Endless plains, the great migration and some of Africa's best predator viewing.
The Serengeti covers almost 15,000 km² of grassland, kopjes and riverine woodland. It is home to the largest land migration on earth, and to lions, leopards and cheetahs in remarkable numbers all year round.
Where you stay in the Serengeti matters more than in any other park. Around 1.5 million wildebeest, joined by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, move in a loop following the rain and fresh grass.
The central Seronera valley holds resident game year-round, and its rocky kopjes are a favourite with lions and leopards. Hot-air balloon flights at dawn are one of the great safari experiences.
By road from Arusha the drive takes most of a day, broken by Ngorongoro or Tarangire on the way. Light aircraft fly from Arusha to several Serengeti airstrips in about an hour.
About 1 hr by air or a full day by road from Arusha
6 days
Tarangire, two full days in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. The classic first safari, paced so you're never rushing.
7 days
Three nights at Ndutu during calving season, when the southern plains are full of newborn wildebeest and the predators that follow them.
11 days
The Northern Circuit followed by four nights on a Zanzibar beach. Dust, then sand.
