Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti is Tanzania’s flagship safari destination and, together with Kenya’s Maasai Mara, forms the ecosystem behind the Great Wildebeest Migration, the year-round movement of over 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle across roughly 14,750 square kilometres of open plains. January to March brings the calving season in the southern Serengeti, while July to September is peak river-crossing season further north.

Even outside migration months, the Serengeti’s resident wildlife is exceptional: healthy predator populations of lion, leopard, and cheetah, along with elephant, buffalo, black rhino, and more than 500 recorded bird species spread across the park’s varied habitats. A sunrise hot air balloon safari is one of the most popular ways to take in the scale of the landscape, drifting silently over herds and predators alike.

Three to four days is typically recommended to explore different areas of the park and follow the migration’s seasonal position, and the Serengeti is commonly combined with the Maasai Mara for travellers doing a joint Kenya-Tanzania safari. Access is by domestic flight from Arusha or by road as part of the Northern Circuit.

Esther Luxe Safaris designs personalised Serengeti itineraries, timed to your travel dates and the migration’s likely position that month.

Camps and lodges are spread across different areas of the park, so where you stay often depends on the migration’s position that month; Esther Luxe Safaris tracks seasonal herd movements when recommending a base, so your camp sits as close to the action as possible.