Tourist Activities to Do in Serengeti National Park

Tourist Activities to Do in Serengeti National Park

This guide explains the tourist activities to do in Serengeti National Park, how each one works, who it suits and when it is best. It is based on many years of planning Serengeti safaris and helping travellers choose the experiences that matter most to them.

 Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres of northern Tanzania, and it is one of the most famous wildlife destinations on earth. Most visitors arrive with one activity in mind: game drives. Yet the park offers far more than time in a vehicle. Hot air balloon flights, walking safaris on the park’s edges, bush dinners, cultural encounters, photography and visits to sites such as Olduvai Gorge and the Moru Kopjes all add depth to the experience.

Understanding the Serengeti’s Regions

Activities vary across the park, and where you stay shapes what you can do.

Game Drives

The Heart of Every Serengeti Safari

Game drives remain the main activity in the Serengeti, and for good reason. The park supports one of the highest concentrations of large mammals in Africa, including lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, topi, eland and many species of gazelle.

Types of Game Drives

• Morning drives leave at first light, when predators are active and the light is soft.
• Afternoon drives start mid afternoon and end at sunset, often with dramatic light.
• Full day drives with a packed lunch allow travellers to cover more ground, especially when following the migration.
  

  Serengeti national park leopards

Big Cat Viewing

The Serengeti is one of the best places in Africa to see big cats. Seronera is famous for leopards in sausage trees along the river, lions on kopjes and cheetahs on open plains. Patient travellers may witness hunts, especially during calving season.

Following the Great Migration

What It Involves

Following the migration is less a single activity than a way of planning a safari. Guides track the herds’ movements, read the grass and rain, and position travellers for key events.

Key Migration Moments

Practical Advice

Crossings are unpredictable and require patience. Spend at least three nights in the right area and allow full days at the river. Choose a camp close to the herds for your travel month.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris

The Experience

A balloon safari is one of the most memorable Serengeti activities. Flights take off around dawn, drifting over the plains as the sun rises. From above, herds of wildebeest, giraffes and elephants appear in their landscape, and the silence is broken only by the burner. After landing, guests enjoy a champagne breakfast in the bush.

Where and When

Balloon safaris operate from several areas, including central Serengeti, the Western Corridor and the southern and northern regions, depending on the season and operator. Flights last about an hour, weather permitting.

Costs and Considerations

Balloon safaris are expensive, often in the region of US$600 to US$750 per person. Children usually need to be at least seven years old. Flights are weather dependent and may be cancelled for safety.

Walking Safaris

Where Walking Is Possible

Walking safaris are restricted in most of the Serengeti National Park, but they are possible in specific areas with authorisation, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area near Ndutu and in private concessions bordering the park, such as Grumeti and Loliondo areas. Some camps offer short guided walks with armed rangers.

The Experience

Walking changes the way you see the bush. Guides explain tracks, plants, insects and animal behaviour, and you feel the scale of the landscape on foot.

Visiting the Moru Kopjes

What to See

The Moru Kopjes in the southern central Serengeti are a cluster of granite outcrops rising from the plains. They shelter lions and leopards, and they hold cultural sites, including Maasai rock paintings and Gong Rock, a stone that produces a ringing sound when struck and was traditionally used by Maasai communities.

Wildlife

Moru is one of the few places in the Serengeti where black rhinos have been reintroduced and protected. Sightings are rare but possible with knowledgeable guides.

Visiting Olduvai Gorge

Why It Matters

Olduvai Gorge, located between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world. Discoveries here by Louis and Mary Leakey and others shed light on early human ancestors and their tools.

The Visit

The Olduvai Gorge Museum displays fossils, replicas and explanations of the site’s significance, and a viewpoint overlooks the gorge itself. Nearby, the Laetoli footprints, made by early hominins around 3.6 million years ago, are represented by replicas and information at the museum.

Cultural Visits to Maasai Communities

Where

Maasai communities live in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the lands bordering the Serengeti, including Loliondo.

What to Expect

Visits to Maasai bomas offer insight into traditional homes, cattle keeping, beadwork and dances. Choose experiences recommended by your safari company that benefit the community directly.

Bush Breakfasts, Picnics and Sundowners

The Experience

Many camps set up breakfasts or lunches in the bush, often beneath a large acacia with views across the plains. Sundowners, drinks at sunset, are a beloved safari tradition, often enjoyed on a kopje or hilltop.

Private Bush Dinners

Some camps arrange private dinners under the stars, lit by lanterns and a campfire, ideal for honeymooners and special occasions.

Photography Safaris

Why the Serengeti Is Ideal

The Serengeti offers outstanding photography: wide horizons, dramatic skies, predator action and migration scenes. Specialist photographic guides and vehicles with beanbags and open sides help photographers make the most of opportunities.

Birdwatching

What to Expect

Birding in Serengeti

More than 500 bird species have been recorded in the Serengeti, including ostrich, secretary bird, kori bustard, Fischer’s lovebird, grey breasted spurfowl, rufous tailed weaver and Usambiro barbet. Raptors are abundant, and vultures follow the migration.

Best Time

November to April, when migrant birds are present and many residents are in breeding plumage.

Visiting the Serengeti Visitor Centre

What to Expect

The visitor centre at Seronera includes a self guided walk, information about the park’s history, ecology and conservation, and a small kopje trail where rock hyraxes and agama lizards are often seen.

A Sample Four Day Serengeti Activity Plan

Activities Outside the Park Boundaries

Some of the most rewarding experiences happen just beyond the national park. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area around Ndutu allows off road driving in certain zones during the calving season, under rules that can change.

Private concessions in the Grumeti and Loliondo areas offer night drives, guided walks and horseback riding at selected lodges. Lake Eyasi, south of the Ngorongoro highlands, offers visits to Hadzabe and Datoga communities. Including one of these areas in a Serengeti safari broadens the range of activities without adding long transfers.

Activities by Season

Budget Guide