Serengeti
Grass to the horizon broken by granite kopjes, two million wildebeest on a thousand-kilometre circuit, and a gravel strip at Seronera forty-five minutes from Arusha.
- Arrival
- Kilimanjaro International · JRO
- To the park
- About 45 minutes by air from Arusha to Seronera
- Private jets
- Into JRO, then a charter to Seronera
- Best time
- June to October
The city
The wide, endless plains.
Serengeti comes from Siringet, the Maasai for wide, endless plains. The park covers about one and a half million hectares in northern Tanzania, and UNESCO listed it in 1981. Some two million wildebeest, with zebras and gazelles by the hundred thousand, move through it on a circuit of about a thousand kilometres, calving on the southern grass early in the year and pushing north towards the Mara River.
Two rains shape the year here: the long rains peak in March and April, and the short rains return in November. From June to October less than 55 mm falls in a month and highs stay between 25 and 28 °C. In late October the herds begin their walk back south.
- Seronera The centre of the park and its main settlement, with the busiest airstrip and, since 1966, a research institute.
- The Western Corridor The long western reach of the park, shaped by the Grumeti and Mbalageti rivers.
- The kopjes Granite outcrops rising from the grass, used by predators as lookouts.
Arriving
Kilimanjaro, then the strip.
Kilimanjaro International is the nearest airport for long-haul arrivals. The Serengeti itself is reached by light aircraft, most often to Seronera, a 2,280-metre gravel strip in the middle of the park.
- Nairobi 40 min
- Addis Ababa 2 h 05
- Mauritius 4 h 30
- Accra 5 h 30
- Hong Kong 11 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
June to October.
Highs stay between 25 and 28 °C through the year, and there are two wet seasons: the long rains, heaviest in March and April at over 120 mm, and the short rains around November. June to October is the dry stretch, with under 55 mm a month and as little as 9 mm in July.
- 28° J 81
- 28° F 100
- 28° M 121
- 26° A 137
- 25° M 68
- 25° J 23
- 25° J 9
- 26° A 19
- 27° S 34
- 28° O 51
- 27° N 100
- 27° D 97
Where to stay
One Key on the plains.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Dinner at the lodge.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Tanzania. In the park the serious tables are at the Four Seasons lodge, as listed on its own dining page.
- Nuru Signature restaurant, Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti African and international Four Seasons, Banagi, 45 minutes by road from Seronera
- The Vineyard Four Seasons wine-cellar dinner Five-course set menu with wine pairing Four Seasons, Banagi, 45 minutes by road from Seronera
Flying to Serengeti?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.