Uncover the magic of Serengeti safaris
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Serengeti Safaris
Classic savanna
Serengeti is the ultimate safari location in East Africa, the classic blend of broad savannas, characteristic acacia woodlands, montane forests and impressive volcanoes.
Easy climate
The proximity of Lake Victoria ensures an unusually stable climate, with comfortable temperatures and lots of sunshine, perfect for tented camps.
Migration
The famous wildebeest and zebra migration is a year-round spectacle with highlights including river crossings in Jul-Oct, the calving season Dec-Mar and the rut in Apr-May.
Big cats
During the Jun-Oct dry season, central parts of Serengeti experience the highest densities of lions and cheetahs in Africa, as the cats migrate in off the plains to hunt around the waterholes.
Maasai people
The tribal Maasai people inhabit the lands surrounding Serengeti. Relaxed interaction is a hallmark and a highlight of a quality safari into this area.
Empty spaces
Serengeti is very big, easily large enough to soak up the flow of visitors. If you prefer solitude, it is always possible to get out on your own, especially in the areas reserved for walking safari.
7-11 nights
If you are planning to visit Tanzania for safari only, then your trip could be as short as 7-11 nights. It is quite usual to deploy the whole of this time in the Serengeti region, mostly focused on Serengeti itself, usually supplemented with nights the adjoining reserves of Ngorongoro and Tarangire.
12 to 18 nights
Most of our guests tend to spend 12 to 18 nights in Tanzania, which is enough time to combine a good length safari in the Serengeti region with either further safari in the south (Ruaha, Selous) or west (Katavi, Mahale), or to head down to the tropical beaches of Zanzibar.
19 to 28 nights
For longer trips, most people will start to either combine three or more regions within Tanzania, or start to combine with other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The cost of safari in Serengeti
Safari in Serengeti ranges from surprisingly good value to rather pricey, very much in line with the prices for safari across Tanzania. You can expect to spend USD 350 to 2500 per person per night for the lodges, plus a private overland vehicle and driverguide, any connecting flights and the very high conservation fees.
We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.
The two dominant price factors are the length of time that you spend on safari and the specific lodges that you choose to include in your trip. Deploying more time in town, rural and beach locations can bring the total cost down dramatically.
If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which camps do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles, explorations of remote areas etc.
If you have a medium budget, the best ways to keep a lid on costs are to travel out of the Jul-Oct dry season and to carefully choose lower-cost lodges. You can also reduce the number of core safari nights and deploy time in more cost-effective beach, town and rural locations. We will help you understand where to trim and where to splash in order to achieve the best overall experience.
If you have a lower budget, then we can always look at other fundamentally less pricey safari areas.
Ngorongoro
Located between Serengeti and Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Highlands, including the famous crater, are a fixture in almost all safaris through the area.
Popular combos with Serengeti safari
Tarangire
Located to the south of Serengeti, Tarangire is a large and scenic reserve, best know for prodigious herds of elephants during the Jun-Dec dry season.
Manyara
Set just north of Tarangire, Lake Manyara is a pretty little park, way too busy on the north end, but fabulously quiet in the little-visited southern section, accessed via the fabulous back road routing.
The best lodges in Serengeti
Serengeti contains around 120 lodges and camps, about half of which are seasonal tented operations that move around the reserve in a way that vaguely tracks the migration herds.
We are able to include any of these properties in your trip.
When choosing which lodges to include in your trip, the starting point should almost always be the seasonality.
However, it is not simply a case of basing yourselves as close as possible to the migration herds, since there can be terrible traffic issues in those areas. During peak seasons, it can be great to include a less obvious location, where you can enjoy a great safari in blissful isolation.
There are also other wildlife events to take into account, notably the gazelle migration around the central plains, which is tracked by high numbers of lions and cheetahs.
A good safari through Serengeti usually combines two or three lodges in this area, as well as further lodges in the surrounding reserves.
You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.
Luxury trips
Our luxury trips to Tanzania combine lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari.
Trips to Tanzania
Adventure trips
In our adventure trips to Tanzania, we use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving.
Your trip will be fully tailor-made. We will work with you until we are all happy that we have arrived at the ideal trip solution. Sometimes that’s a quick and easy process, other times it can take several iterations. It’s a mutual learning process.
Serengeti is the mother of all safari reserves, a most extraordinary place, best known for its enormous wildebeest and zebra migration, but with prolific wildlife year round. Guest accommodation is in a fabulous range of over 100 camps and lodges, offering a range of safari and cultural activities.
Serengeti is adjoins several other wildlife areas, including the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. These areas are usually explored together, by means of a private-guided overland safari, usually over 6-12 nights.
The region combines easily with the primate areas of Uganda and Rwanda, as well as the tropical beaches of Zanzibar, whilst further safari can be added in the south (Ruaha and Selous) and the remote west (Katavi and Mahale).
We will help you to create your perfect Serengeti safari, using the full range of high quality ingredients.
When to go on safari in Serengeti
Safari in Serengeti is very seasonal. Extremely detailed knowledge of every single month is needed to properly plan a great safari. When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.
Jul-Oct : Peak dry season
This is the period which is conventionally considered to be the best time to visit Serengeti, the main dry season.
At this time rainfall is extremely rare and temperatures remain comfortable throughout, in contrast to the more intense conditions in other reserves.
The main migration herds emerge onto the northern plains towards the end of July, leading to impressive sightings, including big river crossings.
In central areas, lions and cheetahs migrate into the few permanent water sources, often with very frequent sightings.
Southern parts of Serengeti are very dry, with relatively low wildlife sightings, but wonderfully quiet.
Visitor numbers peak in August, with July and September also being busy, so traffic avoidance is very important.
Nov-Jan : Late dry season
Serengeti often experiences what are known as the Short Rains through this period, but they are sporadic and unpredictable. Overall the conditions remain good for safari, with lots of sunshine and the potential for big rumbling thunderstorms.
When the first lightning strikes on the Ngorongoro Highlands, the migration herds lift their heads and start marching south. But this is a very unpredictable movement, we can literally lose the migration for weeks.
The more rain there is, the more likely the herds will disperse on the southern plains and start calving. Additionally, the intense gathering of lions and cheetahs in central areas will disperse.
We need to plan for all eventualities at this time of year, which usually means including two or three lodges in the Serengeti, to make sure we hit the action whatever the weather.
Visitor numbers are very low either side of the steep-sided Dec-Jan surge.
Some of the more upmarket lodges offer discounted prices outside the holiday period, whilst the price of mid-range safaris remains constant.
Feb-Mar : Calving season
The first two months of the year are conventionally considered to be dry, but in truth there can be showers at any time. The prevailing conditions remain sunny and comfortable.
Although the wildebeest calving season can start any time from December, by February it should be peaking, with the southern plains dotted with endless herds, their young and the many attendant predators. This is a major spectacle and the main focus of safaris at this time.
The calving season does create a surge in visitor numbers through February, especially around Ndutu, which leads us to use more peripheral areas like Kusini, Kakessio and Angata Kiti.
Apr : Rainy season
The main rains are centred on April, but can slide into the months either side. Even the wettest weeks feature a good deal of sunshine and temperatures are comfortable.
However, the road conditions can become very difficult and you may get wrapped up in some very sticky situations. Be prepared to get muddy.
If are ready to take these risks on board, then you will be rewarded by often incredibly low visitor numbers, i some parts you will virtually have the place to yourselves.
Some of the more upmarket lodges offer discounted prices at this time, whilst the price of mid-range safaris remains constant.
May-Jun : Early dry season
The rains tend to subside abruptly and it doesn’t take long for the dry season conditions to establish themselves, with lots of sunshine and comfortable temperatures.
The wildlife is one the move, with the main migration herds heading north into central and western areas, rutting as they go.
Elsewhere, the animals remain quite dispersed, but there is never a shortage of sightings in almost all areas.
Visitor numbers are pleasantly low in May, rising significantly in June, although nowhere near the peak numbers of the upcoming high season.
Some of the more upmarket lodges offer discounted prices at this time, whilst the price of mid-range safaris remains constant.
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ATR is widely recognised as the world’s leading tailor-made safari company. We will help you to find a more authentic, more exciting, better value safari.
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Serengeti National Park insider tips
Arduous overland
Overland safaris through the Serengeti region are inherently more arduous than the flying safari that dominates in most other areas. You really do need to be up for a serious (and bumpy) road trip.
Vehicle traffic
Almost all the vehicle traffic through this region travels along a single main road. We can avoid most of this, but on the traverse through the Ngorongoro Crater it is not completely avoidable.
Touristy lodges
An unfortunate and unavoidable consequence of being the world’s most famous wildlife area is the burden of mass-market tourism, but we have our ways to steer clear.
A great safari needs to be planned with care. Remarkably, we estimate that over three quarters of people visiting Serengeti National Park end up being mindlessly shuttled up and down the main road, being seriously short-changed on their experience.
For decades we have relentlessly innovated the safari experience in this area. We will ensure that your safari is as authentic as you can handle.
It is extremely rare for guests to safari only to the Central Kalahari, almost everyone combines the area with the better-watered and richer ecosystems to the north.
How long to spend on a Serengeti safari
Bwindi Forest
Set in Uganda, Bwindi Forest is usually the best place to head for amazing gorilla tracking experiences, with light aircraft connections from Serengeti, via Entebbe.
Ruaha
Set in the south of Tanzania, Ruaha is an utterly fabulous and much more remote safari location, the two areas being connected by expensive light aircraft flights.
Zanzibar
If you are looking for tropical beaches, then Zanzibar Island has loads of choice of lodges, whilst the islands of Pemba and Mafia are much less visited backwaters.
No off-road
In most of Serengeti, off-road driving is not permitted, making it difficult to make the most of major sightings. The main exception is during the Dec-Mar calving season on the southern plains, where it is permitted.
Rainy season
From a weather perspective, we don’t think there is a bad time to be in Serengeti. Even during the April rains, the weather is atmospheric, there’s still plenty of sunshine and virtually no one else around.
High costs
A combination of the need to travel in a private vehicle and the very high park fees ensures that the Serengeti region is unavoidably expensive to visit year round.