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Serengeti in November

November is the Serengeti between acts. The short rains green the plains, the herds stream south through the east and centre towards the calving grounds, migrant birds arrive from Europe, and low-season rates start on the first of the month.

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November is a shoulder month, good for birds, green landscapes and seeing the herds on the move, but unpredictable. The model gives 29.1°C days and 99 mm of rain over 15 days. Lemala's low season starts on 1 November, Ewanjan at US$305 per person, and the north is quiet, with several mobile camps closed between their northern and southern seasons.

Serengeti weather in November: the short rains

The model gives November 29.1°C by day, 18.0°C at night and 99 mm of rain over 15 days, as the short rains arrive. Measured rainfall is higher in the north and north-west than at the model point. Monthly rainfall from the model is approximate, and the timing of the short rains varies from year to year.

Expect muddy patches on the tracks, especially on the black-cotton soils of the west and south. Malaria risk is high in the whole park all year and highest in and after the rains, from November to May.

Herds on the move, and the birds arrive

In November the herds stream south through the east and centre towards the short-grass plains, where they will calve in February. Seeing them on the move is less predictable than finding them on the plains in February or at the river in August, but the park is green and the vehicles are few.

November is also when the Palearctic migrants arrive. European bee-eaters, storks and harriers are present from about November to April, and the resident birds breed in full plumage in the same months. With more than 500 species on TANAPA's list, a green-season trip is a good birding trip.

Low rates, and a gap between the mobile seasons

Low season starts on 1 November at Lemala: Ewanjan in the Seronera valley at US$305 per person sharing and Kuria Hills in the north at US$520, until 19 December. Elewana's Serengeti Migration Camp drops to its mid rate of US$808, and Asilia's Sayari Camp at the Mara River to its secret-season rate of US$1,030. Wilderness's mobile Usawa camp charges US$1,045 per person from 1 November to 15 December 2026, with park fees included.

November is the gap between the northern and southern seasons for the mobile camps. Asilia's Olakira, Lemala's Mara and Ndutu camps and the Nasikia camp are closed for the whole month, and Asilia's Ubuntu leaves the Lamai Wedge on 14 November and stays closed until mid-December.

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