Endless Plains — home to the Great Migration and one of Africa’s highest concentrations of resident predators.
Covering roughly 14,750 square kilometres of northern Tanzania, the Serengeti is the centrepiece of an ecosystem spanning some 30,000 square kilometres with the adjoining Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Kenya’s Maasai Mara. It hosts the Great Migration — an estimated 1.5 to 2 million wildebeest moving in a continuous, rainfall-driven circuit alongside hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle — alongside resident populations of all Big Five species that remain in the park year-round regardless of where the herds happen to be.
The Great Migration, Region by RegionThe short-grass plains around Ndutu see the calving season, when up to 8,000 wildebeest calves are born daily — and, as a result, the highest concentration of predators anywhere in the ecosystem.
The herds move west toward the Grumeti River, where crocodile-crossing drama begins in earnest as the migration pushes toward the northern Serengeti.
The most dramatic river crossings happen here, at the Mara River, as the herds push into Kenya’s Maasai Mara before turning south again in November.
The Seronera Valley holds resident lion, leopard and cheetah populations regardless of migration timing, making it a dependable base whenever you travel.
Because the migration moves through different parts of a very large park across the year, where you stay should be matched to your travel dates rather than chosen first. A lodge in the Western Corridor in September will put you nowhere near the action; the same lodge in June sits at the heart of it. We build Serengeti stays around the migration’s expected position for your specific dates, not a fixed regional preference.
The Serengeti in PicturesThere is no single "best" month — the migration moves continuously through the ecosystem. December to March suits the southern plains and calving season; June to July suits the Western Corridor; July to October suits the northern Serengeti and Mara River crossings. We match your lodge location to your travel dates.
Three to four nights is enough to explore a single region properly. Travelers wanting to follow the migration across two zones, or combine the Serengeti with Ngorongoro Crater, typically allow five to seven nights across the wider northern circuit.
Speak to a safari designer about which migration phase and region suits your travel dates.
