5-Day Serengeti Safari Tours

4.9/5 – 521 Serengeti Reviews

Serengeti National Park is a first-rate safari destination and is perfectly suited to a 5-day safari. With 5 days you could get to know a couple of areas in the park, or stay in one area and devote 3 full days to exploring your favorite spots. On a 5-day safari tour, the first day will include your transfer to the Serengeti, and the last day is when you’ll depart. It’s an opportunity to see the Serengeti’s incredible wildlife (of which the Big Five or big cats might be highlights) against a backdrop of iconic savannah landscapes. Nowhere else in Africa are there quite so many opportunities to see a lion on the hunt with a flat-topped acacia tree in the background as grasslands sweep to a far horizon.

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5 Questions About 5-Day Serengeti Safaris

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Answered by

Anthony Ham

Anthony is a writer and author of nearly 150 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Kenya, Tanzania and East Africa. He writes about safaris and the Serengeti, as well as the wider region, for magazines and newspapers around the world. He is also the author of The Last Lions of Africa.
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Can I see the migration on a 5-day Serengeti safari?

“Seeing the migration of nearly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle is certainly possible on a 5-day Serengeti safari. If you manage to see it, the migration is an astonishing spectacle. But to do so you’ll need to plan carefully. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to when and where to see the migration. Each year is different, although there are some general guidelines that apply to most years. Wildebeests in particular give birth en masse in the southern Serengeti in January and into February, and this is usually the best time to be in the south of the park. The migrating herds then travel north through the park, and they’re often present around the Grumeti Game Reserve and the Western Corridor around June or July. By August, the animals are very often in (or heading towards) the northern Serengeti, and they often cross the Mara River into Kenya and the Masai Mara in September.”

Is there a self-drive option for a 5-day Serengeti trip?

“Self-drive safaris are less common than private or group safaris in Serengeti National Park, but they’re certainly possible. There are a growing number of operators offering self-drive safaris across northern Tanzania’s safari circuit. Most of these begin and end in Arusha, which works best if your time is limited. If you’re on a self-drive safari, 2 of your 5 days are likely to be spent driving to and from the Serengeti. Depending on where you’re starting from, this could take an entire day (from Arusha, for example). If that’s your situation, you’ll end up having only 3 full days to dedicate to the Serengeti. At the same time, self-drive safaris are an excellent way to travel: you will see so much along the way, and you have the freedom to decide when to stop and when to move on.”

How do I get to the Serengeti?

“There are two ways to get to the Serengeti: flying or driving. If you want to spend the maximum time possible in the Serengeti (as opposed to traveling to and from the park), flying is undoubtedly the best option. The downside is that flying is more expensive than traveling by road. On the plus side, however, you’ll have incredible views all the way into the park, and you should end up having so much more time to dedicate to your search for animals. Most people fly into one of the Serengeti’s airstrips from Arusha, or from one of the airstrips in another park or reserve in northern Tanzania or southern Kenya. The other, cheaper option is driving. How long the drive takes will depend on where you’re starting your journey. The most common starting point is Arusha, which is a full day’s drive to the Serengeti. You’ll see a lot along the way, and have the chance to experience Tanzania in a way that you just can’t when flying, although you’ll have less time in the actual Serengeti.”

How much does a 5-day Serengeti safari cost?

“Costs vary considerably for a 5-day Serengeti safari. As a general guide, expect to pay US$150 to US$200 per person per day at the cheaper end of the market, and US$500 or even more per day for a luxury fly-in safari. A fly-in-fly-out safari could add US$300 to the overall price of your safari tour. And always ask your safari operator whether the Serengeti’s park fees (US$60/30 per adult/child per day) are included in your quote price. Either way, you’ll have to factor in these fees to your overall cost. There are a number of issues that will determine how much you pay. One of these is the accommodation. You’ll obviously spend less if you’re camping on a safari where you’re expected to help out with camp chores than you will for a luxury high-end safari in which your every need is catered for. Most safaris fall somewhere in between. The season in which you travel (high season, with high-season prices, runs from July to March) also impacts the cost. And the type of safari is key: a private safari (where the guide and vehicles are for you alone) will cost more than self-drive or group safaris.”

What is the best time of the year for a Serengeti trip?

“The months from June to February are best for a 5-day safari tour through the Serengeti. The Dry season runs from June until October, and this is when you can expect clear skies, mild temperatures (except for some cold nights), and good track conditions. Animals are particularly easy to spot later in the Dry season (September and October) when water sources are few and the herds tend to congregate nearby. Rains are possible in November and into December, although these ‘short rains’ are rarely more than an afternoon thunderstorm. The longer rains are more disruptive and run from March to May in most years. For birders, November (when birds migrate into the Serengeti in great numbers) to April (when they leave) are the best months. The months of the migration vary each year, but it usually passes through the southern Serengeti in January and February, the Western Corridor and Grumeti in June and July, and the park’s north in August and September.”

Serengeti Reviews

4.9/5 521 Reviews

Expert

Mary Fitzpatrick –

Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.

One of Africa's Greatest Parks & the Annual Wildebeest Migration

5/5

Serengeti is Tanzania's most visited park, and with good reason. Almost from the moment you enter the gates, wildlife surrounds you in astounding numbers and variety, together with an incomparable sense of space. The headline event is the...

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Stuart Butler –

Stuart is a travel writer and author of numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including 'Kenya', 'Rwanda' and 'Tanzania'.

Classic Africa

5/5

What can be said about the Serengeti that hasn’t already been said? This is simply Africa as you always imagined it. Endless rolling bleached grasslands with scattered flat-topped acacia trees and animals everywhere. This is the...

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Joel –

Reviewed: Mar 1, 2025

The Africa of My Dreams

5/5

The Serengeti exceeded my sky-high expectations. What a marvel of nature! In two days in the Serengeti we saw about 20 lions doing all varieties of activities, 6 cheetah including one hunting and a couple of the cutest cubs imaginable, many...

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Alain –

Reviewed: Jan 3, 2025

5/5

Immense expanses as far as the eye can see. In the center, many herbivores, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, gazelles, ... many predators, lion, cheetah, leopard, yennes. In the north, at the Mara River, hippos, large crocodiles, etc. If...

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Laura & Marc –

Reviewed: Dec 10, 2024

5/5

The Serengeti was an absolute highlight of our trip. The vast plains, teeming with wildlife, left us in awe. We were fortunate to witness the Great Migration, which was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The diversity of animals,...

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Rik –

Reviewed: Nov 30, 2024

5/5

This is my number one park. There is always a new road to take and to spot another animals as there are so many. We spotted the big 5 and so much more. From a Cheetah posing for us on a rock to going to hunt a Warthog. Unfortunatly for the...

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5 Questions About 5-Day Serengeti Safaris

Answered by

Anthony Ham

5 Questions About 5-Day Serengeti Safaris

Can I see the migration on a 5-day Serengeti safari?

Is there a self-drive option for a 5-day Serengeti trip?

How do I get to the Serengeti?

How much does a 5-day Serengeti safari cost?

What is the best time of the year for a Serengeti trip?

Serengeti Reviews

One of Africa's Greatest Parks & the Annual Wildebeest Migration

Classic Africa

The Africa of My Dreams