Menu
Tanzania-Serengeti
Tanzania serengeti kebra rivercrossing
021 Tanzania Serengeti Migration

The vast, untamed Serengeti might just be the best place on earth to see wildlife.

Set across northern Tanzania and extending into Kenya, the Serengeti is home to plenty of luxurious lodges from where you can search for the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard).

For part of the year, it's also home to the mighty great wildebeest migration, which brings millions of wildebeest and zebra into its plains, following ancient migratory paths.

Whatever you come to see, the Serengeti is unmissable.

Hidden gems in Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park

Bush Rover Migration Camp

Philip Briggs
Philip Briggs
Accommodation

The quirkiest mobile camp, and absolutely one of my favourites places to stay anywhere in Tanzania, is Bush Rover Migration Camp. This consists of six double-story standing tents built around the converted Land Rovers used to transport them between different locales. The ground-floor toilet and shower for each unit is actually built into the Land Rover, while the upper floor comprises a canvas bedroom with a balcony from which you can safely watch passing wildlife or stargaze after dark. The camp sets up in the southern Serengeti over December to March for the calving season, before relocating the Western Corridor to catch the northward migration over June to mid-July, then heading further north, along with the wildebeest, to the Mara River area over August to October.

Read more
Serengeti National Park

Ndutu Safari Lodge

Philip Briggs
Philip Briggs
Accommodation

Best safari lodge for: Calving season Wildlife photographers, filmmakers and big cat enthusiasts talk in hushed tones about Ndutu Safari Lodge. Founded in 1968 close to the seasonal lake for which it is named, this down-to-earth lodge offers access to a part of the Serengeti-Ngorongoro ecosystem famed for its high densities of carnivores. Ndutu is an excellent base for catching the wildebeest calving season in February, but large herds of grazers are usually present from December through to April, and there's good cat viewing all year round. It also remains one of the best value lodges in this part of the world, offering accommodation in 34 simple stone-and-thatch cottages with private verandas, and meals in a convivial thatched restaurant where I’ve often seen genets creep around the rafters at night.

Read more
Serengeti National Park

Namiri Plains

Philip Briggs
Philip Briggs
Accommodation

Best safari lodge for: Ultra-exclusive Serengeti experience Over the course of numerous safaris to the Serengeti over the past 30-odd years, few lodges have blown me away quite as much as Namiri Plains did on my most recent visit. This ultra-exclusive new lodge forms part of the highly-regarded Asilia chain and offers accommodation in ten spacious stone-and-canvas cottages decorated with local basketwork. For me, what really makes Namiri Plains special is that it reliably offers high quality cheetah and lion sightings in a corner of the Serengeti that's pleasingly remote from other lodges.

Read more
Serengeti National Park

See the migration in the Serengeti

Heather Richardson
Heather Richardson
Experience

The big-ticket park is the 12,000-square-mile Serengeti, home to the famed wildebeest migration and a healthy population of big cats: lions, leopards and cheetahs. During peak season— July and August—when the famous wildebeest river crossings coincide with northern hemisphere summer holidays, the park can be very busy. There are four main regions in the Serengeti; the Western Corridor, the Seronera Valley, Lobo/Kogatende in the north, and the Southern Plains. There are several private reserves and conservancies around the Serengeti that offer the same wildlife experience but without the crowds—such as the Grumeti Reserve—but you’ll have to pay top dollar to stay there. At the heart of the Serengeti lies the Seronera River and surrounding valley. This is a good area for year-round big cats and grazing herbivores. The northern regions of Kogatende and Lamai, on the banks of the Mara River, are further off the beaten path and are good for catching the famed river crossings during summer months with far fewer tourists than across the border in Kenya's Masai Mara.

Read more
Serengeti National Park

Serena Serengeti Safari Lodge

HorizonGuides
Accommodation

If you prefer your safari with the comfort and amenities of a lodge, you can't go far wrong with Serena Serengeti Safari Lodge, a solid upper to mid-market option in the Seronera area. The lodge is inspired by the traditional Tanzanian village with rooms designed as thatched rondavels. Amenities include an infinity pool, a separate bar and an impressive dining room.

Read more
Serengeti National Park

Serengeti Safari Camp

Marc Harris
Marc Harris
Accommodation

Best safari camp for: High-end mobile tented safari Among the absolute top of my recommendations for mobile camps is Nomad Tanzania's Serengeti Safari Camp. This top-end camp moves around five times per season to keep up with the constantly changing wildebeest migration. Accommodation is in classic safari-style canvas tents, and the guides are second to none. You'll want to stay around three of four nights here, and the camp is usually within close reach of an airstrip for easy access.

Read more

Serengeti National Park travel guides

The best places to see the wildebeest migration
Guide

The best places to see the wildebeest migration

Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
Hans Cosmas Ngoteya

Sometimes called ‘the greatest show on earth’, the wildebeest migration sees mega herds of almost two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles continuously travel thousands of kilometres in a broadly clockwise direction from the southern Serengeti, north into Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and back again. The migration is one of Africa's classic safari experiences, drawing visitors year round to witness this magnificent spectacle.

The time to move has come
Article

The time to move has come

Anthony Ham
Anthony Ham

Having spent the last decade searching out the best wildlife spectacles the planet has to offer, I thought I’d seen it all. But nothing could prepare me for the first time I laid eyes upon East Africa’s Great Wildebeest Migration.

The great migration faces extinction
Article

The great migration faces extinction

Dr Joseph Ogutu
Dr Joseph Ogutu

Migratory animals across the world are under threat from the impact of humans. In Kenya, fencing, settlements, farms and other developments are cutting off migratory routes and reducing wildebeest’s territory.

Decolonising African travel—and travel writing
Article

Decolonising African travel—and travel writing

Mazuba Kapambwe
Mazuba Kapambwe

Travel writing in Africa has always been an overwhelmingly white affair. Early accounts from 19th century explorers like Henry Morton Stanley and fiction writers like Joseph Conrad depicted Africa as uncivilised, mysterious and barbaric, reflecting the racist attitudes that underpinned European empire building.

The best safaris in Tanzania
Guide

The best safaris in Tanzania

Philip Briggs
Philip Briggs

Tanzania is one of the best places in Africa to go on safari. I first backpacked through it in the 1980s, when I was far too cash-strapped to think about going on a costly safari, so I spent most of my time exploring remote coastal towns, then took a lengthy train and ferry trip from Dar es Salaam to Zambia via Lake Tanganyika.

Trekking in Tanzania
Guide

Trekking in Tanzania

Stuart Butler
Stuart Butler

I’ve spent my career trekking in some pretty far-flung places, from Nepal to Norway.

Serengeti National Park tours

Tanzania safari and beach
Tanzania

Tanzania safari and beach

See all the spectacular wildlife Africa has to offer
11 days From $9,531 pp
Tanzania safari, Kilimanjaro and islands
Tanzania

Tanzania safari, Kilimanjaro and islands

From mountain top and safari adventure to island beaches
16 days From $7,883 pp
Serengeti North Wilderness Camp Fly in Safari
Tanzania

Serengeti North Wilderness Camp Fly in Safari

4 day safari in the Serengeti
4 days $2,095$2,602 pp
Northern Tanzania Safari
Tanzania

Northern Tanzania Safari

Experience the Serengeti on a private safari
7 days $2,325$3,190 pp
Northern Tanzania Adventure
Tanzania

Northern Tanzania Adventure

Arusha National Park, Karatu, Seronera and Matemwe
12 days From $5,402 pp
Kenya & Tanzania Safari
East Africa

Kenya & Tanzania Safari

Visit the gems of East Africa: the Masai Mara & the Serengeti
15 days From $3,999 pp

Serengeti National Park travel companies

Tanzania

Tanzania Odyssey

Creating tailor-made trips to Tanzania since 1998
Africa

Wild Frontiers

Safaris into East, West and Southern Africa
Africa

Rwanda Eco Company & Safaris

Tailor made gorilla and wildlife safaris
Africa

Pamoja Safaris

Supporting the community through tours and travel
Tanzania

Pinnacle Adventures & Safaris

Adventures to Tanzania
East Africa

Natural World Kenya Safaris

The leader in customized and budget-friendly East Africa safaris
Tanzania

Tanzania Specialist

The most extensive range of Tanzania safaris
Africa

Take Me To Africa

Experts in small group travel to Africa

Why Horizon Guides?

Impartial guidebooks

Impartial travel guides

Our guides are written by the leading experts in their destinations. We never take payment for positive coverage so you can count on us for impartial travel advice.

Expert itineraries

Expert itineraries

Suggested itineraries and routes to help you scratch beneath the surface, avoid the tourist traps, and plan an authentic, responsible and enjoyable journey.

Specialist advice

Specialist advice

Get friendly, expert travel advice and custom itineraries from some of the world's best tour operators, with no spam, pressure or commitment to book.