A Spectacular Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary in Tanzania’s Best Park

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Skip the tour. Here’s 3 days of self-driving in Tanzania’s spectacular Serengeti National Park.

The Serengeti is a vast golden plain that stretches out in a seemingly endless expanse in the Northwestern corner of Tanzania. But despite its primarily flat and treeless landscape, it will likely be the most difficult driving of your entire 11-day self-drive itinerary. Tanzania doesn’t have the worst roads in East Africa. Far from it. In fact, generally speaking, driving in the country is fairly easy, and the Serengeti isn’t all that different. (As long as you have planned your safari during the dry season, that is.)

It’s not the driving most people fear. It’s the “not seeing any animals” that scares them. If you choose to visit the Serengeti independently and follow my 3-day guide to the region, you will most definitely see an abundance of wildlife and have a better story to tell at the end of it.

I’m not one for choosing the difficult way to do things simply because it is difficult. There is a reason I recommend travelers choose a Serengeti self-drive itinerary rather than opt for the much easier tour or guided option.

But First, A Word on Local Guides

I am very pro-local guide. I think that specially trained tour guides can add a lot of value to wildlife encounters, cultural experiences, and historical tours. They, better than anything else, can give you insight into a place or tradition. East Africa & Tanzania are no different.

But sometimes, we like to forgo guides to discover the wildness of places on our own. You CAN always opt to have a guide or ranger hop into your own car to help you spot wildlife in East Africa’s parks. It’s a very affordable way to support the locals. I didn’t recommend this option for the Serengeti because I think a thru-park drive is the best way to see this park as a self-driver. This eliminates your ability to have a ranger join you. Otherwise, you would have to keep him with you for three days. Something I’m sure they aren’t super keen to do.

Can You Self-Drive Safari in Serengeti National Park?

Obviously, yes. Or this would be a very purposeless blog post.

The Serengeti is a vast, flat(ish) landscape speckled with marshes, cut through by rivers, and well-traversed by animal enthusiasts. Even self-driven ones. While flat land can be difficult to navigate at times as the road can disappear in tall savannah grasses, the routes are well marked on apps like Maps.me, and the main roads offer just as much wildlife as the smaller, harder-to-navigate ones.

Drive no faster than 30 km/h, and you will have no issues within the Serengeti, especially around the easy South and Central regions.

As you head North into the lesser traversed reaches (and my personal favorite part of the national park), the land gets wetter. Thanks to this, the roads get worse. Untraversable in the rainy season or after poor weather. But in the dry season, you’ll be able to reach the remote campsites near Lobo and experience the true joy of the Serengeti wilderness. This is a challenging portion of the drive. But only if you don’t follow my route instructions exactly.

Where to Rent Your Car in Tanzania

There are many car rental options throughout East Africa. Road Trip Africa is the most reliable and offers the most well-equipt cars in Tanzania (and beyond). This is the company that I used during our time in Tanzania and I definitely did not regret it. Be warned: rentals through RTA aren’t cheap. It would be much more affordable if you can fill the car (4 people). Road Trip Africa also has an excellent blog post about self-driving in the Serengeti with some additional tips.

Thanks to the washboard roads in Serengeti, not just any car can traverse the landscape. Tanzania is the most expensive country to rent a vehicle in because of this fact. While you can easily score a car for $50 per day in Uganda, you’ll need a Landcruiser or Patrol to safely navigate the Serengeti. Unfortunately, these models come at a premium price tag.

It’s still cheaper than a guided tour. I checked. Read my blog post on Self-Drive Safari’s VS Guided Tours.

Make sure you choose a car rental company that provides you with proper tire-changing equipment, a hefty jack, and who is willing to come rescue you if you REALLY get yourself stuck. We didn’t have any of these problems in Tanzania but it’s important you come prepared.

Why You Should Consider Self-Driving in the Serengeti

Why exactly is self-driving better than a guided tour? Because it’s the only way to access Lobo Campsite in the park’s northern reaches. This was my single favorite campsite in all of East Africa. Even if we almost got eaten by lions.

Tours don’t visit this portion of the park because it takes a long time to reach, and the roads are worse than in other regions of the park. Most guided tours focus on making a profit, not giving you the best experience possible. This means they will focus on the packed “Central Serengeti,” where they know they can get you some wildlife sightings, have convenient amenities, AND smooth roads in and out of the park that leads straight back to the major cities. If you SELF-DRIVE and head up north to Lobo, you’ll have to exit the park up north and drive across the desert, adding a day (and gas) to any itinerary. This is why tour guides don’t want to do it. It’s also why they tell you that the region has horrible roads. I drove them. I promise they aren’t.

Self-driving also allows you the freedom to pack your day with wildlife, be on your own time, and feel like you are actually exploring.

Read More: Should I Self-Drive in East Africa? An Honest Review.

5 Essential Things to Know When Planning Your Visit to Serengeti National Park

1. When Should You Plan Your Visit

Dry Season. In the Serengeti, the dry season spans from June to October, with the absolute best driving conditions landing in September. In November, the short rains come, and drizzle throughout December. January and February are a small window of respite from the rains and are another great crowd-free option for those willing to risk a little wetter weather. The heavy rains start in March and soak the landscape until June.

The Great Migration. The Serengeti is one of the few places where you can witness the Great Wildebeest migration in its full splendor. This map outlines what exactly that looks like month by month. The most wildlife-dense time of year is usually August through October, which coincides with the dry season.

In summary…

• Jan/Feb is a good time to visit to miss the crowds. Considered “shoulder season.”
• March/April/May do not self-drive.
• June can be an unpredictable month but the entire Serengeti is lush and green after the rains.
• July, August, September, and October are the best times to self-drive.
• Nov/Dec are usually wet and should be avoided.

2. Wildlife Commonly Sighted in the Serengeti

I doubt I have to convince you to come safari in the Serengeti. This ecosystem is one of the oldest and most scientifically significant on the whole continent. It’s packed with wildlife, butted up against the very popular Masaai Mara National Park in Kenya (same landscapes and wildlife), and the land itself is ICONIC African terrain. It’s exactly what you imagined when you planned this trip in the first place.

Here’s the wildlife you’ll probably see…

The list goes on and on. The only animals on this list we didn’t see during our three-day stay was the Rhino (which we saw in Kenya at Ol Pejeta Conservancy), and leopard (which we saw in abundance during our time in Uganda).

READ MORE: The Best Parks in East Africa for Wildlife.

I’m a big advocate for skipping the Masaai Mara in Kenya. This is because of over-tourism and its likely impact on the ecosystem there. But the Serengeti is different. Well, it’s the same ecosystem. It’s much larger and more difficult to access from a major city. This means it does NOT suffer from the same issues as the Mara. I fervently recommend this park to all wildlife enthusiasts.

3. How Much Does it Cost to Visit Serengeti National Park?

Assuming you are a foreign tourist, it costs $70 per day per person + camping fees + car entrance fees. The park tickets allow you 24 hours within the park boundaries starting from the moment you purchase your ticket.

You will get a massive discount if you are a Tanzanian or East African passport holder.

The camping fee is $35 per person per night for the public campsites. That is what we listed in this blog post. If you choose to stay in a fancy hotel or lodge, you still have to pay a $50 “concession fee” to the national park. This makes your already expensive lodge even more expensive. Some resorts factor this price into your booking, so if you go this route, be sure to check.

The vehicle entrance fee is $20 for a Landcruiser and $10 for other vehicles. It is supposed to be a per day fee. But in practice, we were only charged for one day despite purchasing a multi-day ticket.

If you follow this itinerary exactly, you’ll pay $210 per person + $10-$40 for the car fee for the group, depending on how it’s calculated at the gate. This 3-day itinerary includes two full days within the park itself.

READ MORE: How to Plan a Budget Safari to East Africa.

Where to Purchase Your Park Entrance Tickets to Serengeti

You shouldn’t buy your park tickets in advance. You will buy them with a credit card at the entrance gate.

The ticket process here is a little complicated. You’ll go to the first booth, where you’ll be officially stamped out of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Then, you’ll proceed to the ticket desk for Serengeti. Here, you’ll pay for your campsites and entrance tickets with a credit card only. Unfortunately, the credit card machine sucks because you’re out in the middle of the African savannah, so sometimes this can take over an hour. Be patient. Once you have your tickets, your 24 hours start.

I recommend arriving at Serengeti NP gate at around 4 PM so you can maximize your time in the park. This fits in perfectly with my 11-day DIY Tanzania itinerary. Trust me; timing is vital when you’re working with 24-hour park tickets.

You’ll need to tell the rangers here when booking your campsites WHICH sites you’ll be staying at. The answer is Serenora (night one) and Lobo Public Campsite (night two). This is important because the Tanzania Parks Service stations a ranger at the camps to protect you and ensure that you “check in” before dark. This keeps self-drivers safe and also ensures if you do go missing, they send someone to look for you. That being said, make sure you check in everywhere you say you’re going to so they don’t send a search party—no changes of plans at the last minute.

4. Services Inside the Park Are Limited

As with all national parks in East Africa, self-drivers should enter fully stocked on groceries, gas, and water. There is one gas station with minimal supplies in the Serenora camp area. It’s more expensive than elsewhere in Tanzania, but you’re going to need it regardless after driving around in search of wildlife all day.

5. The Main Route Through the Serengeti is a Packed Dirt Road

It’s pretty impossible to get lost on and it receives a ton of traffic if you find yourself broken down or in a bind. The side routes, however, are small dirt tracks that sometimes disappear into nothing or a river, so you’ll have to make your own judgments as you go. It’s on these side routes where you’ll spot most of the impressive wildlife. So take excursions off the main road often.

Your 3-Day Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary

Here’s the exact itinerary I think you should follow to have the best self-drive experience in Serengeti National Park.

READ MORE: Our Ultimate East Africa Road Trip Route.

Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary Day One: Getting to the Serengeti

We’re going to count the day you enter Serengeti National Park as day one; despite that, I don’t recommend you enter the park until around 4 PM. If you’re following my 11-day Tanzania road trip guide, you’ll understand why.

Assuming you are, at 4 PM, you’ll enter the park and drive through the Naabi Hill entrance gate.

You can find all these locations on Maps.me and use the app to route yourself on dirt roads throughout the park.

Now it’s off to the Kopjes on the way to camp. A Kopjes is a small hill in an otherwise flat landscape. I recommend heading out to Gol Kopjes and then onward to Simba Kopjes as sunset creeps in. This will take you on many small trails throughout the park and then back to the main road to head to the Serenora area.

You’ll want to reach Serenora before dark to set up camp. So, while looking for wildlife, be sure to keep a good pace. There are 4 public campsites in Serenora. These are the most popular sites within the park and are ALWAYS crowded. They are also all about equal in scenery and amenities.

Given the choice, I would select Ngiri Public Campsite or Tumbili Public Campsite. At all campsites, some rangers can set up a fire as well as the option to buy drinks like beer or soda. Like I said, well equipt amenities. You’ll want to tuck in early tonight as it’s an early morning and a full day tomorrow.

Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary Day Two: Central Serengeti to Lobo Campsite

Rise and pack up before the sun even starts to poke its head out to get the jump on the other safari-goers and maximize your time with wildlife. I would start the morning with Masai Kopjes 1 before heading over to Lake Magadi, aka Moru Kopjes, before lunch. Today, you’ll just be driving circles all over the Serenora area in search of big cats and other wildlife. Until about 3 PM, that is.

The Serengeti is a wide, open landscape, which makes spotting wildlife reasonably easy. There’s little to do besides drive around and keep an eye out. Another super helpful tip is to follow other safari vehicles. Anyone who looks like they are in a hurry (unless they are headed toward the park entrance) is likely headed to an animal sighting they were alerted to on the radio. Guides would also often pull over to tell us about sightings too!

At 3 PM, you must start making your way to the Lobo Public Campsite in the far Northeast of the park. It takes at least 2 hours to reach from the Serenora area. Be sure to gas up before you hit the road.

Getting to the Lobo Campsite

The road is easy 90% of the way. As you approach Lobo, be sure to stay on the main road longer than Maps.me tells you to. Due to some heavy rainy seasons over the years, the roads in this part of the park are less flat and dry (you’ll notice a lot more trees and leopard territory too), so you should only take the back way into the campsite. This is where you should use a combination of Maps.me and iOverlander to navigate. Travel ONLY on the route labeled below to reach and leave the campsite.

On maps.me, you’ll notice there are two “Lobo Public Campsite” labels. The correct one is the one closest to the main road.

Lobo Campsite is a stunning wide-open area that gets herds of buffalo, prides of lions, and stunning uninterrupted views of stars. This is my favorite campsite in East Africa. You will also likely be the only one there. In the early morning hours, I watched a lion hunt a zebra in the field in front of us, and all night long, we heard the unmistakable sound of lions calling. While cooking dinner, however, lions did walk right through our campsite in search of baby buffalo to hunt—an incredible, albeit terrifying, experience. We locked ourselves in the enclosed dinner area until we were sure they had passed through.

Here are a few things to note safety-wise about Lobo Campsite...

• If you choose to cook food, do so inside the gated cooking area after dark.
• Always use your headlamp to walk around safely.
• Stay inside your tent when large animals and predators are around.
• Rangers don’t always decide to stay the night even though they are supposed to. Ours didn’t. He left us for the lions.

Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary Day Three: North Serengeti

By now, you probably know that to see wildlife in Africa’s national parks, you have to get up early. Today is no different. The goal of today (if you’re traveling in July-October) is to witness some of the Great Migration.

However, because they ARE wild animals driven by seasonal changes, you should always check the Migration pattern for the specific year, as every single year can vary due to drought and other weather events.

In a typical year, the wildebeest will cross over the river in the far Northwestern sector of the park. It will take you about 2.5 hours to drive there from Lobo campsite, so you’ll want a very early start. The wildebeest also don’t really cross the Mara River on command, so you’ll have to factor in waiting around for a few hours too. The river crossing locations are all near Kogatende Airstrip. You’ll see them labeled on Maps.me. Be sure to give yourself 2.5 hours to make it out of the park through Klein’s Gate.

Tip: Don’t forget to check out when you leave the Serengeti. Otherwise, they could send rangers out looking for you. Watch for wildlife during all of these long drives!

You should be exiting the park gate at 4 PM (or whatever time you first entered the park on day one). This gives you just enough time to make it to your next stop on my 11-day itinerary before dark.

DIY Safari Map of the Serengeti Self-Drive Itinerary

I took a map of the major lodges within the park and highlighted the areas that you should focus your animal searches on. Purple is day 1, Blue is day 2, and Red is day 3.

Other National Park Guides in East Africa

These three national parks are some of my favorites in East Africa. When you’re finished with your Serengeti self-drive itinerary, continue your adventure with one of these.

The Serengeti was my favorite national park in East Africa. Not just because it’s the quintessential African safari experience or because we were blessed to see numerous cheetahs, herds of elephants, and a pride of lions with eight tiny little cubs, but because it encapsulated the wildness still present on the continent. The Serengeti is an African experience that cannot be missed. If you’re planning a self-propelled safari in the park and have additional questions about the journey, feel free to shoot me an email at geena.truman@gmail.com.

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