Serengeti National Park safari guide

The vast open grasslands are one of the best places in the world to spot lions, along with the rest of the Big Five, not to mention the annual Great Migration as herds of wildebeest brave the treacherous journey north to Kenya. So, if you’re planning a safari holiday in Africa, here’s everything you need to know before you travel with our Serengeti National Park safari guide.

The Serengeti National Park is in the north of Tanzania, on the border with Kenya and the Masai Mara.

The Serengeti National Park stretches for around 5,700 square miles – almost 40 times as big as the Isle of Wight. The entire Serengeti ecosystem is even larger at around 12,000 square miles, including surrounding areas in Tanzania and the national reserve of the Masai Mara across the border in Kenya.

One of the first places suggested as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Serengeti National Park is most famous for its place in the Great Migration, as over a million animals move steadily north through the park to the Masai Mara, braving predators and the perilous crossing at the Mara River, before returning to the Serengeti later in the year. It’s also the national park with the highest concentration of lions in Africa, as well as having the world’s greatest concentration of mammals living in the park’s boundaries.

Great Migration

The Serengeti is home to the greatest concentration of mammals on earth with 70 living inside the park’s borders, and the highest concentration of lions in Africa. And while the national park’s size means you may need to travel further to spot some of the highlights, you can find an astonishing array of wildlife in the Serengeti.

The area is home to the Big Five - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo – as well as other big cats such as cheetah, plus hyena, hippos, crocodiles, and numerous smaller mammals and reptiles. And while numbers of plains animals fluctuate, depending when you visit during the migration cycle, there are around 1.5 million wildebeest at some times of year, along with giraffe, zebra and multiple types of antelope.

You can also find more than 500 different species of bird, including large numbers of ostrich, African fish eagle, secretary birds, vultures, and the colourful Fischer’s lovebird. It’s also home to a number of bird species found nowhere else on the planet too; grey throated spurfowl, Schalow's wheatear, red throated tit, rufous-tailed weaver, grey-crested helmet shrike, and Schalow's turaco.

There are several different routes you can take to reach the Serengeti from the UK. The closest international airport to the national park is Kilimanjaro International Airport, which sits around 200 miles from the park’s southern entrance; there are no direct flights currently available from the UK, although it is possible to fly via Amsterdam.

Alternatively, there are multiple direct flights from the UK to Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi, in neighbouring Kenya, with connections onwards to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

If you’re spending the first part of your safari holiday in Kenya before moving on to Tanzania, you can also fly from airstrips in the Masai Mara direct to the Serengeti. While it is possible to cross the border from Kenya to Tanzania by road, the route between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti isn’t as quick as easy as you might expect, given their proximity. Instead, the Namanga border crossing near Amboseli National Park on the Kenyan side is usually more efficient, and the town of Arusha (Tanzania’s safari capital), the Ngorongoro Conservation area and the Serengeti are all within driving distance.

The best time to plan a Serengeti safari is during the dry season when early morning game drives can feel cool but temperatures quickly heat up and the sunshine is strong by midday, so layers are essential to wear on your Serengeti safari. A fleece or hoody is the best option to stay warm early in the morning, while a scarf is handy for evenings, along with comfortable, lightweight clothing for daytime, such as shorts or loose trousers.

It's also important to choose clothing in particular colours; neutral shades, such as khaki, browns, beige and muted greens are best for a Serengeti safari. Do avoid anything with camouflage print, which tend to be reserved for members of the military in Africa and can lead to problems with the authorities though.

Brighter colours are also best avoided as these stand out against the landscape, while blue attracts tsetse flies, as does black, which also gets very hot in the African sun. Cream shades are fine but not always ideal in the dust of the dry season or muddy conditions after the rain.

Safari camps and lodges usually have very relaxed dress codes, so you won’t need any formal evening outfits, although you may want something to change into, plus casual clothes and swimwear for daytimes at the camp.

Sandals or flipflops are also useful at camp but you’ll need something sturdier when you head out to see the animals. Closed-toe shoes are the best option to protect your feet against thorns, insects and uneven ground, especially if you’re planning any walking safaris, although sturdy walking sandals are an alternative for game drives during dry season.

If you’re visiting between November and May, as well as early June and late October, you can expect some rain so a lightweight rain jacket is also useful. The wetter season also tends to be hotter and humid, so a breathable version is a good plan.

Once you’ve planned the clothes you’ll need to wear on safari in the Serengeti, there are some other essentials to remember, including high factor SPF and a hat to protect against the strong sun.

Antimalarials and high-strength insect repellent are also vital as there’s a high risk of malaria in the Serengeti, along with a risk of other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. Packing your own first aid kit is also useful, especially if there’s anything specific you might need in these remote locations, although camps and lodges will be able to provide first aid too. If you’re travelling in Kenya before crossing to Tanzania, you may also need to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination.

A pair of binoculars is another must to make the most of the wildlife-spotting opportunities. Aim for 10 x 40 strength minimum, although you’ll find plenty of lightweight pairs which are good enough quality. Add a zoom lens for a DSLR camera too, along with additional memory cards and batteries to ensure nothing stops you from capturing some fantastic photos of the wildlife. Portable battery chargers are also useful if you’re planning to use your phone camera.

It's also worth packing a universal travel plug adapter. While Type G plugs are most common in Tanzania, the same as is used in the UK, you may also find Type D plugs with three round pins, which are found in other Southern African countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

If you are taking the smaller safari planes, these internal flights usually have a smaller weight allowance than standard domestic and international flights, usually 15kg in Tanzania. You’ll also need to use soft-sided cases or bags, rather than hard shell suitcases, so do check with the airline or your tour operator in advance. For more tips on what to pack for a safari in Tanzania, check out our ultimate packing guide.

• Practical clothes in neutral shades such as khaki and beige

• Warmer layers such as fleece or hoody

• Shorts/lightweight trousers

• Lightweight rain jacket (especially if travelling in shoulder seasons)

• High factor SPF

• Hat

• Insect repellent and first aid kit

• Swimwear

• Comfortable shoes with closed toe for safari drives

• Sandals or flip flops for the camp

• Binoculars

• DSLR camera with extra memory cards and batteries

• Universal travel adapter

• Wildlife guide

• A suitable suitcase for any additional internal flights (check before you travel)

The sheer scale of the Serengeti means you could easily spend a week or more exploring this vast national park, but three nights/four days is a good compromise to allow you to see many of the park’s highlights. If you have less time to spare, or are including your Serengeti safari as part of a longer safari holiday in Africa, allow two nights/three days which leaves time for around four game drives before moving on.

The best time to visit Tanzania is during the country’s dry season, between July and September, which coincides with the Great Migration. This usually begins in the north of the Serengeti in July as the herds brave the treacherous Mara river crossing to find new grazing in the Masai Mara in Kenya. It’s also one of the most popular times to visit, so for a quieter experience, September and October still see good weather but fewer visitors once the herds have journeyed into Kenya, especially in southern areas of the national park. Temperatures are relatively consistent year-round, hovering between 25C and 30C across the country, with the cooler months in June and July.

If you’re hoping to see newborn animals, the rains don’t usually impact a safari holiday too badly in January and February, and you can enjoy greener landscapes and wildebeest calving during February. The heaviest rains fall during April and May, when 150-200mm per month isn’t uncommon, so it’s best to avoid these months.

Elephants: 7,500

Rhinos: 100-150 black rhinos

Cheetahs: Around 600

Lions: Around 4,000

Leopards: Around 1,000

Hyena: 7,500

Hippos: Around 500

Wildebeest: Up to 1.5 million

Discover our safari escorted tours, including The Best of Kenya and Tanzania Great Migration and Big Game Safari