Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Any operator who tells you they can guarantee a Mara River crossing on a specific game drive is not being straight with you. The crossing happens when the wildebeest decide to cross, which can be triggered by a lion on the bank, a crocodile moving in the water, or nothing discernible at all. You wait at the river. Sometimes three hours, sometimes an afternoon. The crossing that finally happens is worth it. The ones that don’t happen are also part of the experience.

The Migration

The Serengeti migration is continuous, not seasonal in the way most people think. Roughly 1.5 million wildebeest, plus zebra and gazelle, move in a clockwise circuit following rainfall and new grass across an ecosystem that includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the southeast and Kenya’s Masai Mara to the north.

The calving season happens in the southern Serengeti short-grass plains in January and February: 500,000 calves born in a compressed period, which draws enormous concentrations of predators. From March onward the herds move northwest. By June and July they reach the Grumeti River crossings in the western corridor. August through October they’re crossing the Mara River in the north, which is the image most people associate with the Serengeti. December brings them back south.

The north is the most dramatic for the river crossings, but it requires timing and patience. Book at least eight months ahead for August and September accommodation in the northern camps; this is not an exaggeration.

Where to Stay

Accommodation in the Serengeti divides into permanent lodges, seasonal tented camps, and mobile camps that move with the migration. The central Seronera area has the highest concentration of permanent lodges and year-round wildlife density; it’s also the most crowded area for game drives, with multiple vehicles converging on sightings. Northern camps in the Mara region see fewer vehicles and better migration access from August through October. Western corridor camps near the Grumeti River are worth considering for June and July.

Serious options cost USD 400 to 800 per person per night, inclusive of meals and game drives. The price reflects the operational reality of running a camp in a remote national park without road access to most supplies. Budget options within the park are limited to public campsites that require your own equipment and vehicle.

Getting There

Fly from Arusha to one of the Serengeti’s airstrips: Seronera in the central park, Kogatende in the north, or the western corridor strips. Arusha is 90 minutes by flight from Nairobi or 45 minutes from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Driving from Arusha through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area takes five to six hours on mostly unpaved road; this is the standard approach for multi-day Tanzania itineraries that combine both parks.

Combining with Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Crater is five to six hours from Arusha and forms a natural pairing with the Serengeti. The crater is a collapsed volcanic caldera 19 kilometres across containing its own resident wildlife population including the highest density of lions in Africa and a substantial black rhino population. Go in the morning when the crater floor is clearest and the light is better for photography.

Practical Notes

Park fees are currently USD 82 per adult per day. The dry season from June through October delivers the best game viewing: animals concentrate around water sources and vegetation is low enough to see across it. The wet season from November through May brings green landscapes, significantly fewer tourists, and better rates at most camps; the calving season in January and February is underrated and worth considering if you can’t face peak-season prices. Roads in the western corridor become difficult after heavy rain.