Practical questions
Serengeti National Park: frequently asked questions
The questions people ask before a first Serengeti trip, answered with the figure first.
How much is the Serengeti entry fee in 2026?
A non-East African adult pays $70 plus 18% VAT, so $82.60 per 24 hours, from 16 May to 14 March, and $60 plus VAT, so $70.80, from 15 March to 15 May. Children of 5 to 15 pay $23.60 and under-5s go free. These rates have not changed since at least 2021 and are the ones loaded in TANAPA's system for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Sleeping in a lodge or camp inside the park adds a concession fee of $70.80 (July to September) or $59 (October to June) per adult per night.
Can I pay park fees in cash?
Plan on paying by card. TANAPA collects fees through the government's electronic payment gateway: Visa or Mastercard at the gate, Tanzanian mobile money (M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money) or online through ors.tanapa.go.tz. No TANAPA document mentions cash, and a Tanzanian self-drive hire company states that cash is refused. On an organised safari your operator pays all fees for you.
Can I self-drive in the Serengeti?
Yes, with a high-clearance 4x4, but very few people do. A foreign-registered vehicle up to 2,000 kg pays $47.20 a day; a Tanzanian-registered hire car pays TSh 20,000. Fill up in Karatu, the last reliable fuel before the park, carry two spare tyres for the corrugations, stay on the tracks and be off them by 18:00. TANAPA's own visitor guide advises travelling with certified guides, and in the long rains the black-cotton tracks in the south and west can become impassable.
When is the best time to visit the Serengeti?
It depends on what you want to see, because the herds move. For calving, go in late January or February to the southern plains, where TANAPA says 8,000 to 12,000 calves are born a day at the peak. For Mara River crossings, go to the north from July to September. For the lowest prices, go in the long rains, when the entry fee drops to $70.80 from 15 March to 15 May. Seronera in the centre keeps its resident predators all year.
Is Ndutu in the Serengeti?
No. Lake Ndutu and the Ndutu lodges and camps lie in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, just south of the park boundary, even though the calving herds cross that line freely. Guests there pay NCAA fees ($70.80 entry and $59 concession per adult per night), and a drive into the national park adds TANAPA's $82.60 on top. Check where a 'southern Serengeti' camp actually stands before you compare prices.
Do I need malaria tablets for the Serengeti?
Yes. NaTHNaC rates malaria risk as high in all of Tanzania below 1,800 m, and the whole park lies below that line: Seronera is at about 1,525 m and Naabi Hill about 1,736 m. Atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine are the recommended options; risk is highest in and after the rains from November to May. Tsetse flies are also present, mainly in the wooded north, west and around Seronera.
How many days do I need in the Serengeti?
Three nights is a sensible minimum by road. Arusha to Seronera is about 305 km and around eight hours, much of it on corrugated gravel, so the first and last days are largely driving. Flying from Arusha to Seronera takes 70 to 90 minutes on Coastal Aviation's scheduled services, which turns two nights into a workable trip. If you want both the centre and the north, allow five or more.
Is the Serengeti good for children?
Yes, with the right camp. Under-5s enter free and children of 5 to 15 pay $23.60 a day. Rules vary by camp: Asilia's camps take children from 5, Nimali Serengeti does not take under-6s on game drives in open vehicles, Serengeti Explorer has a kids' centre for ages 4 to 12, and Serengeti Balloon Safaris flies children from 6. TANAPA's walking-safari fees start at age 12. Long drives between sightings are the real test, so choose a central base.
Do I need to book a campsite?
Not for a public campsite at Seronera or Lobo: you pay $35.40 per adult per night at the gate. Special campsites, such as Mbuzi Mawe and Mbalageti, must be booked ahead through TANAPA's reservation system or a licensed operator and cost $70.80 per adult from July to September and $59 from October to June.
Can I drive from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara?
Not directly. The Bologonja crossing between the northern Serengeti and the Mara has been closed to tourist traffic since 1977. Road transfers go west through Isebania and Sirari, a full day with a change of vehicle at the border, because Tanzanian and Kenyan safari vehicles cannot work in each other's parks. The quicker link is by air: Coastal Aviation flies from the Serengeti strips to Tarime, with a road transfer to Migori and a Safarilink flight to the Mara.
Are night drives or walking safaris allowed in the Serengeti?
Night drives are not: driving inside the park is limited to 06:00 to 18:00 and TANAPA's tariff has no night-drive line for the Serengeti. Walking is possible with a guide or ranger, at $20 per person for one to four hours, and some camps run it, mainly in the north. Concessions just outside the park, such as the Grumeti reserves, Klein's Camp and Mapito near Fort Ikoma, offer night drives under their own rules.
Do I pay the Ngorongoro fee to reach the Serengeti?
Yes, if you come by road from Arusha. The road to Naabi Hill Gate crosses the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the NCAA charges its normal entry permit of $70.80 per non-East African adult, plus $47.20 for a foreign vehicle. The permit is valid for one entry within 24 hours, so you pay it again on the way out. Flying in, or entering from Mwanza through Ndabaka Gate, avoids it.