Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceCentral Serengeti Field Loop
Use Naabi Hill, Moru Kopjes, Seronera, Retima and the eastern kopjes as a three-day introduction to the park.
- Allow
- 3 days
- Route
- 182 km
- Drive time
- 6 hr 11 min
- Stops
- 5
Central Serengeti is the sound first route because resident wildlife matters more than chasing a moving headline. Naabi Hill handles the formal park entry, Moru’s granite outcrops break the southern plains, and Seronera’s river woodland supports a wide mix of species across seasons.
Retima and the eastern kopjes are options chosen by the driver-guide according to track condition and sightings, not mandatory pins. Book one central camp for multiple nights, keep distances short and let the route change without leaving authorized tracks or pressuring wildlife.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceNaabi Hill Gate
The main southeastern gate is a permit checkpoint and first view over the plains.
The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km2 (5,700 sq mi). It is located in eastern Mara Region and northeastern Simiyu Region and contains over 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi) of savanna. The park was established in 1940.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceMoru Kopjes
Granite islands rise from the grassland and concentrate shade, viewpoints and wildlife habitat.
The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km2 (5,700 sq mi). It is located in eastern Mara Region and northeastern Simiyu Region and contains over 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi) of savanna. The park was established in 1940.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceSeronera
Riverine woodland and open plains make the center a dependable multi-night safari base.
Seronera is a small settlement in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The oldest lodge in the national park is located in Seronera. It is home to a small airstrip.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceRetima Hippo Pool
A river pool offers prolonged hippo observation from an authorized visitor area.
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius;; pl.: hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (pl.: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis).
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceEastern Kopjes
Rock outcrops and short-grass country add a contrasting eastern loop when tracks allow.
An inselberg or monadnock ( mə-NAD-nok) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. If the inselberg is dome-shaped and formed from granite or gneiss, it can also be called a bornhardt, though not all bornhardts are inselbergs.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Use a professional driver-guide and equipped 4×4, stay on authorized tracks, obey the 50 km/h limit and reach camp before the park’s night-driving cut-off.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.