Nestled in the Central Serengeti for the best wildlife observation, Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti ensures your peace of mind with strategic fencing and an expert security team of local Masai who are familiar with life in the Serengeti. Elevated wooden walkways keep you safely above the animals while providing a superior viewing perspective.
Derived from the Masai word siringet, Serengeti translates to English as “endless plains.” The Serengeti’s treeless plains, woodlands, riverine forests and rocky outcrops feature Africa’s largest and most diverse concentration of game, including approximately 70 species of larger mammal, with the big cats in particular abundance, as well as more than 600 bird species.
The park is acclaimed for its excellent game drives and abundant year-round wildlife and is a great place for viewing “the Big Five” – the five must-see animals for every African safari – while the famous “great migration” is a breathtaking spectacle that features more than two million animals on the move.
The Serengeti National Park is acclaimed for the best safari game drives and abundant year-round wildlife.
Things to Do in Serengeti
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Concierge Recommends: Serengeti
The Discovery Centre Manager at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti shares travel recommendations to make your stay memorable.
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MEET “THE BIG FIVE”
Learn about the five most popular animals to search for while on your African safari: the lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros.
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WHAT I LEARNED ON SAFARI
Globetrotter Leah Walker shares what it was like to walk in the footsteps of lions, zebras and elephants during her adventure in the Serengeti.
Must-See Attractions
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Take a Serengeti Game Drive
Get up close and personal with lions, elephants, zebras, buffaloes, crocodiles and more. Safaris offer a once-in-a-lifetime excursions in the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world.
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Visit Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro is often described as one of the wonders of the world because it boasts the world's largest intact volcanic caldera (a cauldron-like feature formed by the collapse of land after a volcanic eruption). Be sure to book our guide services to explore this incredible area and its wildlife, which includes the rare black rhino.
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Balloon Safari
Book a day trip for a fishing expedition to Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake also attracts a fantastic variety of large water birds, making it an ideal destination for bird lovers.
THE GREAT SERENGETI MIGRATION
The Serengeti remains one of the most extensive grasslands on Earth; as one of our planet’s last intact migrations, the annual movement of wildebeest and other grazing herbivores across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is arguably the most impressive spectacle in the Natural World. Every year approximately 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 500,000 Thompson’s gazelle move around the Serengeti ecosystem – over two million animals in total.
The never-ending cycle of the “Great Migration” means that the wildebeest are almost perpetually on the move, with no start or end, they are on a constant journey in search of food. With local weather conditions being the most important factor in the timing of the migration (as these influence the growth of grass), there is no way to guarantee where the migratory herds will be at any time of year - no two years of the migration are ever the same.
With such a central location in the Serengeti National Park, Four Seasons Safari Lodge is well positioned to offer game drive excursions to the different regions of the park and surrounding areas to view the migration throughout the year. As a guide, the migratory herds tend to follow the below movements:
January to March: The herds converge on the Serengeti’s rich southern plains, which become the feeding grounds for over 2 million grazers, and in February the wildebeest start calving.
April and May: The lush grasses of the southern plains become depleted and the herds start their migration towards the northwest and central Serengeti. This is also when rut commences and the wildebeest mating season starts.
June to August: Dense masses of wildebeest prepare to cross the Grumeti River, and usually by August, the Migration reaches the very north of the Park.
September and October: These are the driest months in the Serengeti and herds must therefore cross the Mara River to reach Kenya’s Masai Mara, where water is always available, as is good grazing.
November and December: Clouds start to form, and sensing the rains, the herds start to reform. They head back southwards into the Serengeti National Park. By the end of the year the Migration is once again drawn towards the southern plains.
If you would like assistance planning a visit to the Serengeti to see the Great Migration, please contact our on-site reservation specialists, who would be happy to assist with your reservation and may advise on the best game drive options for your stay, depending on the season.
CLIMATE
SEASONS
The Serengeti has two pronounced seasons: a green season from November to May and a dry season from June to October.
To some extent it also has two distinct rainy periods: the short rains that normally fall in November and December, and the long, heavier rains that tend to fall from March to May. However, few years are typical and these two rainy periods often fuse into one long rainy period, particularly in the north, while in other years, the short rains may fail entirely, especially in the southeast.
TEMPERATURE
Partly due to its altitude, the Serengeti is a moderately cool “island” in a much warmer region. The temperature remains relatively uniform throughout the year, but does vary a little with the seasons. Daytime temperatures reach around 28°C (82°F) in the wetter months, while night-time temperatures can fall to 13°C (55°F) during the drier months.
Location
GPS COORDINATES
2°14'04.0" S 34°55'08.0" E
ALTITUDE
1,500 metres (4,921 feet)
