How to plan your first visit to Serengeti National Park

A perfect morning on safari could begin with a sunrise balloon flight, drifting over a golden savannah. Down below, zebras call to each other with their distinctive, braying cries. After brunch on terra firma, you can scan for lions as your 4x4 vehicle threads its way through herds of wildebeests, before arriving at a comfortable camp with tents shaded by acacia, kigelia or commiphora trees.

In Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, one of East Africa’s finest safari destinations, experiences like these aren’t just possible: they’re commonplace. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park and the Ngorongoro Crater are part of the Serengeti-Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve. Together with Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the Serengeti is the arena for one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles: the cyclical Great Migration of around 1.8 million wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles.

The restless herds, as well as the big cats and crocodiles that prey on them, are genuinely impressive. Visitors will find plenty of fauna and flora to discover in this complex, ecologically sensitive region. The park’s 3.7 million acres of acacia-dotted grasslands and woodlands, strewn with granite outcrops and watered by rivers such as the Mara and the Grumeti, provide habitats for dozens of species, including elephants, giraffes, baboons, and lilac-breasted rollers.

Where to find the best views 

Even if you don’t go ballooning, you can enjoy 360-degree panoramas. The park’s many kopjes—weathered granite boulder stacks which trap just enough water to support miniature ecosystems—are natural viewpoints. Most can only be accessed by vehicle or admired from below. Still, visitors can walk up the kopje near Naabi Hill Gate for beautiful savannah views, or book a guided climb of the Moru Kopjes to admire the sweeping central plains, south of Seronera.

Best wildlife viewing spots

In the Serengeti, wildlife can appear almost anywhere, at any moment. If you’re pinning your hopes on witnessing a Great Migration river crossing, base yourself near Kogatende in the north, within driving distance of the Mara’s riverbanks. The action peaks between August and September.

By October and November, the herds usually move to the eastern section of the park, which is where the production crew filmed National Geographic’s Cheetahs Up Close with Berti Gregory. It’s the perfect time to see cheetahs in the Namiri Plains region, a former cheetah sanctuary, east of Seronera. If you’d prefer to see wildebeest defending their newborn young not only from cheetahs but also from other predators, head for Ndutu in the south, between December and March. February and March are the best times for sightings. 

“Some of the most meaningful experiences come from slowing down rather than chasing a checklist,” says big cat conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Laly Lichtenfeld. “The northeast, with giraffes moving through the trees, is extraordinarily beautiful, as are the Great Kopjes in the central Serengeti, especially when lions and leopards rest in the open.”

Ranger recommendations

A social media post sent shockwaves through the safari community after suggesting that guides put guests and the animals at the Great Migration river crossing in danger.

“TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority), the national parks authority, is well aware that safari experiences need to be as responsible and sustainable as possible,” says field guide Alfred Muziga of Bushtops, a collection of ethical camps. “It’s important to follow their rules and only step down from your vehicle when it’s safe. Remember, too, that there’s far more to see than the Migration: you could seek lions on the kopjes, or cheetahs on the plains.” 

Top Serengeti experiences

Guided nature drives (called game drives) are the usual way to explore. Safari camps arrange these, providing snacks and sundowners to enjoy at picturesque spots. If you opt to rent your own 4x4 in Arusha or another Tanzanian hub, it’s worth hiring a local guide, either separately or as part of a package. 

The origins of the name Serengeti are as hazy as the sky on a dusty, dry-season afternoon. However, locals say it’s derived from a Maasai word for endless plains—a fitting description of the central grasslands. Hot air ballooning offers an eagle’s eye view, allowing you to appreciate the landscape’s scale and maybe spot wildlife from above.

Best hiking trails 

The park doesn’t have official hiking trails, but some camps organize guided bushwalks in quiet wilderness areas, accompanied by an armed TANAPA ranger. These vary from hour-long strolls to multi-day walking safaris, tuning into the sounds and scents of the bush and fly-camping in a different spot each evening.

Best things to do for families

For kids with a passion for nature, guided drives are wild and exciting. Many of the Serengeti’s animals are easy to spot, so you can dial down the length of your excursions to suit your family’s attention span, with no fear of missing out. 

The most family-friendly places to stay have swimming pools to splash in between drives and organized craft sessions and nature walks in the safety of camp.

“Think guides helping kids identify bird calls, animal tracks, and poo (always a hit!)” says travel expert Johnny Prince of Timbuktu Travel. “Some camps even arrange treasure hunts, stargazing sessions, and visits to nearby schools, to play football and meet children their own age.”  

Where to stay

Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp, Northern Serengeti: This camp is great for families. Between drives and walks, kids can swim, make bead-and-feather jewelery or toast marshmallows over the campfire.

Serengeti Bushtops, Northern Serengeti: Guests stay in elegant tents in a beautiful, sunset-facing spot. This camp supports Bisalalah School, just outside the park. Guests can meet pupils for a short visit without disruptingthe school day.

Warangi Ridge, Central Serengeti: This architecturally unique contemporary ecolodge has spacious guest villas. Set in a private reserve within the national park, the wheelchair-accessible lodge is luxurious, serene, and secluded, with high-end cuisine. Its swimming pool is one of the loveliest in the Serengeti – shaded by a low granite cliff, creating a calm atmosphere similar to a natural rock pool.  

What you should know

Fees: The standard entry fee for international visitors is $82.60 for a 24-hour stay in the park during peak season (mid-May to mid-March) or $70.80 in low season. Discounts apply to children, Tanzanian residents and East African citizens as follows. For non-East-African children aged 5 to 15 years old, the daily fee is $23.60 throughout the year, and expat children living in Tanzania pay $11.80. 

Parents of East African children will pay 2,000 Tanzanian shillings, or approximately 81 cents. The entrance fee is free for children under five. For adult expats living in Tanzania, the cost is $41.30 during the peak season and $35.40 during the low season. And for adult East African citizens, it’s 10,000 Tanzanian shillings ($4.07) all year.

Access: Overland, the main gate is Naabi Hill, west of Arusha. Alternative entry gates include Ndabaka in the west and Klein’s Gate in the northeast. The busiest airstrip, Seronera, is located in the center of the park. Other Serengeti airstrips include Kogatende in the north, Grumeti in the west, and Kusini or Ndutu in the south. 

When to go: Serengeti National Park is busy from July to September, when it’s dry, and wildlife stays predictably close to the remaining water sources. The quieter green season, November to March, is excellent for birdwatching. Most visitors avoid April and May, the rainiest, muddiest months. 

Some camps and lodges—particularly new ones, such as Warangi Ridge—have step-free layouts and platforms to help wheelchair-users and the infirm enter safari vehicles. Accessibility adaptations are not universal, however, so express your needs before booking.