Serengeti ecosystem
Roughly 15,000 km² across northern Tanzania, split into five zones. Each has its own gate, its own airstrip, its own peak months. Use this page to figure out which zone matches your dates, then jump to the zone for fees, lodges, and drive times.
The five zones
Each zone has its own role in the year. The migration is in only one of them at a time. Resident wildlife (lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant) sits in central Serengeti year round.
The centre of Serengeti National Park: a river valley of kopjes and acacia where big cats are typically seen all year, with the migration passing through in season.
The far north of the Serengeti, where the herds typically cross the Mara River from about July to October: big gatherings on the banks, crocodiles and predators.
The quiet northern wedge of the Serengeti above the Mara River: river crossings from about July to October and small kopje camps, with few other vehicles.
The Serengeti's western corridor towards Lake Victoria, where the herds typically cross the crocodile filled Grumeti River around June and July.
The wildebeest calving plains of the southern Serengeti ecosystem: herds from about December, newborn calves, their predators and a calving peak in February.
Month by month
The Great Migration moves all year rather than in one season. The herds follow the rain, so the question is less whether they are here than which zone they are usually in that month. Below is a typical year. Rainfall varies, so timing can slide a week or two either way.
January
Ndutu →Herds gather on the southern plains. First calves drop.
Wildebeest concentrate between Naabi Hill, Kusini, and Ndutu, grazing the short grass, which is rich in calcium. The first calves are usually born by the middle of the month.
February
Ndutu →Peak calving, with wildlife packed onto the southern plains.
Roughly 500,000 calves are born within two to three weeks, centred on February. Predators are at their busiest of the year, so hunts are often seen.
Calving winds down. Herds begin to drift north.
Final wave of births finishes. Heavy afternoon thunderstorms continue. Herds remain on the southern plains but start extending east and north.
The trek north begins. Long rains.
As the southern grasses dry, columns move north through Moru Kopjes and the Seronera area. Some camps close for rains. Many lodges charge green season rates.
Columns form, the rut intensifies.
Wildebeest move in columns kilometres long towards the Western Corridor. Long rains taper off through the month. Bulls fight for harems.
Grumeti River crossings: the first major test.
Herds mass on the southern banks of the Grumeti. Far fewer vehicles per crossing than the Mara crossings later in the year. Dry season starts.
First Mara River crossings start in the north.
Vanguard herds reach Kogatende, ready to cross the Mara. Crossings typically begin between the middle and the end of July. Camps in the northern Serengeti often fill months ahead.
Mara River crossings in full swing.
Crossings usually come often this month. Herds zigzag across the river in both directions. Significant concentrations on the Lamai Wedge north of the Mara.
September
Lamai and Kogatende →Herds crossing in both directions. A strong month for photography.
Herds move both north into Kenya's Mara and south back into Tanzania. Viewing on the Tanzanian side at Kogatende and Lamai is often just as good, with fewer vehicles than on the Kenyan side.
Crossings tail off. The southerly return begins.
The last herds cross the Mara south into Tanzania as the short rains begin in the north. The bulk drifts towards the Lobo Valley and central Serengeti.
November
Central and eastern Serengeti →Short rains pull the herds south.
Herds spread through Lobo and Loliondo on the eastern side, moving steadily towards the southern plains. Green landscape, sharp afternoon showers, lower pricing, fewer vehicles.
December
Central drifting to Ndutu →Herds arrive back on the southern plains. Festive demand.
The migration spreads between Lobo in the north and Ndutu in the south. By month's end the leading edge is on the southern plains. Holiday week is peak demand even though it sits outside dry season.
How long
Most trips that stay only in the Serengeti work well at seven to eight nights. With fewer than five, you lose a day to travel for every two on the ground. More than ten is harder to justify for the Serengeti alone: add Ngorongoro and Tarangire, or carry on to Zanzibar.
5 to 6 nights
The basic ask
Two nights central Serengeti plus a zone aligned to your season (Ndutu, Grumeti, or northern). Enough to see the migration if it's in season and to cover the resident wildlife. No buffer for a slow morning.
7 to 8 nights
The sweet spot
Three nights in two different zones, usually central plus seasonal, with a buffer night. Most of our Serengeti trips land here.
10 to 12 nights
The unrushed version
Three zones, longer stays, room to add Ngorongoro and Tarangire on the way in. Suits photographers, repeat travellers, and anyone who hates moving lodges every two days.
About the Great Migration
Roughly 1.3 million wildebeest, around 200,000 zebra, and over 400,000 Thomson's gazelle move through the Serengeti and Maasai Mara in a continuous loop. The loop is 500 to 620 miles end to end, though individual animals walk more (sometimes 1,500 miles a year) because the herds backtrack and zigzag with the rain. There is no time of year when it stops.
The herds follow rainfall. Wildebeest are thought to detect distant rain through some combination of smell, hearing at low frequencies, and barometric pressure. The exact mechanism is still studied, but the behaviour is consistent: where it rains, the herds go. Fresh rain brings fresh grass rich in minerals, and the cows need that grass to feed their calves.
From January through early March the herds are on the short grass plains around Ndutu in the southern part of the ecosystem. The grass there is rich in calcium and phosphorus, which newborn calves need. Roughly 500,000 are born within two to three weeks, centred on February. Predators are at their busiest in that window, and hunts are often seen.
From July through October the herds are in the north, around the Mara River. The river runs east to west across the herds' route from north to south. They cross because there is no other way to follow the rain. Crossings happen in both directions, multiple times, peaking in August and September. The crocodiles are resident; they wait.
What this means for planning: the question is less whether you will see the migration than which zone it is usually in. The calendar above shows the typical pattern.
Curated itineraries
Each curated itinerary below is built around a specific Serengeti window. The seasonal ones (Calving, Mara crossings, Grumeti) are only bookable in their migration window. Options that run all year stay open. Click a card to pick your dates, then customise lodges and activities.
All yearTarangire elephants. Serengeti plains. The Crater floor. Tanzania's classic circuit.
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All yearThe full circuit, with a night for Manyara birds and a slower Tarangire.
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Jan to Mar seasonThe wildebeest calving on the Ndutu plains, three nights at its centre.
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Jul to Oct seasonThree nights on the Mara River for the crossings, plus the rest of the circuit.
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May to Jul seasonThe early crossing season, typically with fewer vehicles.
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All yearSlower days, the right light, and three nights on the Lamai wedge.
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All yearEasier days, shorter drives, the same wild magic.
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All yearSix stops, twelve days, at a pace that suits families.
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All yearThe Northern Circuit, then three days on the Indian Ocean.
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All yearSlow drives, quiet hours, the Indian Ocean to close.
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Jul to Oct seasonThe Mara crossings, then four days to slow down.
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Jan to Mar seasonNdutu's birthing season, then the warm sea.
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All yearA private safari for two: Tarangire, Seronera and two nights by the Ngorongoro Crater.
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Jul to Mar seasonSerengeti plains, then five quiet nights on Pemba, Tanzania's green island.
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Jan to Mar seasonThe wildebeest calving at Ndutu, then whale sharks off Mafia Island.
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All four Tanzanian Serengeti zones (Seronera, Kogatende, Lamai, Grumeti) sit inside Serengeti National Park and use the TANAPA fee schedule. Ndutu sits in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and uses the NCAA schedule. The full itemised table for every park we work across is on the pricing page.