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SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Serengeti National Park Africa Kenya Safaris2

Location

The Serengeti National Park spans a few key areas of northern Tanzania with the Serengeti ecosystem covering the eastern Mara and northern Simiyu regions.

Size

The Serengeti National Park covers an area of around 5700 square miles.

History

Even though exploration of the Serengeti National Park goes back as far as the late 1800s, the park gained recognition around the 1920s when sightings of the great wildebeest migration were first witnessed and photographed.

In the 1930s the Serengeti Game Reserve was a popular sport hunting destination until activity ceased around 1937 and the park was given a protected area status in 1940. The park headquarters were located on the Ngorongoro Crater rim when the southern part of the reserve became a national park in 1951. 

Breaking away from the Ngorongoro conservation area in 1959 the park has stood as one of Tanzania’s most visited and truly incredible national parks. Serengeti National Park was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Entrance Fees & Permits

The entrance into the Serengeti National Park is USD60 per adult and USD30 per child

Hours of Operation

The Serengeti National Park gates are open between 6am and 6pm daily.

By Road

Road travel to the Serengeti National Park from Arusha is an approximate 200-mile journey, which will take approximately eight hours. 

 

By Air 

Guests who fly into Kilimanjaro will transfer by road to Arusha, a journey of around 30 miles, and then take a 30-minute flight on a small air hop or air transfer to one of the airstrips in the Serengeti National Park.

Weather & Climate

The Serengeti National Park enjoys a dry winter over the months of June through to the end of August. June can see temperatures up to the mid-seventies, with the climate cooling in July and August. Short rains fall between November and April, with the longer rains falling in March and April. Game viewing is at its best in the dry winter season, with the great migration being a highlight in July and October.

 

Avoiding Crowds

Consider travelling in the green season of late October through to December, just after the busy winter peak season. Visiting in late May and early June will allow you to go on safari just ahead of the crowds. 

 

Value for Money

Thanks to a diverse range of accommodation options available, it is possible to enjoy a quality safari experience in the Serengeti National Park with a variety of budgets. Guests have the option of choosing lodges and camps in remote areas or settling in the middle of a great migration pathway in one of Africa’s most outstanding safari destinations. Travelling by road also helps with overall pricing.

Popular Wildlife Sightings in the Serengeti National Park

Big cats, the big five, and a big chance to witness the incredible great wildebeest migration puts Serengeti National Park at the top of any safari-goer’s list. The Serengeti is known to have a vast number of animals, complete with sightings of large herds of plains game as well as predators seen on most game drives. 

 

The Terrain

The Serengeti National Park has a terrain made up of mostly vast savannah in the western section, occasional acacia trees breaking the landscape, and a more hilly woodland area sets the scene in the north.

Game Drives

Experiencing the Serengeti National Park in an open or enclosed 4×4 safari vehicle is the most ideal way to see the vast number of animals that call the park home. Early morning and late afternoon drives can be substituted for a full day outing with a picnic lunch packed for guests. 

 

Consider a hot air balloon experience over the incredible savannah and woodlands of the Serengeti. Guests may have the opportunity to witness the incredible great migration during their visit, depending on the time of year they are visiting. Watch as thousands of wildebeest cross the Mara river between Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.

 

Guided Walking Safaris

The Serengeti National Park offers guided walking safaris in the Serengeti National Park that may range from 2 day experiences to a full week. Cover terrain that reaches beyond what you will see seated in a safari vehicle and witness nature up close and personal for hours on end.

There are so many accommodation options in the Serengeti National Park, with options ranging from moderate hotels and lodges to mid-range mobile camping options and even exquisite luxury and high-end tented camps to complete the lodging complement. 

Serengeti National Park Lodging – Distance from park entrance

Lodge or HotelDistance to park entrance (in miles)
Four Seasons Safari Lodge53.3 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Melia Serengeti Lodge30.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Ole Serai Luxury Camp – Turner Springs 39.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Lemala Nanyukie Lodge40.3  miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Siringit Serengeti Camp39.0 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Nimali Central Serengeti39.3 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kirawira Serena Camp93 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Elawana Serengeti Explorer208 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp52.8 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kubu Kubu Tented Camp40.7 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Serena Lodge40.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Mbali Mbali Soroi Serengeti Lodge39 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Naskia Migration Camp21.3 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Lahia Tented Lodge64 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Sametu Camp40.6 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Mara River Camp123 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Woodlands Camp23 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Acacia Bliss Luxury Tented Camp79.3 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
The singing Grass Bush Camp28.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Ang’ata Serengeti Camp18.3 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Seronera Wildlife Lodge31.7 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Nyikani Central Serengeti Camp41.9 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp47.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Kichakana Serengeti Camp46 miles from the Ndabaka Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Bushtops Lodge39 miles from the Fort Ikoma Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Olakira Migration Camp 37 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Under Canvas40 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Ole Serai – Moru Kopje42 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Ole Serai – Kogatende90 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Lemala Serengeti – Mara & Ndutu87 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Nimali Mara92 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kati Kati Serengeti23.5 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Mara Under Canvas95 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Acacia Central Camp25 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Angata Kemarishe Tented Camp35 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Angata Migration Camp37 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Lobo Wildlife Lodge55 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Nyikani Migration Camp35 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Elewana Pioneer56 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Elewana Migration Camp 37 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kirurumu Under Canvas: Northern Camp93 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kirurumu Under Canvas South31 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kirurumu Under Canvas Central62 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Mawe Tented Camp47 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Gnu Migration Camp106 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Embalakai Serengeti62 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Kaskaz Mara106 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Naona Moru Camp16 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Safari Lodge47 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp87 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Simba Lodge93 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Mbalageti Safari Lodge50 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Africa Safari Lodge50 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Sound of Nature47 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
ThornTree Camp47 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park
Serengeti Sopa Lodge19 miles from the Naabi Hill Gate of the Serengeti National Park

Hot Air Balloon Experience

Take to the skies in one of the most amazing safari experiences one can have. A hot air balloon ride will take you over the savannahs and woodland areas of the great Serengeti National Park, with the opportunity to spot animals near and far. 

 

Cultural Tours

Visit local communities and spend time immersed in Masaai culture, learning traditions and timeless rituals as you see how they are integrated into today’s society.

  • When is the best time to visit Serengeti National Park?

The dryer winter months between June and August is the best time to visit the Serengeti when the grass is low and the temperatures mild and game viewing is optimal. 


  • How much does a safari in Serengeti National Park cost?

The pricing of accommodation ranges from larger hotel options to mobile tented adventures and intimate luxury camps, pricing ranging from USD450 per person sharing to over USD1400 per person sharing per night. 


  • How to get to Serengeti National Park?

Visitors to the Serengeti can drive from Arusha, the 200 mile journey taking around eight hours, or a 30-minute flight is an option onto one of the Serengeti airstrips. 


  • What makes a Serengeti National Park safari so special?

 Spending time in the Serengeti is always a treat as it is a vast area with a large number of animals, making game viewing an exciting and successful adventure. It is also home to the great wildebeest migration, a phenomenal crossing between Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti national parks. 


  • What animals can I see in the Serengeti National Park?

Home to the “Big Five”, visitors have a chance to see elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo and lion as well as a plethora of plains game and birdlife. 


  • When is Serengeti National Park open?

The gates to the Serengeti National Park are open from 6.30am to 6.30pm daily.



  • Do you need to book in advance to visit the Serengeti National Park?

A safari package that includes a stay in the Serengeti will need to be booked quite far in advance. Availability can be scarce during peak safari season, which falls between late June and the end of October each year. 


  • What’s the best way to see Serengeti National Park?

An enclosed or open 4×4 safari vehicle is the best way to explore and experience the Serengeti National Park. Game walks and a hot air balloon ride are two other ways to search for animals and see the park. 


  • What hotels, lodges, and camps are near Serengeti National Park?

The Serengeti Serena Lodge offers a large selection of accommodations for groups and families looking for the more “classic” safari lodge experience. The Sanctuary Bushtops is an example of luxury tented accommodation in the Serengeti National Park. Mobile camping, of the four star and five star level, is popular in the Serengeti with the AndBeyond Under Canvas experience creating an “up close and personal with nature” adventure. 


  • What restaurants are near Serengeti National Park?

There are no stand-alone restaurants near the Serengeti National Park, with guests dining in the restaurants located at the lodge or camp of their choice.

 

  • What attractions are near Serengeti National Park? 

 

Hot Air Balloon Rides

Get a bird’s eye view over the incredible Serengeti National Park with a hot air balloon ride, a chance to scope the landscape for animals while taking in the scenic beauty.

 

Maasai Cultural Village Experience

Enjoy some time experiencing true Maasai culture and heritage as you learn about traditions and the rich history of the Maasai community.

BEST TANZANIA SAFARI TOURS START/END IN ARUSHA
6, 7 & 8 Days Tanzania Safari Tours

  • 3 Days
  • 4 Days
  • 5 Days
  • 6 Days
  • 7 days
  • 10 Days

3 Days Highlights of Tanzania Safari

Tanzania is alive with colorful wildlife herding in dense and unusual parks – we’ll explore two of these dynamic areas on this spirited Tanzania Safari. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is unique in the world of safaris – it’s the largest intact volcanic crater on Earth. We’ll travel down into this dense, self-contained world of active wildlife in our 4 x 4 Jeep.

4 Days – The Serengeti Safari – Fly And Drive

The Serengeti. Ngorongoro Crater. Oldupai Gorge. The names are exotic, the locations even more so. This Tanzania Safari will bring you into the heart of the country – to immense savannahs heaving with wildebeests and big cats, and an ancient crater filled with Zebras, gazelles, cheetahs, and flamingoes.

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We’ll touch the origins of mankind at Oldupai Gorge, a millions-year-old record of humankind’s earliest inhabitants. And then, when you’ve explored the best of Tanzania from the ground, our safari will take you to the air with a flight over these same magnificent landscapes and a return to Arusha.

5 Days – Tanzania Choice Safari

These are Tanzania’s finest parks and we give you a choice to begin this Africa safari adventure at either Lake Manyara or Tarangire National Parks. Manyara is a colorful jewel, filled with thousands of pink flamingoes settled on the shores of a cobalt blue lake. Tarangire is known for its elephants, lots of migrating wildlife, and few tourists. Take your pick of the parks.

Serengeti National Park is perhaps the most famous wildlife reserve in the world, with its horizons filled with wildebeests and zebras. The lion population here is the largest of any park in the region, if not all of Africa. But for sheer density of big cats, nothing beats the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact volcanic caldera on the planet.

We’ll visit these wild, colorful and memorable parks and all the wildlife that live upon these vital lands on this five-day Natural World Kenya Safaris exploration.

5 Days Tanzania Wonder Safari

From Ngorongoro Crater to Enchanting Lake Manyara

5 DAYS, 4 NIGHTS:  NGORONGORO CRATER – NDUTU AREA -LAKE MANYARA PARK

We created this safari to bring you up close to the wonders of Tanzania… wonders like the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, and a wildlife universe unto itself, cut off from the rest of Africa.

The Ndutu Area is the engine of the Great Wildebeest Migration – it’s where the millions of wildebeests and other grazers settle for the calving season, from December through March, giving birth to up to half a million newborns every winter.

5 Days Immersive Ndutu Safari

Witness The Great Migration, Plus Incredible Ngorongoro

5 DAYS, 4 NIGHTS:  NDUTU AREA – NGORONGORO CRATER

This is where you’ll find astonishing and active wildlife – the Ndutu Area is one of the best spots to witness the drama of the Great Migration and Ngorongoro is unmatched for its density of animal life.

dutu pulsates with limitless numbers of wildebeests and zebras as these are the calving fields that ultimately populate the migration. From December through April, the fresh grasses of Ndutu attract millions of herding grazers to give birth to their young, as many as 8,000 a day!

Here the newborns take their first steps, issue their first cries and quickly learn and grow to keep up with the vast herds of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles. Then, come spring, they move north toward still more fresh grasses in the unending cycles of the Great Migration.

6 Days – Total Tanzania Safari

We designed this Total Tanzania Safari to show you the best of our beautiful country – its overflowing wildlife on boundless plains, across sterling lakes, and even down into lush, teeming crater floors. Serengeti National Park is home to more lions than any other spot in Africa – an astonishing range of animals populate its sweeping tracts stretching out to the horizon.

The Ngorongoro Crater is a world unto itself – over 25,000 animals dwell across this isolated volcano floor – lions, leopards, rhinos, baboons, even pink flamingoes thrive in these nether reaches. You’ll discover elephants, buffalo, lion, and leopard on our sojourn to Tarangire National Park, and small but exquisite Lake Manyara National Park always delights with its thousands of bright pink flamingoes filling its sparkling shores.

6 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari

6 Day Tanzania safari visiting Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro.

Safari proceeds to Lake Manyara, the expansive Serengeti Reserve and the amazing Ngorongoro Crater.

7 Days Tanzania Safari

The safari is starts and ends in Arusha visiting the best of Tanzania national parks.

Safari proceeds to Lake Manyara, the expansive Serengeti Reserve and the amazing Ngorongoro Crater.

7 Days Tanzania Migration Safari

Witness the Awesome Cycles of The Great Migration

7 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS:  TARANGIRE PARK – NDUTU AREA – SERENGETI PARK – NGORONGORO CRATER

This specially designed tour will give you opportunities to see the birthing fields when up to 500,000 wildebeest newborns are dropped onto the vast fields of the Ndutu Area of the Serengeti.

On this tour we will explore Tarangire National Park, Ndutu Area, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater.

10 Days Best of Tanzania Wildlife & Culture Safari

This is a combination of Wildlife and Cultural safari in Tanzania.

The 10 day tour visits the first class national parks in Tanzania, Arusha Naitional Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manayara, the world famous Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park.

COMBINED KENYA AND TANZANIA SAFARIS

  • 9 Days
  • 14 Days

9 Day World Of Variety Kenya & Tanzania Tour

See 5 famous Parks & Reserves

An amazing 9 day (8 nights) safari exploring Kenya and Tanzania. 5 parks visited. Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Victoria, Maasai Mara and Nairobi.

The Ultimate 14 day Kenya & Tanzania safari tour

Two full weeks East Africa safari adventure

An amazing two full week adventure – experience Kenya’s finest parks alongside Tanzania’s Serengeti. Tour includes Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Lake Victoria, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Amboseli,

Serengeti National Park

  • Economy
  • Standard
  • Luxury

ThornTree Camp

ThornTree Camp is a classic tented safari camp located in Seronera area of Serengeti National Park, about fifteen minutes from the Seronera airstrip and visitor’s centre. The camp is open year round; offering traditional Tanzanian hospitality and great food.

Kati Kati Camp

The camp operates mostly in December to March and June to October with 10 comfortable safari tents spread out of the central mess area.

Kirurumu Serengeti Central Camp

Kirurumu Serengeti Central Camp is a lovely mobile camp, moved seasonally to take best advantage of the vast Serengeti. The camp is used as a base, a spring board for an early morning game drive, a break for a sumptuous lunch, a respite from the heat of the day and the finale to a days adventure where stories can be swapped around a fire. As a small and intimate camp the staff are on hand just to look after a very limited number of guests and so the level of attention and service is always excellent.

Kirurumu Serengeti North Camp

Kirurumu Serengeti North Camp is a luxury mobile camp, moved seasonally to take best advantage of the vast Serengeti. The camp is used as a base, a spring board for an early morning game drive, a break for a sumptuous lunch, a respite from the heat of the day and the finale to a days adventure where stories can be swapped around a fire. As a small and intimate camp the staff are on hand just to look after a very limited number of guests and so the level of attention and service is always excellent. The entire camp may be exclusively reserved for your private party.

Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Located on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the plains of the south-western Serengeti National Park, home to many thousands of wild and rare animals, Serengeti Sopa Lodge lies within an area of out-standing natural beauty. An oasis of cool relaxation from the equatorial sun.

Kirurumu Serengeti South Camp

Kirurumu Serengeti South Camp is a luxury mobile camp, moved seasonally to take best advantage of the vast Serengeti. The camp is used as a base, a spring board for an early morning game drive, a break for a sumptuous lunch, a respite from the heat of the day and the finale to a days adventure where stories can be swapped around a fire. As a small and intimate camp the staff are on hand just to look after a very limited number of guests and so the level of attention and service is always excellent.

Ang'ata Serengeti Camp

The Ang’ata camps are mobile camps situated in Tanzania’s most beautiful National Parks & Conservation areas. These camps are designed to offer the highest quality accommodations one would expect from a tented lodge.

Mbalageti Tented Lodge

Mbalageti Tented Lodge is quite lovely which can hold a maximum of 80 guests. The rooms are very good and the main area is inviting and warm

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is an award-winning gem of a hotel in one of the most beautiful settings in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park

Ole Serai Luxury Camp

This Luxury Camp is ideally located within Central Seronera area of the famous Serengeti National Park in Tanzania around the vicinity of the famous Moru Kopjes and Lake Magadi.

Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

This camp is strategically located to ensure that all areas of the Serengeti are within reach of our guests, including legendary locations like the famous Maasai kopjes, the Museum of Olduvai Gorge, Seronera and the Grumeti River.

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