Visit Serengeti
EN
Where to stay

Month by month

Serengeti in July

July is when the Serengeti goes to peak. The herds arrive in the north, the first Mara River crossings start in most years, and on 1 July lodge rates and TANAPA's concession fee jump together.

If you only want the answer

July is prime, at peak price. The model gives 28.5°C days and just 2 mm of rain, the driest month of the year. The herds reach the north and the first Mara River crossings usually start during the month. From 1 July high-season lodge rates apply everywhere and TANAPA's concession fee rises to US$70.80 per adult per night, so book early.

Serengeti weather in July: the driest month

The model gives July 28.5°C by day, 16.6°C at night and 2 mm of rain on a single day, the driest month of the year. Measured nights are cooler than the model, and on the open south-eastern plains July nights are among the coldest of the year. The roads are good and dusty. Monthly rainfall from the model is approximate, and the north gets a little more rain than the centre even now.

The resident lions, leopards and cheetahs of the Seronera valley stay all year, so a split between the centre and the north works well.

The first Mara River crossings

The herds arrive in the north in July, and the first crossings of the Mara River happen during the month in most years. TANAPA manages the crossings under its 2024 guideline: vehicles park only at designated crossing points, each signed with its maximum number of vehicles, on one side of the river, and passengers stay in the vehicle.

Crowds rise sharply. TANAPA names July to October as a peak visitor period and recommends paying park fees online through its reservation system to avoid queues at the gates. The special campsites that mobile operators use also move to their peak rate of US$60 plus VAT per person on 1 July.

Peak rates from 1 July, and a direct flight

On 1 July high season starts across the park. Lemala Ewanjan goes to US$595 per person sharing, Lemala Kuria Hills in the north to US$1,496 and Lemala's Mara camp to US$825, while Asilia's Sayari Camp at the Mara River rises to US$2,250. TANAPA's concession fee for guests inside the park goes from US$50 to US$60 plus VAT, US$70.80 per adult per night, until 30 September.

One thing only July to September has: Coastal Aviation's direct flight from Arusha to Seronera, leaving at 10:30 and landing at 11:00, against 70 to 90 minutes via Manyara the rest of the year, at the same US$259 fare. Coastal also runs a seasonal direct flight from Zanzibar to Seronera in the same months.

Sources