4-Day Serengeti Safari Tours

4.9/5 – 464 Serengeti Reviews

Going on a 4-day Serengeti National Park safari is one of the best experiences you can have in Africa. It’s a chance to explore one of the best safari parks anywhere on the continent, with its endless savannah grasslands, flat-topped acacia trees and extraordinary wildlife. For part of the year, the Serengeti provides the backdrop to the great migration, the annual procession of 2 million wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle, and one of the most incredible sights in nature. But the Serengeti is an extraordinary wildlife destination even when the migration is elsewhere. That’s because this is a vast and beautiful land that is filled with animals, and on your 4-day safari you’re in for the most wonderful time.

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7 Questions About 4-Day Serengeti Safaris

Expert

Answered by

Anthony Ham

Anthony has been writing about Africa in general and safaris in particular for nearly two decades. He has covered northern Tanzania, including the Serengeti, for Lonely Planet in its ‘Tanzania’ and ‘East Africa’ guidebooks. He is also the author of ‘The Last Lions of Africa’.
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Is 4 days too short for a trip in the Serengeti?

“Because the Serengeti is such a wonderful place, you can never have too much time there, and in this sense, yes, 4 days is too short. But the same could be said for a week or even more. To get more than just a fleeting glimpse or a taste of what the Serengeti has to offer, 4 days is actually an excellent amount of time to dedicate to a safari here. In 4 days, you can get to know just one area of the park really well, or maybe even explore a few areas. This may mean a couple of days in the Southern Serengeti and another couple in the central Seronera area. The Northern Serengeti is a little further away, which means you may want to spend the whole of your 4-day tour in the north. Either way, in 4 days, you can see so many animals, enjoy a range of different landscapes, and maybe even have some time to relax in between your explorations.”

How do I get to the Serengeti?

“There are a number of ways for you to get to the Serengeti, and it all depends on what kind of tour you have planned. Many safari travelers fly into one of the airstrips in the Serengeti, either from Arusha or from another safari camp in a different park. By flying into the park, you can maximize your limited time, and also get a wonderful overview of the park and its seemingly endless horizons at the same time. If you only have 4 days for your entire trip (as opposed to 4 days just for the Serengeti section of a longer trip), flying will usually be the best option. If you’re flying, it will usually be in a small plane, which could be anything from a six- to 20-seater aircraft. The other option for getting to the Serengeti is by road. This means that it can take longer to reach the Serengeti, and this may take away from the time you actually have available to spend in the park itself. Then again, the benefit of traveling by road is that you get to see so much at ground level along the way. Depending on where you’re coming from and how much time you have, you may even, for example, be able to visit the Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai (Oldupai) Gorge on your way to the Serengeti if you’re traveling there by road. If you travel by road, you’ll probably be in a minibus or a 4x4 safari vehicle.”

What accommodation can I expect in the Serengeti?

“As always, the type of accommodation you can expect in the Serengeti will vary depending on the type of safari you have planned. As a general rule, however, the Serengeti has an excellent range of accommodation to suit most budgets. For many travelers, staying in one of the Serengeti’s tented camps is a real highlight. These camps have safari tents that, at their most simple, have a bed and an attached toilet and (sometimes outdoor) shower. At the more expensive end of the market, these tents are the height of luxury, with lots of space and fine safari furnishings. As part of these camps, there is usually a dining tent, a lounge area and sometimes even a swimming pool. Some of the tented camps are mobile, which means that they change location a couple of times a year, usually to maximize your chances of seeing the great migration. Either way, one of the best things about a tented camp is that only canvas separates you from the African wild. It’s perfectly safe and you’ll feel like a part of the Serengeti, especially when you lie awake and listen to lions roaring in the night. The Serengeti also has a number of lodges, which are more permanent structures. In a lodge, you’ll sleep behind four walls. Otherwise, the experience is similar to a tented camp, with a dining area, possibly a bar and sometimes a swimming pool. At the budget end of the spectrum, there are some camping areas and a youth hostel at Seronera in the Central Serengeti.”

What is the best time of the year for a 4-day safari in the Serengeti?

“There is no bad time to visit the Serengeti, but your experience will differ according to which months you’re here. When it comes to the weather, the best time for visiting the Serengeti is undoubtedly the Dry season, which runs from June to October. During these months, you can expect little or no rainfall. Leaving aside the timing of the great migration for a moment, these months also coincide with the best months for wildlife viewing. That’s because during the dry months, the animals tend to gather close to the last remaining water sources, which can make them easier to find. There are other considerations to take into account. The movement of the wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and other species through the park during the migration follows a quite discernible pattern. Wildebeest usually give birth to hundreds of thousands of calves in the Southern Serengeti in January and February. In June and/or July, they can often be seen further north as they cross the Grumeti River in the Serengeti’s central Western Corridor. And they usually cross the Mara River into Kenya in the Serengeti’s far north around September. All of these dates can, of course, change from one year to the next, but they’re a useful guide for planning based on the ‘normal’ course of events.”

Is it likely that I will see the wildebeest migration?

“To see the migration on your 4-day Serengeti National Park safari, you’ll need both careful planning and a little bit of luck. As a general rule, the wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and other migrating species pass through the park during certain months. They usually begin in the Serengeti’s far south in January and February, then slowly move north over the months that follow. By June and/or July, they’re often in the Western Corridor, in the vicinity of the Grumeti River and Grumeti Game Reserve. They usually leave the Serengeti and cross the Mara River into Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve in September. These general guidelines should form the basis of your planning if you want to see the migration. And yet, no two years are the same and, as with any wildlife encounter, nothing can be guaranteed. There are years when these dates prove to be accurate, but there are just as many when the wildebeest travel more quickly or more slowly through the park, or head north without heading west, or some other variation on the norm. That’s why you need luck if you are to be in the right place at the right time.”

Which animals am I likely to see?

“There are so many animals to see when you visit the Serengeti on your 4-day safari that it’s impossible to list them all. And which animals you see can depend on where you go in the Serengeti, and when it is that you’re traveling. If you’re here during the great migration, then you’ll almost certainly see countless wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle. Whenever the migration is passing through, you’ll often see predators (especially big cats and spotted hyenas) nearby as they take advantage of the ready food supply. During the migration, and at other times, big cats and spotted hyena are always a possibility. Elephant, buffalo and giraffe are also commonly seen, as are golden and black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox and a wide range of antelope species, including eland, topi, kongoni and impala. Black rhino is the most elusive species of the Big Five and sightings are rare, but they are present in the park.”

How much does a 4-day Serengeti safari cost?

“There are many variables in trying to work out how much your 4-day safari in the Serengeti will cost. These include the time of year when you’re traveling, the type of accommodation you want to stay in, and the type of safari (group, private or self-drive) you’d like to go on. High season runs from July through to March, and these months are when you can expect everything to cost a little more. Prices also increase significantly whenever the migration is expected in the area you’re visiting. Accommodation is also a factor, with everything from camping safaris to luxury tented camp or lodge accommodation. How much comfort and luxury you need will have a big influence on the overall cost of your safari. The same applies to safari types: private safaris generally cost more (sometimes significantly more) than group safaris where you’ll share safari vehicles, guides etc. As a general rule, a simple camping safari in the Serengeti will start at US$100 to US$150 per person per day, while a luxury safari will start at US$500 per person per day and can go much higher. Most safaris cost somewhere in between.”

Serengeti Reviews

4.9/5 464 Reviews

Expert

Kim Wildman –

Kim is a travel writer who authored and updated over 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet's South Africa and Bradt's Tanzania guides.

The greatest (natural) show on earth

5/5

One of the best game reserves in the world, the Serengeti is without a doubt my all-time favourite game park. The Serengeti is one of those places that had long lived in my imagination, before I’d even laid eyes on it. Happily, it more...

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Expert

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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Jeannette –

Reviewed: Apr 14, 2024

5/5

Simply the best. We saw so many lions within 2-4 meters of our vehicle as well as elephants , but the lions were the most awesome. Unlike other visitors, we unfortunately did not see any lions chasing prey. The number of herds of gnu and...

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David L –

Reviewed: Apr 9, 2024

5/5

This is a wonderful park. Lots of roads the carve up the landscape but give animals room to breathe. We saw everything, except rhinos. We came during the offseason and saw plenty of animals and few other tourists. When stopped to see...

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Barbara Barbosa –

Reviewed: Apr 2, 2024

5/5

Serengeti is amazing. Its a beautiful park, amazing landscape, animals are respected and wildlife is there, in your face. I stayed in a camp inside the park and it was the best decision i could have made.

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Matthias –

Reviewed: Mar 29, 2024

4/5

It didn't have that wow factor you'd expect from reading about it or watching TV documentaries. Wildlife depends a lot on where the great migration is at the moment. You will still see animals (leopards, gepards, hyena, elefants, giraffe,...

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7 Questions About 4-Day Serengeti Safaris

Answered by

Anthony Ham

7 Questions About 4-Day Serengeti Safaris

Is 4 days too short for a trip in the Serengeti?

How do I get to the Serengeti?

What accommodation can I expect in the Serengeti?

What is the best time of the year for a 4-day safari in the Serengeti?

Is it likely that I will see the wildebeest migration?

Which animals am I likely to see?

How much does a 4-day Serengeti safari cost?

Serengeti Reviews

The greatest (natural) show on earth

Classic Africa