What's on in Serengeti, Tanzania through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year peak, December–January long break in Tanzania

• Rule

  Park permits run 24 hours

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The conservation fee is valid for twenty-four hours from entry and the rangers check on the way out; overstaying buys another full day, and a day-trip permit is shorter again. It is why itineraries are built around gate times, not sunsets. Source ↗

• Nature

  Wildebeest calving

  15 Jan – 15 Mar · usuallyWildlife seasonBook early

  Close to half a million calves drop in a three-week burst on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, and every predator in the ecosystem is there for it. The exact fortnight moves with the rains, so camps sell the whole window.

Still on: Migrant birding season (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)), Christmas and New Year peak (20 Dec – 5 Jan)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Wildebeest calving (15 Jan – 15 Mar (usually)), Migrant birding season (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Long rains and green season

  15 Mar – 31 MayMonsoonClosures

  It rarely rains all day, but it rains most days, the black cotton soil softens and the western corridor tracks get difficult. Some of the smaller mobile camps shut entirely for April and May; the ones that stay open are half price.

• Rule

  Low-season park fees

  15 Mar – 15 May

  TANAPA's low season runs 15 March to 15 May and the conservation fee drops with it, which on a week inside the park is a real difference once the daily fees are stacked up. Rates are usually revised each July. Source ↗

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Wildebeest calving (15 Jan – 15 Mar (usually)), Migrant birding season (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Long rains and green season (15 Mar – 31 May), Low-season park fees (15 Mar – 15 May), Migrant birding season (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Grumeti River crossings

  15 May – 10 Jul · usuallyWildlife season

  Before the famous Mara crossings the herds push north-west through the corridor and over the Grumeti, where the crocodiles are the largest in the park. Fewer vehicles here than in the north later on. Source ↗

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Long rains and green season (15 Mar – 31 May), Low-season park fees (15 Mar – 15 May)

Peak crowds — Dry season game viewing, Mid-year break in Tanzania

• Season

  Dry season game viewing

  15 Jun – 15 OctCrowded

  The grass is down, the water is concentrated into a handful of rivers and pools, and animals are easier to find here than at any other time. It is also when every camp is full and rates sit at their annual high.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Grumeti River crossings (15 May – 10 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry season game viewing, Mid-year break in Tanzania

• Nature

  Mara River crossings

  1 Jul – 31 Oct · usuallyWildlife seasonBook early

  The herds bank up on the south side and go over in a rush that may happen twice in a morning or not at all that week. Crossings run north in July and August and back south in October; the Kogatende camps book a year out.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Grumeti River crossings (15 May – 10 Jul (usually)), Dry season game viewing (15 Jun – 15 Oct)

Busy — Dry season game viewing, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Dry season game viewing (15 Jun – 15 Oct), Mara River crossings (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry season game viewing, September short break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Dry season game viewing (15 Jun – 15 Oct), Mara River crossings (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season game viewing, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Dry season game viewing (15 Jun – 15 Oct), Mara River crossings (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Short rains

  1 Nov – 15 Dec · usuallyMonsoon

  A month or so of afternoon showers that green the plains and knock five months of dust out of the air. The herds drift back south through it, the park is quiet, and the light is the best of the year for photographs.

• Nature

  Migrant birding season

  15 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyBirdlife season

  European and Asian migrants arrive with the short rains and stay until April, on top of the residents in breeding plumage. The wet months are the ones birders choose and the game drivers avoid.

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year peak, December–January long break in Tanzania

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year peak

  20 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Camps charge festive rates and impose minimum stays over the fortnight, and the good ones are taken a year out. It falls between the rains, so the game viewing does not justify the premium. Source ↗

Still on: Park permits run 24 hours (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Short rains (1 Nov – 15 Dec (usually)), Migrant birding season (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))