Tanzania · East Africa
The Serengeti.
The Serengeti is the ecosystem the wildebeest migration moves through, and it is large enough that where you stay decides what you see.
Photo MARIOLA GROBELSKA / Unsplash
The herds are in the southern plains around Ndutu for the calving season, move west and north through the middle of the year, and cross the Mara River in the north later in the year before turning south again. A camp in the wrong sector at the wrong month is a long way from the animals.
That is why mobile camps that move with the herds exist, and why the month of travel shapes the Serengeti itinerary more than any other decision.
How do you get to the Serengeti?
Fly into Kilimanjaro International or Arusha, then take a light aircraft to one of the Serengeti's airstrips, chosen for the part of the park the herds are in. The road from Arusha, through the Ngorongoro highlands, takes most of a day and suits travellers who want to stop at Tarangire and the crater on the way.
How big is the Serengeti?
Serengeti National Park covers about 14,750 square kilometres, and the wider ecosystem, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa and Grumeti reserves and Kenya's Masai Mara, is roughly twice that. The name is usually traced to the Maasai word for endless plains. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How long should you spend in the Serengeti?
Three to five nights, often split between two camps in different sectors. It is usually one part of a northern-circuit trip with Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater, and often finishes on Zanzibar.
Is the Serengeti or the Masai Mara better for the migration?
The herds spend most of the year in Tanzania, so the Serengeti sees them for longer, including the calving on the southern plains. The Mara sees them for part of the year and is the easier place to reach and to combine with the rest of Kenya. The month of travel decides which is right.
What is there to see in the Serengeti?
What does the Serengeti pair well with?
- Ngorongoro and the crater highlandsThe Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed caldera holding a resident population of game year-round, including some of the last black rhino in the north.
- Tarangire and Lake ManyaraTarangire is baobab and elephant country and the northern circuit's most underrated park; Lake Manyara is a short, scenic stop beneath the Rift escarpment.
- Zanzibar and the coastZanzibar is the standard finish to a Tanzanian safari — a Swahili archipelago with a World Heritage capital and a long history of its own.
- The Masai Mara, KenyaThe Mara is Kenya's flagship reserve and the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem, which is why the migration reaches it.
Planning
Elsewhere in Tanzania
- The southern and western circuitsNyerere, Ruaha, Katavi and Mahale are Tanzania's wild end — far larger, far emptier, and considerably harder to reach.
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