How to plan the perfect Serengeti holiday

Meaning ‘endless plains’ in the Maasai language, the Serengeti National Park stretches almost 15,000 square kilometres across north-central Tanzania, roughly the same size as Northern Ireland. The national park has four main sections – the Central (Seronera) Serengeti, the Western Corridor, the Southern Region, and the remote Northern Region. 

The actual Serengeti eco-system covers an area twice as big, spanning over 30,000 square kilometres and encompassing the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Grumeti Game Reserve, Tarangire National Park, and several other game reserves. It even spills over the border into part of Kenya’s Masai Mara. In other words, the Serengeti is HUGE. 

Given its sheer size, choosing which areas of the Serengeti to visit, and when to travel, can feel like a mind-boggling task. If you want to experience the magic of Africa at its very best, you’ll need to plan your Serengeti holiday carefully. I’ve recently returned from an unforgettable Tanzania safari, and here are my expert tips for getting the most out of your visit to the legendary Serengeti.

When to visit the Serengeti 

The best period for wildlife spotting is generally considered to run from July to October, when you can see the Great Migration heading north towards the Masai Mara. This is when millions of wildebeest and zebras thunder across the plains in search of fresh grazing grounds, with predators in fast pursuit. It’s one of nature's most spectacular events and often called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. 

However, the drama of the Serengeti doesn’t begin and end with the migration. It’s a year-round destination, so whenever you choose to visit, you’ll be blown away by the wildlife and scenery. However, different times of year offer slightly different animal encounters, so it’s worth understanding a little about the seasons of the Serengeti.

January to March: Calving season and spectacular sunsets 

This season in Tanzania is known as the African summer, and the sunsets are most spectacular at this time of year. Calving season begins in mid-January across the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and it’s a real treat. Throughout the region, you'll see adorable wobbly-legged newborns and their parents, along with heightened predator activity. The bush is teeming with wildlife and the weather is sunny on the islands. It’s a popular time to travel, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment. 

April and May: Low season and the long rains 

This is Tanzania’s main rainy season, so you’ll need to expect downpours on a near-daily basis. However, it doesn’t rain constantly. Most of the rain comes from early afternoon thunderstorms, and these clear fairly quickly. If you’re willing to brave a bit of dramatic rain between game drives, it’s one of the cheapest times to travel and you’ll see plenty of migrating herds. The bush becomes emerald and lush, making it incredibly photographic. Availability is good and you’ll sometimes feel like you have the Serengeti to yourself.

June to October: Dry season and the Great Migration 

June marks the beginning of the dry season in Tanzania. As the rain eases off, the animals are drawn out of the bush to gather around the waterholes and on the riverbanks. This makes large herds easy to spot. At the same time, the Great Migration also gathers momentum, you can see vast herds making treacherous river crossings, dramatic hunts and a huge concentration of animals. It’s a breathtaking sight to behold. 

Understandably, the Great Migration draws a high volume of tourists to the Serengeti. If you plan to visit between July and October, you’ll need to book well ahead and be prepared to pay peak season prices. However, this is a real once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it’s 100% worth the extra cost to see the natural world at its most extraordinary. You won’t regret it. Equally, the most memorable safari camps and lodges are often small-scale, offering intimate and completely one-of-a-kind bush retreats. They sell out fast, so it’s best to get in quick! 

November to January: Shoulder season and the short rains 

The short rains in November and December transform the landscape into a vibrant green oasis once again, drawing herds of animals to the lush grasslands. There’s plenty of sunshine across Serengeti, punctuated by scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. 

It’s a transitional time and a really underrated time to visit Tanzania. Prices are reasonable and availability is generally good up until the second half of December, when visitor numbers start to boom. Thousands of migratory birds and flamingos flock to the Rift Valley lakes, making it a wonderful season for birdwatching.

How to plan your Serengeti holiday 

When you start organising your Serengeti holiday, you’ll first need to decide how long you would like to spend on safari. Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Olduvai Gorge, and the Ngorongoro Crater will all add completely different dimensions to your experience, so they combine to make the perfect safari. 

I recommend spending at least one night in each of these areas. The distances between these national parks are relatively small and the animals are completely free to roam from one destination to another. This means that, in essence, every journey is a game drive.

Where to stay before your Serengeti safari 

I travelled in mid-June and began my trip with a night at Amini Maasai Lodge, about 1.5 hours from both Arusha and Kilimanjaro airport. I highly recommend staying here rather than spending a night in Arusha before your safari. It’s a truly amazing place. The location is fabulous, with Kilimanjaro on one side and Mount Meru on the other. 

During your stay, you can take walks with a local Maasai guide, watch tribal dances, try spear-throwing, and hear stories of Maasai culture around the campfire. You can also visit local schools and other community projects that the lodge supports (all profits go to charity). I recommend spending two nights here to start your holiday with a real bang. It’s brilliant for families and packed with the wow factor. 

If you’re a bit more pushed for time, your best option is to stay at Arumeru River Lodge in Arusha for one night before setting off on safari. It’s a gorgeous hotel set amongst peaceful gardens with dik-dik and monkeys roaming the grounds. You can spend the afternoon walking through the nearby forest or relaxing by the beautiful pool.

Tarangire National Park 

Leaving Arusha, we drove to our first national park, Tarangire. There is more vegetation here than other parks, with baobab trees, seasonal swamps, scrubland, and wooded areas. It’s famous for its high concentration of elephants, which plod across the bush in large herds, and its healthy population of big cats. 

We stayed at the beautiful Maweninga Camp, set on a rocky escarpment overlooking the park. It’s the perfect place to end a day of wildlife spotting with a sundowner whilst watching a beautiful red African sunset. 

The next morning, we drove through the park for a morning safari before heading to Bashay Rift Lodge, just 8km from Ngorongoro Crater. This is a larger lodge that has a bit of a different feel to the others with 32 hotel rooms and not tents. It is beautiful with a great pool and more stunning sunset views watching the sun drop directly into the crater. There are several activities available, including bike tours, electric jeep safaris, village walks and coffee visits.

Ngorongoro Crater 

Next, I experienced an iconic African safari day with an unforgettable visit to the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest unfilled collapsed volcano. Within the crater, also known as the Garden of Eden, you’ll find an unbelievably huge concentration of wildlife and some incredible scenery. As you drive up and over the crater rim walls and drop into the bowl, the views will take your breath away. 

I absolutely loved the backdrop of this national park – it is visually stunning, and the wildlife encounters are non-stop. Every few minutes, you’ll stop for another amazing animal sighting, before heading for a beautiful private area for a lunch stop. Being a world-famous destination, Ngorongoro was noticeably busier than the other areas of the that I visited on my trips. You’re likely to to see other jeeps, as it’s a relatively small and, occasionally, there can be a bit of a huddle around the animal sightings.

Olduvai Camp 

Climbing back out of the crater, we headed to Olduvai Camp, which was my favourite camp of the whole trip. Composed of 17 remote and beautiful tents, it’s set in moon-like desert environment around a rocky outcrop. We enjoyed a short 15-minute walk to the sunset viewpoint with sundowners, guided by a local Maasai villager. 

The camp has a great viewpoint area for stargazing, and I even woke early the next day for a 5km sunrise run with one of the Maasai warrior guides. It was easily one of the most memorable runs I have ever had!

Serengeti National Park 

The next day we drove into the Serengeti National Park, the ‘crown jewel’ of Tanzania’s national parks and the highlight of any safari. This is home to classical African plains scenery – a mosaic of golden open savannah dotted with craggy trees. 

We had a quiet start to our morning in terms of animal spotting. However, suddenly this all changed! A whole herd of elephants, including babies, passed right next to our vehicle for about 20 minutes, when no one else was around. Then, we experienced a rare sighting of a cobra with his head raised, as well as two lions in a tree. 

Then, as we arrived at our next camp, we learned that the Great Migration had turned up earlier that day! The following morning, we saw thousands of animals in the migration, with no other vehicles in sight! It was magical, and even the guides told us that this was extremely rare. 

To cap it off, we saw a lioness kill a wildebeest and then drag it to the shade of a nearby tree. It was brutal but incredible to witness nature at its most raw and powerful, and to see this with no one else around made it feel even more special.

Northern Serengeti 

Next, I also travelled to the beautiful Togoro Plains Camp, which is only a year old. Located halfway between Seronera and Lobo in the northern part of the Serengeti, this is a great destination for wildlife spotting all year round. The camp is composed of fourteen safari tents nestled around a rocky kopje outcrop. 

From the camp, we were lucky enough to watch thousands of zebras, wildebeest and buffalo surrounding the whole place. Armed rangers and Maasai warriors walked us to our tents in the evening, and we woke up to the sounds of braying zebras and twittering birds. If you are visiting from July to November, I suggest heading further north to Mara River Camp to follow the Great Migration.

Grumeti Game Reserve 

My final stop was the private Grumeti Game Reserve. Grumeti Hills Camp is built on the highest hill with views of the plains below and you can see animals from the lodge and pool area. There’s a wide variety of activities available here, including a daybreak walking safari followed by a bush breakfast on a riverbank. 

Next, we set off on an electric jeep safari, and, because Grumeti is a private game reserve rather than a national park, we were able to get off the designated roads and explore the bush. We slowly tracked a herd of elephants and some giraffes grazing in the woodland. We also used the electric jeep for a night safari, which is a unique experience. 

Ending your safari in style 

The internal bush flight back to Arusha from Grumeti was an experience in itself, with a grass runway and animals next to it. I managed to get the front seat next to the pilot and felt like a big kid. It was so memorable with views over the national parks and mountains - the perfect ending to my trip. 

The main access point to the Serengeti is through Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport. From there, you can take a domestic flight to one of the park’s airstrips or opt for a scenic road trip that offers a glimpse of Tanzania's diverse landscapes and local culture.

Relaxing on Pemba Island 

Why not follow your wonderful safari and cultural experience with a tropical beach escape? Many travellers head to Zanzibar after their Serengeti safari, but I opted for the little-known Pemba Island. I stayed at the beautiful Manta Resort in Pemba, and it was a stunning, middle-of-nowhere experience. I can’t recommend it highly enough. There’s simply no better way to cap off your Tanzania adventure.

Final thoughts about my Serengeti holiday 

When you begin thinking about planning an African safari, it can be tricky to know which country to choose. However, you don’t need to look any further than Tanzania. It has everything you need for an unforgettable safari holiday. The animals, the scenery, and the culture will exceed all expectations. Visiting the Serengeti is an experience that will leave you speechless. 

The accommodation will take your trip to another level. The rustic luxury camps are set in stunning locations, usually on a high rocky outcrop, giving fantastic views over the savannahs whilst watching incredible African sunsets. On average there are 16 tents and are often isolated, away from other lodges, which gives you incredible animal viewing with hardly any other vehicles around. 

For me, what really makes Tanzania truly life-changing is the combination of different national parks along with the local Maasai culture. The trip was about so much more than just the animals, although they – of course - are amazing. It’s a destination that will really stay with you and make you want to come back for more. 

If you’re ready for a challenge, you can also opt to climb the highest peak in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5895m. I did many years ago on my first visit and was truly incredible. This country is so much more than just a holiday destination, it’s somewhere that will stay with you forever!

Ready to plan your Serengeti safari holiday? 

We’re experts at planning unforgettable safari holidays to Tanzania for families, honeymooners, and multi-generational travellers. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or splashing out on a bucket-list, we’ll make sure you get the very best out of your Tanzania safari holiday. 

To get started, simply give us a call on 1273 320 580 or send us a quote request by email. 

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