A lion pride with young cubs in the Serengeti — the kind of quiet, unhurried sighting we design private journeys around, with your own vehicle and no queue behind you.
The Serengeti in motion — more on our YouTube channel.
The Serengeti is the safari against which all others are measured. Nearly 15,000 square kilometers of open grassland, kopjes and riverine forest hold Africa’s densest lion population and the full cast of the Great Migration, which never actually leaves the ecosystem — it just moves.
That movement is the key to planning. The herds calve in the south around Ndutu in late January and February, push through the Western Corridor in May and June, and mass on the Mara River in the north from July to October. We place your camp where the action is, not where the crowds are. Our guide to the best time to visit Tanzania sets out where the herds are in every month of the year.
Highlights of Serengeti National Park
The Great Migration
Follow the herds — calving season in the south, river crossings in the north.
Explore The Great Migration →Big cats of Seronera
The central valley is famous for leopard along the river lines and prides of twenty-plus lion.
Kopjes & the northern woodlands
Granite outcrops sheltering lion and klipspringer, and the quiet, beautiful north beyond the crossings.
Balloon safaris
Dawn over the plains by hot-air balloon, ending with a champagne bush breakfast.
Know before you go
The practical details we handle for you — flights, entry, health and money — summarized here so nothing surprises you. Requirements can change, so we confirm everything when you book.
Fly into Kilimanjaro (JRO) — one stop from the US via Amsterdam, Doha or Addis Ababa. A 45-minute drive reaches Arusha’s garden lodges, and bush flights to the Serengeti’s airstrips leave from Arusha the next morning.
US citizens need Tanzania’s $100 multiple-entry e-visa, applied for online before travel — allow two to four weeks. Passports need six months’ validity beyond your trip.
See a travel clinic 6–8 weeks out: malaria prophylaxis is standard for the Serengeti, and a yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from a country where the disease is present — a long layover can count. Camps supply nets and repellent.
Light aircraft to the airstrips take soft duffel bags only, with strict weight limits — we confirm your exact allowance with your flight tickets and help you plan around it.
Where you’ll stay in Serengeti National Park
Where you stay is selected privately around your journey. We recommend each camp, lodge or villa according to its location, season, guiding, privacy and suitability for the people traveling. Your carefully curated selection will be presented within your tailor-made itinerary.
Plan your private safari
Best time to visit the Serengeti
Calving season around Ndutu — half a million wildebeest born in weeks, and predators everywhere.
The dry season. Crossings on the Grumeti, then the Mara River in the north from July.
Short rains green the plains as the herds return south. Quiet and beautiful.
In the green months rates ease at many of these camps, the plains empty of vehicles and the light turns dramatic. What each season gives, and what it trades, is set out in our Safari Planning Guide.
Planning & cost
Fully tailor-made — priced privately to your camps, season and travel style. No fixed packages.
Every journey is privately designed, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. At fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.
Everything else,
answered before you ask
The practical details that apply to every safari we plan — so this page is the only one you need.
US dollars and cards cover nearly everything, and tips are the only real cash need — exact amounts and etiquette are in our Safari Planning Guide.
See a travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure for routine shots and malaria advice (most safari regions require prophylaxis; parts of South Africa are malaria-free). Camps are remote but professionally run, with radio contact and evacuation cover — we require travel insurance that includes emergency medical evacuation.
Connected in camp, gloriously offline on the drives — the full connectivity picture is in our Safari Planning Guide.
Soft duffel bags only (light aircraft cap luggage around 33 lb / 15 kg), neutral-colored layers for cold mornings and warm afternoons, and binoculars. Laundry is included at almost every camp, so pack for 4–5 days no matter the trip length.
Full packing list →Continue exploring
Tanzania
The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Zanzibar.
Explore → ExperienceThe Great Migration
Two million wildebeest on the move between the Serengeti and the Mara.
Explore → TanzaniaNgorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater — the Big Five inside a collapsed volcano, some of the densest game viewing in Africa.
Explore → RegionEastern Africa
The Great Migration, the Rift Valley and the gorillas — Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Explore →Serengeti National Park FAQs
Getting to Tanzania — flights, visas and health
Current at the time of writing. We re-confirm every requirement for your exact routing before you travel — and we will tell you what to apply for, and when.
Let's design your Serengeti National Park journey.
Tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation. When you are ready, a $500 USD planning fee covers your personalized itinerary and revisions, and is deducted from your booking deposit when you book.
Inquire now