After talking about the safari in Lake Manyara National Park and the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, how could I not now mention the most famous national park in the world for a safari: Serengeti National Park! If there is one park that people know, at least by name, it is this one. During my week on safari, I had the opportunity to spend two full days in the Serengeti National Park, being shown around by our fantastic guide, Moses. So in this article I’ll be giving you my thoughts on my safari in this famous Park in Tanzania!

Where is Serengeti National Park?

As a good and self-respecting geographer, let me give you some of the facts about this famous park!

Serengeti National Park is located in northern Tanzania,
not far from the Ngorongoro Crater, along which it was designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1981. In the Masai language, the name “Serengeti” means “infinite plain”,
This park is known to be the location for many animal documentaries, but also where many wildlife photographers meet on their photo safaris,
The park, which extends over almost 15,000 km², is particularly well known for its great migrations of millions of wildebeests, zebras and antelopes!

Safari tour in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

We started this first day of safari with a beautiful sunrise at 5am over the huge plain. What a joy to discover the beautiful, rich, warm colors of the landscape with its famous trees, so characteristic of the African savannah. Here I took the picture of my dreams, the one I had wanted (and hoped) to take.

We spent the morning observing the local fauna, antelope, zebra wildebeests and even some birds.

We were even lucky enough to stop next to a group of monkeys, who were very close and posed for pictures!

Here we discovered the impressive vastness of the Serengeti plain which goes on as far as the eye can see, and beyond. At times, there was nothing around us except grass with an odd tree far away in the distance.

As you walk along its dusty paths, you will stumble across small oasis of vegetation, as if they were set purposefully in the middle of the plain. It is often an opportunity to observe the local fauna hidden in the rocks…

The highlight of the day came when our guide stopped to check-out something in the distance. Taking his binoculars, he tells us he can see a family of cheetahs. Indeed, the experienced guide isn’t wrong and we are able to approach, very closely to this small family resting in the shade of a tree. The scene is splendid and we, quite rightly, all appreciated this magnificent moment!

We leave the little cheetah family in peace and continue on our way only to then come face to face with an ostrich! Actually, I didn’t even know there were ostriches in the middle of the savannah!

Finally, in the middle of the afternoon, we had the pleasure of observing a lone group of lionesses resting in the savannah, just next to the path we were on! It was once again a magical moment and we stayed for more than an hour observing the group!

One of the lionesses is resting on a small clod of ground. We almost want to cuddle her!

My opinion on the safari in Serengeti National Park

I don’t know whether I preferred the Serengeti National Park or the safari in the Ngorongoro Crater. I still hesitate even now as the two are very different. In any case, I think that a safari in the Serengeti National Park is one of the must dos in Tanzania.

This park will amaze you with the vastness of it’s plain and it’s aridity (depending on the season). It is also one of the parks where you’ll find observing cheetahs and leopards the easiest!

If you are planning a safari in Tanzania, then this is a must!

Tips to remember for a safari in the Serengeti National Park

I already mentioned some useful tips to bear in mind in my articles on Lake Manyara National Park and on the safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, so I won’t repeat myself again here! Here are some of the most important points:

If you want more information, you can refer yourself to the bottom of this article.

A cheap safari in Tanzania?

Here are some tips:
Try to go with several people to limit the costs,
Choose an independent guide rather than going through an agency,
Sleep in campsites rather than lodges

Who did I go with?

I went with a Tanzanian guide (Moses Cliff Mwanga) and 4 others. The stay was managed very well, overall. We saved a lot of money by sleeping in tents and being in a group of 5.

For information:

We opted for the 3B safari (2 days in the Serengeti, 1 day in the Ngorongoro crater, 1 day in Lake Manyara, and finally 1 day in the Tarangire park),
You sleep every night in a tent (so of course you have to like camping!?),
The meals are simple but very hearty.

Cheap flights to Tanzania?

What you need to know to go on a safari in Tanzania:

Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) is the main gateway for safaris, located not far from the city of Arusha,
It is possible to find flights (depending on your departure city) to Arusha Local Airport (ARK).

From Europe, you can fly from almost anywhere to Tanzania, sometimes directly, sometimes with a stopover. I recommend having a look at the great flight comparator that I’ve been using for at least 10 years now. I have always found very cheap flights as long as I’m flexible with my dates.

From the USA, the cheapest flight is to Dar Es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania, from around 600/650$. However, I recommend landing directly at Kilimanjaro Airport, the closest airport to the safari parks. Prices start at around 700/800$ with a stopover. To find the cheapest flights to Tanzania from the main cities in the USA, you can have a look around here.

From Canada, prices will be more or less the same, starting at around C1000$.

When to go on safari in the Serengeti National Park?

It is possible to go on safari in the Serengeti National Park all year round, but I advise you to avoid the rainy season as much as possible.

We were there in February and it was great, no rain!

The period most generally recommended is from January to March and from June to October.

Well, there you are. I hope you enjoyed this safari trip in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and that my article has encouraged you to go and discover this beautiful country for yourself!

I’m curious to know, have you ever been on safari? In which country? How did you find it? I think, including the day on safari in the Ngorongoro crater, the Serengeti is well worth a visit! For me, the safari day in Manyara National Park was a little less interesting than the other parks. Just for your information, you might like to know that I was living in the Indian Ocean when I was fortunate enough to go on safari in the Serengeti. If you want to know more about that, don’t hesitate to come and read my Top 20 Things to Do on Mayotte Island.

If you have any questions about our safari, our guide or if you are looking for photographic advice while on safari yourself, feel free to leave me a comment at the bottom of this article! In the meantime, if you like Africa, I suggest you go and discover the beautiful island of Ibo in Mozambique.

See you soon,
Arman