Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti covers roughly 14,750 square kilometres of savanna, woodland and kopjes (granite outcrops) in northern Tanzania. Its name comes from a Maasai word meaning “endless plains”, and on a clear morning the description feels accurate.

The park is best known for the Great Migration, in which wildebeest, zebra and gazelle follow the rains in a circular route. Even outside the migration, resident wildlife is excellent: lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos and hundreds of bird species.

Different areas shine at different times. The central Seronera region offers year-round game viewing, the southern plains host calving herds early in the year, and the north is the focus for river crossings later in the dry season.

Game viewing is good all year. The dry season from late June to October is easiest for roads and animals gathering near water, and the northern river crossings usually fall in this period.

From January to March the herds are normally on the southern plains, where calving brings plenty of predators. The long rains in April and May bring lush scenery and fewer visitors but trickier roads.