Destinations
Serengeti National Park
Open plains, and the park most first-time visitors come to Tanzania for.
The Serengeti covers roughly 15,000 square kilometres of grassland, woodland and riverine forest in northern Tanzania. Its name comes from the Maa word for endless plains, and on the southern short-grass plains that is exactly what it looks like.
It is best known for the Great Migration, but the resident wildlife alone justifies the trip. Lion prides are large and habituated to vehicles, the Seronera valley holds leopard in its riverine trees, and cheetah hunt on the open plains.
Where you stay matters more here than in any other Tanzanian park, because the park is vast and the herds move. In the calving months the south is where you want to be; from July to October the north, near the Mara River.
Wildlife it is known for
- Lion
- Leopard
- Cheetah
- Elephant
- Wildebeest
- Zebra
- Spotted hyena
- Giraffe
What you can do there
- Game drives, morning and afternoon
- Full-day drives with a picnic lunch
- Hot air balloon at sunrise
- Photography, with time at sightings
- Guided walking safari
Good to know
| Best time to go | Excellent all year. The question is which part of the park, not whether to come. |
| How long to stay | Three nights minimum, four or five if you want the migration. |
| Getting there | A long but scenic drive from Arusha via Ngorongoro, or a short flight to one of the park airstrips. |
Journeys that include it
Ready when you are
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you would like to see. We take it from there.