Serengeti National Park
Serengeti’s name comes from the Masai word ‘Serengeti’ which means ‘endless plains’. This is one of the biggest wilderness areas in the world. Visitors to the Serengeti can expect an unforgettable wildlife experience no matter what time of year they visit.
- Big game:Exceptional
- Birding: Excellent
- Best time to visit Serengeti: All year is excellent tough it rains in April and May.
- How to get to Serengeti: you can drive or fly.
- Safari types available: hot air balloon safaris & Game drives
There a numerous levels of accommodation in the Serengeti, ranging from budget camping to luxury tented camps at over $1000 a night. Our safari team will help you to choose the lodge most suited for your safari depending on your budget and the time of year.
There is little permanent water in Tanzania’s largest National Park and consequently animal movement is linked to rainfall patterns. The great migration of over a million wildebeest, a quarter of a million zebra and numerous Thompson’s gazelles follows the rain through the Serengeti to the Masai Mara and back again. Big cats and other predators feast as the migration passes through their territories.
Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Locations
- January, February and March: The short rains fall on the Ndutu short grass plains from Serengeti Seronera to the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the migration spreads out in vast herds, often over 10,000 animals, for calving season.
- April, May and June: By the end of April the countless animals and the new offspring begin to congregate south of the Western Corridor to begin a northbound migration of over 800km. They form a huge, seemingly endless herd comprising of a column of animals up to 40km long. This creates the famous spectacle known over the world. The animals’ perilous crossing of the Grumeti River normally occurs at the end of June, sometimes in July. It can take up to two weeks for the herd to cross and many lives are lost to the crocodiles.
- July, August and September: The wildebeest congregate again in the Western Corridor after crossing the river. The herds then disperse northwards making Lobo the best place to view the migration at this time of year. About half will cross the Mara River entering the Masai Mara in Kenya.
- October, November and December By the end of October the animals tend to gather together for the long slow trek southwards again aiming for the southern plains as the short rains begin in November.