Serengeti National Park

Serengeti means 'endless plains' in Maa, and the first time you crest the rise past Naabi Hill Gate you understand why. Short grass runs to the horizon in every direction, broken only by granite kopjes where lions lie up through the heat of the day.

Around 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra move through the ecosystem in a slow clockwise loop that follows the rain. From January to March they calve on the southern short-grass plains around Ndutu. By May and June the columns push north-west through the Grumeti. From July to October the herds mass on the Mara River in the far north, where the crossings happen.

Even outside migration season the Serengeti holds resident game year-round: big lion prides in the Seronera Valley, leopards in the sausage trees along the river, cheetah on the open plains and enormous herds of buffalo and giraffe.

We reach the Serengeti overland from Arusha via Ngorongoro, which makes the drive itself part of the safari, or by short flight for travellers who are tight on time.

Highlights

• Mara River crossings (Jul–Oct)
• Ndutu calving season (Jan–Mar)
• Seronera Valley big cats
• Hot-air balloon safari at dawn (optional add-on)

Wildlife you can expect

• · Wildebeest and zebra migration
• · Lion (highest density in Africa)
• · Leopard along the Seronera River
• · Cheetah on the short-grass plains
• · Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo
• · Over 500 bird species

Best time to visit Serengeti

June to October for the northern crossings and easy general game viewing; January to March for the calving season and big-cat action in the south.