best time to visit serengeti national park

January opens the green season, with the migration herds gathered on the short-grass plains around Ndutu in the south. The short rains have refreshed the grazing, the dust has settled and the first wildebeest calves begin to drop, drawing lion, cheetah and hyena onto the open plains.

The trade-off is that this is weather-dependent. The herds shift with where rain has fallen, so their exact position varies year to year, and afternoon showers and soft ground are part of the month. Game viewing in the south can be very good, but the concentrated calving spectacle peaks a few weeks later in February.

February is the height of the calving season on the Ndutu and southern Serengeti plains. Around half a million wildebeest calves are born within a few weeks, on open short grass where there is nowhere to hide. The result is the densest predator activity of the year, with lion, cheetah and hyena working the herds in full view.

Conditions are warm and largely dry between showers, with clear morning light for photography. This is one of the two strongest months in the Serengeti calendar and the southern camps fill early, so the open plains can carry a number of vehicles. Book well ahead for the better-positioned camps near Ndutu.

March marks the start of the long rains and the end of the concentrated calving. The herds linger on the southern plains early in the month, then begin drifting toward the central Serengeti as the grass is grazed down and the first heavy showers arrive.

Early March can still deliver strong southern game viewing, but the weather grows less reliable as the month goes on, with afternoon storms and softening tracks. Crowds thin and the plains turn green, which suits photographers comfortable with changeable skies. It is a shoulder month rather than a poor one, weakening toward April.

April is the wettest month in the Serengeti, the core of the long rains. Prolonged rain and overcast days are common, tracks turn muddy and some can become difficult, and a number of mobile camps close for the season.

Wildlife remains, but the herds are spread out and on the move north and west, with their position varying by year and rainfall. The landscape is deep green and visitors are few, which appeals to photographers chasing dramatic skies, but for classic game viewing this is the least dependable month of the year.

May still sits within the long rains, though the intensity usually eases as the month progresses. The herds consolidate in the Western Corridor as the rut gets under way, building toward the first river crossings, but the migration has not yet reached the Grumeti.

Showers, soft ground and some lingering camp closures keep this a low month for reliable safari conditions, better than April but not by a wide margin. The reward is solitude, green country and good birding, with clear windows opening up toward the end of the month.

June reopens the dry season and brings the Grumeti crossings in the Western Corridor. The rains taper off, the bush begins to thin and the migration moves through the Western Corridor, where the leading herds meet the Grumeti River and its crocodiles in the first crossings of the year.

Days are warm and clear, nights are cool, and the wildlife concentrates as water retreats. Crowds are lighter than in the peak months that follow, which makes June a strong shoulder choice for those wanting space, though the herds can be spread out and the major Mara crossings are still weeks away in the north. It reads as good rather than prime, building toward July.

July is firmly in the dry season, with clear skies and very little rain. The migration pushes from the Western Corridor toward the northern Serengeti, and the first Mara River crossings can begin in the far north late in the month.

This is classic big-game viewing on dry, open country, with strong resident wildlife alongside the moving herds. It is high season, so the central and northern areas grow busier and the best-placed northern camps need booking well in advance. Cool mornings call for layers on early drives.

August brings the peak of the Mara River crossings in the northern Serengeti. The herds mass along the river and cross repeatedly between Tanzania and Kenya, running the gauntlet of strong currents and large crocodiles. It is the most dramatic chapter of the migration and the reason many travellers come.

The plains are at their driest, visibility is excellent and wildlife concentrates at the remaining water. This is the busiest month of the year, with vehicles gathering at the known crossing points, so a northern camp and a guide who reads the river are what separate a good trip from a frustrating one.

September keeps the herds along the Mara River in the north, with crossings continuing through the month. Conditions stay dry and clear, the air carries less dust than in the weeks to come, and the big herds remain within reach of the northern camps.

Game viewing is on a par with August, and some areas feel marginally less pressured, though it is still high season at the river. Prices and demand stay at their peak, so the northern Serengeti needs to be secured early. For travellers fixed on the crossings, this is a top-tier month.

October closes the dry season, with the last of the crossings and the herds beginning their turn south. Wildlife concentrates around the remaining water, and resident game across the park is easy to find against thin, dry cover.

The plains are parched and dusty by now, with more haze than in mid-season, and the short rains can arrive late in the month. Even so, the combination of strong general game viewing and the tail of the migration keeps October within the prime window. Conditions soften as November approaches.

November brings the short rains and the start of the migration's return toward the south. Afternoon showers green up the plains, and the herds that summered in the north move back through the central Serengeti toward the southern grasslands.

This is a quieter, lower month with the herds on the move and good birding as migrants arrive. The short rains are usually brief and rarely disrupt drives, but the weather is more variable than the dry season and the river crossings are finished. A sound shoulder choice for fewer crowds and green country.

December sees the herds settle back onto the southern plains around Ndutu, ahead of the calving to come. The short rains continue, often with clear intervals, the country is green and the wildebeest concentrations in the south build through the month.

Game viewing strengthens as the herds gather and predators follow, particularly toward late December. The festive period is busy and the better southern camps fill, while showers and rising humidity are part of the picture. A good green-season month that points toward the February peak rather than matching it.