you. You walk with an armed and qualified guide and a park ranger.

Predator course

With so many predators in the southern part of the Serengeti, it is possible to study these animals a little more closely and get a glimpse of their fascinating habitat. You will learn about the predators’ behavior, their natural environment and how to detect them. These are: the lion, leopard, cheetah, civet cat, serval cat, hyena (spotted and striped) and the jackal (black back and striped). And it is precisely during the dry season that the behavior of these animals is clearly visible. A great season to really enjoy the predators of Ndutu, where they stay safe with their offspring around the wetlands, where ungulates come to drink from the fresh water.

During the course you will be accompanied by expert guides, who have trained numerous other park rangers and guides themselves over the years. You will also collaborate with local scientists from “Kope Lion & the Serengeti Cheetah Project ‘, which will pay particular attention to the lion population of the 25+ lions and famous Ndutu cheetah group from the immediate vicinity of the lodge. The course has both a theoretical and a practical part.
All courses take place from April to December 15th on and from Ndutu Safari lodge and the surrounding region.

The course lasts either 3 or 5 days (whereby the 5-day course per subject takes more time).

The course covers the following topics:

Mwiba Wildlife Reserve

Mwiba is a privately managed 129 km2 nature reserve. Mwimba Wildlife Reserve is located west of the Ngorongoro area and south of the Serengeti in Northern Tanzania.

The Mwiba Nature Reserve was established to protect the wildlife in this region, which is under enormous pressure from a growing population. The park ensures that there is now only limited access to the south and west of the Serengeti. You can stay at the exclusive Mwiba Lodge.

The migration of the countless wildebeest passes through the Mwiba nature reserve between December and April. The area is characterized by rolling hills, cups and shrubbery. The waterholes and (dry) rivers with permanent pools attract wildlife all year round. Especially from the drier southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro areas, the animals migrate to the Mwiba nature reserve every year between July and November.

Video Migration

Nomads of the Serengeti - Migration

Animals in the area

The Serengeti National Park is the setting of the world’s largest wildlife spectacle: millions of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles move with the seasons in search of water.
They possess such a deep-rooted instinct to move, that no gorge or river full of crocodiles can stop them.

Other common animals include: lions, leopards, gazelles, impalas, hartebeasts, topis, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, dik-diks, crocodiles, hippos and various monkey and bird species.

Click here for the wildlife overview

Dieren overzicht Serengeti National Park

Baboon
Buffalo
Bushbuck
Capricorn
Cheetah
Dik-dik
Elephant
Fox
Gazelle
Genet
Giraffe
Hartebeest
Hippo
Hyena
Hyrax
Impala
Jackal
Klipspringer
Leopard
Lion
Mangoose
Monkey species
Moose
Oribi
Redunca
Savannah hare
Topi
Warthog
Waterbuck
Zebra

Would you like to get away from the beaten track in the Serengeti too?

Have a look at other example trips that can be fully adapted to your wishes or contact us directly!

example trips trip advice

Accommodations in Serengeti National Park

The great migration of the wildebeest is constantly moving, but we know their location very well.
An overnight stay in our stylish and comfortable Green Camp therefore means that you are always in the best place. An unforgettable experience!

More Serengeti National Park properties

Serengeti National Park