Serengeti National Park spans an incredible 14,750 square kilometers (5,700 square miles) of sweeping plains, rolling hills, and open savannah. This vast landscape serves as the dramatic stage for the world-famous Great Wildebeest Migration. Each region of the Serengeti offers unique sights throughout the year, from newborn calves in the southern plains to thundering river crossings in the north, making every season a highlight in its own right.
SOUTHERN SERENGETI
The Southern Serengeti is a stunning mosaic of short-grass plains, granite kopjes, lakes, rolling hills, and valleys. This region comes alive from December to early April during the Great Migration, when the calving season fills the plains with newborn wildebeest and their watchful mothers. The drama of predator and prey unfolds around every corner, making it one of the most thrilling wildlife experiences in the world. The southern Serengeti is also home to large numbers of cheetahs, giving visitors plenty of chances to spot these magnificent cats in action.
CENTRAL SERENGETI
The Central Serengeti stretches across vast grassy plains dotted with granite kopjes, rivers, and lakes, creating a diverse and captivating landscape. This region is a vital corridor for wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes as they move between the Southern and Northern Serengeti during the annual migration, making it a hotspot for wildlife viewing. The broad Seronera Valley, with its winding rivers, is famously home to a high concentration of lions, cheetahs, and leopards, earning it the nickname “the big cat capital of Africa.”
WESTERN SERENGETI
Beneath its endless skies, the Western Serengeti is a landscape of woodlands, rivers, and marshy plains teeming with wildlife. Rare and beautiful creatures like black-and-white Colobus monkeys share the trees with swift Patas monkeys, creating a lively canopy above. From late April through June, the annual migration brings wildebeest and zebras to the Grumeti River, where they face the crocodile-infested waters in one of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife spectacles. The region also supports a resident population of wildebeest year-round, while buffalo, hippos, and other animals gather along the riverbanks, making the Western Serengeti a haven for wildlife lovers and photographers alike.
NORTHERN SERENGETI
Visit the Northern Serengeti during the dry season from July to November and you’ll witness thundering herds of migratory wildebeest and zebra as they attempt to cross the Mara River as hungry crocodile lie in wait. You’ll likely see lions or zebras mating, elephants hanging out beneath trees, or a cheetah sprinting after its prey. Along the way you’ll definitely meet with exotic birds, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, cape buffalo, hippos, gazelles and impalas, too. With open woodlands, the swiftly flowing Mara River, hills and valleys, the Northern Serengeti offers a stunning landscape.
