Fourteen thousand square kilometres of grass and sky. Every journey we design starts by asking where the herds are — this page tells you.
| Best for | The Great Migration, big cats, first safaris and fiftieth safaris alike |
|---|---|
| Time needed | 3–4 nights minimum; the park is the size of a small country |
| Getting there | Drive from Arusha via Ngorongoro (8h, scenic) or fly to an airstrip near your camp (1h) |
| Park fees | About $83 per adult per day (non-resident, incl. VAT), paid within your trip price |
| Pairs with | Ngorongoro, Tarangire, a Zanzibar finish |
There is no bad month — the migration is in the Serengeti year-round, it just moves. June–October gives dry weather and river crossings in the north; January–March gives calving season and predator action in the south; April–May is green, quiet and roughly 30% cheaper.
The single most common mistake we fix in other operators’ quotes is a lodge in the wrong region for the month. The park is huge; a camp three hours from the herds wastes your best light in transit. Our rule of thumb:
Beyond the migration: the Serengeti carries one of Africa’s densest lion populations (about 3,000 across the ecosystem), leopard along the Seronera river lines, cheetah on the short-grass plains, and elephant, giraffe, and hyena clans everywhere in between. A full day with a patient guide typically produces 25–35 mammal species. What we cannot promise is a crossing on demand — anyone who does is selling you weather.
From $4,950 pp
From $3,850 pp
From $9,500 pp
Three nights is the honest minimum — one region, properly. Four to five lets you combine two regions (say, central plus north in August) without rushing. Day trips from outside the park waste most of the day in transit.
No — and no honest operator can. Crossings depend on rain, grass and the herds’ mood; they can happen five times in a day or not for a week. What we do control: basing you at Kogatende in peak season, briefing you to be patient at the river, and building enough northern nights for the odds to work in your favor.
For photographers and second-time visitors, absolutely: dramatic skies, newborn animals, empty roads and rates 25–35% lower. The trade-off is afternoon storms and some camps closing. First-timers with only one shot at Tanzania usually prefer June–October certainty.
Same ecosystem, different scale: the Serengeti is roughly ten times larger, so sightings spread out. The Mara concentrates action in a smaller area — busier, but intense. With 10+ days we often do both; the border crossing is straightforward when your team, like ours, works on both sides. Our comparison: Serengeti month by month.
Every itinerary below visits the Serengeti. Expand one to see the day-by-day journey, honest pricing notes, and the exact lodges we use at each tier — tap any lodge for photos.