How many nights should I spend in the Serengeti?

Three is the practical minimum and four to five is much better. One night is close to pointless — you will spend most of it travelling. If you are chasing the migration, budget four nights so a slow day does not cost you the whole trip.

Will I definitely see the river crossings?

No, and anyone who promises otherwise is selling you something. Crossings depend on rain, grass and herd mood. Being in the right area from July to September gives you a good chance over three or four days; a single afternoon gives you a poor one.

Is a balloon flight worth it?

If your budget stretches, yes. It is expensive — expect several hundred US dollars per person — but an hour at treetop height over the plains at sunrise, followed by breakfast in the bush, is the single most-remembered morning of most trips we run.

Can I do the Serengeti on a budget?

Yes, but understand the trade-offs. Park fees are fixed and substantial, so savings come from accommodation and group size. Sharing a vehicle and staying in simple camps outside the park gate works — you just spend more of each day driving in.

Serengeti National Park — safaris, wildlife and when to go

The Serengeti is bigger than most people expect and emptier than most people fear. Its name comes from the Maa word siringet, roughly "the place where the land runs on forever", and in the southern plains that is exactly what it does — an horizon of short grass broken only by granite kopjes that hold leopard and lion through the heat of the day.

Most visitors see Seronera, the central valley, because it is reliably good: resident lion prides, leopards along the river lines, cheetah on the open ground. But the park has four distinct characters. The south is migration country from December to March. The west runs along the Grumeti River in a long corridor. The north, up against the Kenyan border, is where the Mara River crossings happen. And Lobo and the eastern side stay quiet almost all year.

Where we send you depends entirely on your month. Booking "the Serengeti" without deciding which Serengeti is the single most common planning mistake we correct.

From our guides

If you only have three nights in the Serengeti, do not split them across two regions. The transfer eats half a day and you will see less, not more.

Why come here

Resident predators year-round, not only during the migration
Four distinct regions, each with a different season
Balloon flights over the plains at first light
Real wilderness — you can drive for an hour without seeing another vehicle in the north and east

The wildlife

All of the Big Five are present, though rhino are rare and largely confined to protected areas in the Moru Kopjes. Lion are abundant and easily seen. Cheetah favour the short-grass south and the Seronera plains. Leopard are regular along the Seronera and Grumeti river lines. Beyond the headline species: serval, caracal, bat-eared fox, honey badger, and over five hundred bird species including secretary birds, kori bustards and, in the green season, huge numbers of migrants.

When to visit

There is no closed season. June to October is the classic dry-season window — easy game viewing, thin bush, cool mornings and the highest prices. Late January to March puts you on the calving grounds in the south, which is the best predator viewing of the year and a fraction of the crowds. April and May are wet, cheap and beautiful, but some camps close and roads can be hard work.