Best time to visit Serengeti National Park
September 8, 2024
BEST TME TO VISIT SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Meaning endless plains in the Maasai language, Serengeti national park is home to a vast diversity of wildlife including the African big 5 and quite a big number of birds approximating to over 500 species. Measured at 14,763km2 at an altitude of 1140-2099m on Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya, it is arguably one of the finest National parks in Africa which is a must go for first time and returning travelers alike.
Besides being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Serengeti national park is also Tanzania’s oldest National wildlife area.
Serengeti National Park is famous for the wildebeest migration which helps it secure a place as one of the 7 Natural wonders of Africa. Many tourists around the world visit this national park to view wildlife through game drives, walking safaris, horse back safaris and hot air balloon safaris which is a mesmerizing experience for any traveler.
When is the best time to visit Serengeti National Park?
This brings us to one of the most asked questions, “when is the best time to visit Serengeti National Park”. When to visit Serengeti National Park is one of the most frequently asked question when planning a trip to this African wilderness destination.
Its winning combination of magnificent game drives, vast rolling plains, diverse landscapes and golden savannah vegetation makes the Serengeti the perfect year-round safari destination. Its open plains and mild climate mean the vegetation is never too dense to enjoy a magnificent wildlife sighting or a Serengeti adventure.
The Serengeti has majorly two seasons all year round that is; rainy season and dry season.
The rainy season spans from November to May not forgetting to mention that it is too short and rarely very unpleasant and will hardly ever interfere or interrupt with your trip, game viewing or safari experiences. During this season, the lush green scenery and beautiful surrounding gives travelers a very thrilling and refreshing and fulfilling game drive through the wilderness of the endless plains of Serengeti national park.
It is also the time when the Serengeti as well as Tanzania’s surrounding parks are filled with new born wildlife considering the fact that it is the prime time for mating and breeding. Fortunately for those who would like to sight and witness predator action, the rainy season is the best due to wildebeest calving and vast number of new born helpless wildlife which are constantly preyed on by these mighty and dangerous predators.
You just have to get your groove on and cameras ready at all times to capture those immensely aggressive and unforgettable truly rare to witness actions in the wilderness. As for bird lovers, you will lose count of the number of migrant and in breeding birds you will be able to see during this season.
Starting from June to October, it is considered the dry season in Serengeti National Park. In this season, there is more optimal visibility of wildlife sightings since the thick bush thins out and the lush vegetation becomes sparce, clear skies with mild moderate day time temperature which is perfect for taking photographs of the wonderful, amazing and mighty diverse wildlife in the Serengeti.
To add on, during this season the heart of the great migration is in the western part of Serengeti in the months of June and July while from August to October it is mainly experienced in the Northen circuits of the National Park with the months of August and September being the best time to witness the spectacular wildebeest also referred to as ‘Ngu’ river crossings in the Northern art of the Serengeti.
What might do the dry season have? There are very few mosquitoes thus making the risk of getting malaria close to zero. During the dry season, the great wildebeest/ Ngu migration is at its very best.
In a nutshell, although Serengeti National Park which proudly boasts its vast and endless plains and a wide range of wildlife to offer all year round, the best time to visit Serengeti National Park also considered a world Heritage site and Tanzania’s oldest game reserve would all depend on your interest and preference.
If you want a cost friendly safari, the best time to visit Serengeti National Park also considered as one of the 7 Natural wonders of Africa is in the wet season which spans from November to May while for the great wildebeest migration, the best time to visit the Serengeti would be from June to October which is highly recommended for first time goers.
Wildlife in Serengeti National Park.
Some of the animals found in Serengeti National Park include lions, giraffes, African buffalos, elephants, wildebeests, leopards, rhinoceros, hippos, cheetahs, zebras, spotted hyenas, warthogs to mention but a few.
As for the birds there is Kori bustard, lilac-breasted roller, grey crowned crane, superb starling, hamerkop, African fish eagle, common waxbill, painted snipe, oxpecker, grey backed fiscal and the list is endless.
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How to get to Serengeti National Park?
Serengeti National Park is located a few kilometres from Arusha city in Tanzania East Africa. Although this national park is one of a few places left that boast the oldest ecosystem on earth with a thriving vegetation where nature’s ancient rules and seasonal cycles have been more or less unaltered or untampered with, Serengeti national park is fairly easy to access.
The most convenient option is to fly from Arusha to one of the park’s seven airstrips while the most common and more adventurous means is to drive to the park. This way you are able to feast your eyes on quite a number of wildlife and birds alike enroute even before you reach inside the park.
Besides enroute game viewing, there are so many other attractions along the way that perhaps you might want to go to in your next visit to Tanzania.
Travelling to Serengeti national park, normally your safari starts from Kilimanjaro International Airport which is located between Arusha and Kilimanjaro region. This international airport has a couple international flight options such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which have daily departures and arrivals, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines with departures and arrivals a few times per week.
Similarly, you can choose to start your safari from a safari lodge in Arusha which indicates you would have enough rest before heading to the lush grassland and plains of Serengeti National Park.
Starting the safari from a safari lodge or hotel also gives you an opportunity to perhaps have a simple Arusha city tour enabling you interact with the locals and somehow understand how they run their day today lives in the beautiful city of Arusha.
Conclusion
With that said, us at Serengeti Mara experts are happy to organize your trip to one of Africa’s best destination, Serengeti national park at any time of the year.
Our itineraries are crafted in away that gives you the very best experience of the Serengeti and other destinations at large in Tanzania. For a once in a life time travel experience or adventure to Serengeti National Park with us, send your inquiries to our team.
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Low season
Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr, may
Peak season
Jun, July, Aug, Sept, Dec