7 DaysPopular
7-Day Northern Circuit Classic
a quote
Destination · 14,750 km²
Serengeti
The Great Migration & big-cat plains
Africa's most famous park and the stage for the Great Migration — roughly 15,000 km² of “endless plains” (the meaning of Serengeti in Maasai) holding the largest concentration of plains game on the continent.
north-central Tanzania
Region
~15,000 km²
Size
~8 hrs' drive or a short flight from Arusha
Access
2–4 nights
Ideal stay
Highlights
The Great Migration — millions of wildebeest and zebra
Big cats in exceptional density (lion, cheetah, leopard)
Endless golden short-grass plains and granite kopjes
Hot-air balloon safaris at dawn
Year-round resident wildlife even outside migration season
Top experiences
Game drives across the central Seronera Valley (great for big cats year-round)
Following the herds — Ndutu/south (Dec–Mar) or the Mara River north (Jul–Oct)
A sunrise balloon safari followed by a bush breakfast
Walking safaris and fly-camping in select areas
What makes it special
It's the setting of the wildlife documentaries everyone has seen — nowhere else offers this scale of open plains and this volume of animals moving as one across the landscape.
Good to know
The migration is constantly moving, so where you stay must match when you travel. The central zone has resident game year-round if timing is uncertain. Long transfer drives — many travellers fly one leg.
Best time & how to combine it
June–October for dry-season game and river crossings; December–March for calving in the south. The anchor of almost every northern safari; pair with Ngorongoro and Tarangire, then a Zanzibar beach finish.
