Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti, meaning ‘endless plain’ in the Maasai language, is indeed one of the world’s most celebrated wilderness areas. Famed for its wealth of wildlife and the annual wildebeest migration.

The Park itself covers about 15,000km² of mostly flat or gently rolling grasslands, interspersed with occasional rock outcrops, But this is just the centre of a whole ecosystem which covers more than double that area, and includes Ikorongo Game Reserve, Maswa Game Reserve, Grumeti Reserve, Loliondo Controlled Area, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Maasai Mara Game Reserve. This combined area is often referred to as the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

Due to the size of the reserve, it is important to plan which area of the Serengeti to stay in during any given time of the year; our experienced travel consultants will guide you when booking.

Southern plains

Immense short-grass plains cover the south of Serengeti National Park, extending into the north of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the south-west Loliondo and Maswa Game Reserve.

This area is alive with wildebeest herds that gather from late November December to March to feed on the lush grass and drop their young.

The Seronera area

In the centre of the national park, just to the north of the short-grass plains, Seronera has all the best features of the Serengeti. Scenically, it's a charming area – with open plains, occasional kopjes and lines of hills to add interest.

The occupant game here is unbelievable, with high densities of leopards, lion and cheetah. These live off the resident herbivores, as well as the migrating game. The migration passes through here in April/May.

Western Corridor

Stretching to the west, almost to Lake Victoria, The key feature of this area is the two rivers, the Grumeti river and the Mbalageti river.

This area sustains a very decent permanent game population, including plenty of wildebeest and zebra, all the predators and forest 'specialists' like colobus monkeys. The migration passes through between about May and July – pausing to gather energy before crossing the crocodile-rich waters of the Grumeti River.

Northern Serengeti

Extending from Seronera to the Kenyan border, the northern Serengeti is gently rolling country, broken by small rivers and occasional kopjes and hills. There are worthy permanent populations of wildlife in several areas here, including the very beautiful Lobo Kopje.

The migration is here; between about August and October, you can still enjoy spectacular crossings of the Mara River.

Loliondo Reserve

Located west of the Serengeti National Park, between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Kenyan border, lies Loliondo game Controlled Area – an area belonging to the Maasai tribes that live there. The western side of this, beside the park, is very much part of the Serengeti's ecosystem; it has abundant resident game and the migration passes through here as well.

There are a few camps here which have the flexibility to offer night drives and walks, often using Maasai guides – and visits to local Maasai villages.

The Wildebeests pass here around October and November, there's a good chance to see part of the migration here, as it returns south.