Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s best-known protected area and the centrepiece of the wider Serengeti ecosystem, covering about 14,763 sq km of open plains, woodland and rocky outcrops in the country’s north. Established in 1940 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, it borders Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve to the north and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the southeast.
The park at a glance
- About 14,763 sq km, established in 1940
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981
- Home to Africa’s largest lion population, estimated at over 3,000 individuals
- Seronera, at the park’s centre, is the main hub with an airstrip and long-running wildlife research
The Great Migration
Serengeti is famous above all for the Great Migration, an annual movement of more than 1.5 million wildebeest, around 250,000 zebra and hundreds of thousands of gazelle across roughly 800 km between the Serengeti and Maasai Mara ecosystems. Herds generally move north from around March, cross into Kenya during the dry months, and begin returning south from late October. Hundreds of thousands of animals die each year along the route, from predation, drowning at river crossings, exhaustion or disease, a natural cycle central to the ecosystem’s balance.
Wildlife and landscape
Beyond the migration, Serengeti supports elephant, buffalo, leopard and a small population of black rhino, alongside cheetah and a wide range of plains game. The southern plains are dotted with kopjes, granite outcrops that serve as vantage points for lions and leopards and as shelter for smaller wildlife, giving the landscape much of its distinctive character.
Things to do
- Game drives following the Great Migration’s seasonal movements
- Balloon safaris over the plains at dawn
- Photography among the kopjes on the southern plains
- Combining a visit with Ngorongoro Crater as part of Tanzania’s northern circuit
Practical information
- Reached by road from Arusha, around six to eight hours, or by scheduled flights to Seronera and other park airstrips
- Migration timing varies year to year, so it’s worth checking current herd locations with your operator before travel
- Best combined with Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara or Tarangire for a fuller northern Tanzania circuit
Serengeti remains one of the defining safari destinations in Africa, and Offmap Safaris can build a visit around the current migration season or a quieter time of year. To start planning, visit Plan My African Safari, message us on WhatsApp at +256 701 243 304, or email [email protected]. See also our notes on health and safety and responsible travel.