Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park guide: wildlife, the Great Migration, regions, balloon flights and the best time to visit, with private safaris from Arusha.
Discover the Endless Plains
The Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most iconic safari destinations on Earth. Its name, derived from the Maasai word “Siringet,” meaning “the place where the land runs on forever,” perfectly captures the essence of these vast, endless plains. The Serengeti is synonymous with the Great Migration, the largest overland wildlife migration on the planet, where over 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras, and thousands of gazelles traverse the plains in search of fresh grazing. Beyond the migration, the Serengeti offers exceptional year-round wildlife viewing. The park is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo) and an astonishing density of predators. The Seronera Valley, in the central Serengeti, is particularly famous for its high concentration of big cats. Whether you are witnessing a river crossing, watching a lioness stalk her prey, or simply taking in the vastness of the plains, the Serengeti is an experience that will stay with you forever.
Highlights
- The Great Migration — Witness over 1.5 million wildebeest and thousands of zebras on their annual journey. Big Five Destination — Home to lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo. Superb Wildlife Viewing — Exceptional year-round game viewing with high predator density.
Wildlife
- Great Migration: up to 2 million wildebeest, ~200,000 zebra, and ~350,000 gazelle (Thomson’s, Grant’s, impala). Predators: roughly 3–4,000 lion, plus leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, caracal, serval and bat-eared fox. Plains and woodland: buffalo, elephant, giraffe, topi, eland, hartebeest, crocodile, monitor lizard, hyrax, genet, porcupine, aardvark and aardwolf. Primates: baboon, vervet and colobus. Birds: more than 500 species.
Things to do
- Daytime game drives — The core of a Serengeti safari. Night driving is not permitted inside the national park. Hot-air balloon — Sunrise over the plains, then a bush breakfast — best booked with your camp nights so the launch site matches your sector. Walking (limited) — Allowed in parts of the far north and at a few southern camps; rules change, so we confirm before we book. Highlands & crater add-on — Maasai country and a Ngorongoro Crater day sit naturally on the drive or flight from Arusha.
Best time to visit
- December–April · southern plains & Ndutu — Short-grass plains and calving (especially February). Superb predator action on newborn wildebeest. Mobile camps sit here for the season. May–mid-July · Western Corridor & Grumeti — Herds push west and cross the Grumeti. Fewer vehicles than the Mara, still dramatic river action. July–October · north, Kogatende & Lamai — Mara River crossings, quieter roads than Kenya’s Masai Mara, and the finest walking inside the park. A long drive or a flight from Seronera. Year-round · Seronera — River valleys hold water and resident game when the migration is elsewhere. Busier hotels; we often base on the edge so you can dip in and out.