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Travel guide
The Serengeti
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: January to February for the calving, and June to October for the river crossings
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Welcome
The Serengeti, in a few days
Fourteen thousand square kilometres of short-grass plains, acacia-lined rivers and granite outcrops standing like islands. Each year about 1.3 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras move through it in a great loop, followed by one of the largest lion populations in Africa.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Great Migration · a full dayWildebeest, zebras and gazelles loop through the Serengeti and Masai Mara after the grass: calving in February, river crossings from July to October.
- Afternoon · The Moru Kopjes · half a dayAncient granite boulders rising from the plain, with hollows that hold rainwater; lions climb them to watch, while hyraxes and agama lizards fill the cracks.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp€280 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hot-air balloon flight · half a dayLift off before dawn near Seronera for an hour's silent drift, first low over the plain, then up to about three hundred metres.
- Afternoon · Retina Hippo Pool · about 30 minWhere the Seronera and Orangi rivers meet, often over fifty hippos packed together, at one of the few spots where you can leave the vehicle.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lobo Wildlife Lodge€300 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Seronera Valley · half a dayThe heart of the park, where a year-round river keeps wildlife in place: leopards in sausage trees, cheetahs on the open plains, long-studied lion prides.
- Afternoon · The Ndutu plains · half a dayTreeless short-grass steppe in the south, partly in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where the herds give birth from late January to March.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Osero Serengeti€195 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Grumeti corridor · half a dayA strip of land reaching west towards Lake Victoria, with gallery forest along the river and Nile crocodiles among the largest in East Africa.
- Afternoon · The Mara River crossings · a full dayIn the north, from July to October, columns of wildebeest gather on the steep banks, sometimes for hours, before plunging into the brown water.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mawe Tented Camp€235 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Ugali: a stiff maize porridge, the base of most meals, eaten with the fingers.
- Nyama choma: grilled meat, usually goat or beef, shared at the table.
- Swahili cooking in Zanzibar: coconut curries, octopus and spices from the island farms.
- Mishkaki: marinated skewers grilled at street stalls.
- Spiced chai and fresh fruit juices.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Booking a safari with an unlicensed operator, or ignoring the rangers' instructions in the parks.
- Travelling without malaria prophylaxis, or drinking tap water.
- Paying before agreeing the price: settle it first, and bargain with a smile.
- Beachwear in Stone Town and the villages of Zanzibar: cover up away from the beach.
- Packing plastic bags: they have been banned since 2019 and can be taken from you on arrival.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Swahili
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| Hello | Jambo / Habari |
| Thank you | Asante |
| Please | Tafadhali |
| Yes | Ndiyo |
| No | Hapana |
| Excuse me | Samahani |
| Goodbye | Kwa heri |
| Do you speak English? | Unazungumza Kiingereza? |
| I don't understand | Sielewi |
| How much is it? | Ni bei gani? |
| Where are the toilets? | Choo kiko wapi? |
| The bill, please | Bili, tafadhali |
| Help! | Saidia! |
| Cheers! | Afya! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyTanzanian shilling (TZS)
BudgetAbout €350 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJanuary to February for the calving, and June to October for the river crossings
PlugD/G · 230V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingAround 10%, and tip safari guides separately
Emergency112 / 114
EntryA visa is needed by EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports. Apply for the e-visa online before you go; single-entry visas are also issued on arrival at the main entry points. US citizens must take the multiple-entry visa. Zanzibar adds its own compulsory travel insurance, bought online from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation: no other policy is accepted.
HealthHepatitis A, typhoid and yellow fever vaccinations are recommended; the yellow fever certificate is compulsory if you arrive from a country with transmission risk. Malaria is present: ask about prophylaxis.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/serengeti
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.