Where is the Best Big 5 Safari in Africa: Kruger vs Serengeti

You’ve finally decided that it’s time to do that Big 5 tour, but you can’t quite make up your mind: Kruger National Park or Serengeti National Park? They are renowned as the best that Africa has to offer, and at first glance, they both seem equally appealing. A detailed breakdown, to see which one comes out tops is useful. This blog will unpack all the pros and cons of visiting these iconic safari destinations.

When to go on safari: Kruger vs Serengeti

Greater Kruger Guided safari drive

First off, you need to take into account the best time to visit, and whether that fits with your schedule.

When to go on safari in Kruger

The Kruger National Park is at its best in winter, which, in the Southern Hemisphere, is from June to October. Why winter? Not only is it cooler — African summers can be unforgiving for foreigners — but it is drier, and malaria is less prevalent. Winter is when animals congregate at waterholes and rivers, and the vegetation is at its thinnest; together, these conditions create superb game viewing.

The dry winter months are not the only option. In January, the peak summer months, there is a totally different time and game-viewing experience. Not only is the bush lush and green, but you are likely to spot more newborn animals in the Kruger National Park. If you are planning to visit Cape Town this is an excellent time of year. The Western Cape is a winter rainfall area, and is therefore at its best from December to March — it’s all a matter of personal preference.

When to go on safari in the Serengeti

Winter is also the best time to visit the Serengeti. Not only are the winter temperatures cooler, but it is also when the Serengeti’s Great Wildebeest Migration is at its most spectacular. Most safari enthusiasts are keen to witness this epic migration. This does unfortunately mean that not only are there more tourists and game vehicles, but also, lodge prices are higher.

Winter is great for the migration across the Seronera region as the wildebeest moves towards the Mara River and the Masai Mara in Kenya, meaning that there is always excellent predator action.

Like in the Kruger, there are pros and cons to visiting in each season. The rainy season summer months see the arrival of migratory birds, the parks are quieter, and the scenery is lush and green — but it can be difficult to navigate. One big draw card to travelling from January to March is the calving season that takes place in the Ndutu plains of the Southern Serengeti. in the Ndutu region is when the wildebeest gather to calve, an excellent alternative experience.

Serengeti Great Migration

When to go Pros and cons Kruger vs Serengeti

Kruger Pros and cons:	Serengeti Pros and Cons
Winter Fantastic wildlife viewing cooler weather malaria less prevalent Cold nights and mornings Can get busy Summer Lush vegetation More newborn animals Hotter temperatures Can get crowded over the local festive season in December More mosquitoes Wildlife harder to spot Busy during local vacations especially in December	Winter Peak season Can get crowded Best for Great Migration herds Mara River Crossing Excellent predator action Summer more expensive migratory birds are present Some areas difficult to navigate due to poor roads Good for photography Baby animals and predator action in the southern Serengeti

Travel logistics Serengeti and East Africa vs Kruger and Southern Africa

Kruger buffalo

Getting to the Serengeti

Tanzania is geared towards tourism and visiting the Serengeti is one of the most popular safari experiences in East Africa. The northern safari circuit starts in Arusha and takes in Mount Meru, Tarangire National Park, Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Serengeti National Park.

While most travellers fly into Arusha through Kilimanjaro International Airport via Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, and there are also domestic flights to Arusha Airport. To get to the Serengeti National Park, travellers must take a short hop flight which can be expensive, or drive the 325 km / 202 miles which takes about 8 hours.

By air, short hop flights run throughout the high season and from Arusha, there are daily scheduled flights to Grumeti or Seronera. It is also possible to charter flights.

The drive to the Serengeti is long, but there is plenty of game viewing, and your tour guide will usually take you to visit other parks along the way, such as Ngorongoro — the crater there is one the best places to spot the Big 5 — and Lake Manyara.

Getting around the Serengeti

From Arusha, the most common choice is to travel in closed-sided safari vehicles which are safer for covering large distances. Once in the Serengeti National Park, however, open-top 4x4 vehicles are best for game viewing. In addition to providing a raised vantage point, these 4x4 game vehicles come with an experienced guide who knows the area and will be able to show you the best that the area has to offer. It is also possible to hire a 4x4 in Arusha but this is only recommended for experienced off-road drivers.

Serengeti Great Migration

Southern Africa and Kruger National Park travel logistics

Getting to Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is located in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province. The nearest major airport is the OR Tambo International Airport which is southern Africa’s busiest travel hub. As a general rule, using busier travel hubs means more flight options and therefore lower costs.

Kruger National Park is serviced by several smaller airports including the Mpumalanga Airport near Mbombela, Hoedspruit Airport, Phalaborwa Airport, and Skukuza Airport which is located in the park. These airports all have daily flights that connect from Johannesburg, Durban, and Port Elizabeth, and recently, FlySafair introduced bi-weekly direct flights from Cape Town to Kruger too, making Kruger accessible by a 2.5-hour flight from the Mother City.

Despite the ample flight options, most visitors arrive in Johannesburg and hire a car or join a guided tour that accesses Kruger via the famous Panorama Route. Driving from Durban through the Kingdom of Eswatini is also a popular option.

Getting around the Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park has an impressive network of well-maintained tar roads, making it one of the best self-drive safari destinations in the world. Self-driving is popular as Kruger is easy to navigate, it is budget-friendly, provides a degree of flexibility that is not available on guided tours, and is relatively safe.

When visiting Kruger, or the Greater Kruger National Park, it is recommended that guests do at least one guided game drive. Guides have a huge amount of experience and not only know where to go for the best sightings but are well-versed in the background of the park and its smaller inhabitants and ecosystems.

The Kruger National Park is huge. Generally, if you wish to catch all of the Big 5 in one visit, the southern areas of the Kruger, with its many rivers, are your best bet.

Greater Kruger Guided safari drive

Kruger vs Serengeti: Transportation pros and cons

The Serengeti National Park

The Kruger National Park

Pros Accessible by air or road The northern safari circuit allows you to explore more Guided safaris give excellent vantage points to see wildlife No need to worry about travel logistics or driving Lots of guided tour options Geared for tourism Easy access to Zanzibar Cons Safari costs are in US$ making it more expensive Self-drive not advised More expensive to travel in East Africa

Pros More affordable and better exchange rate from US$ to ZAR Fantastic self-drive destination Easy to navigate with excellent roads More flexibility to set own agenda Good family destination Loads of excellent destinations like Eswatini, Hluhluwe, Hoedspruit, and more Combines well with Durban or Cape Town Optional guided tours are available Excellent for adventurous travellers Cons Self-drivers may miss out on the experience of a guide More time doing logistics and driving No driving off-roads Not ideal for less adventurous travellers

What to expect on safari: Serengeti vs Kruger

Leopard, big 5 ngorongoro conservation area

Animals and plants of the Serengeti

When visiting the Serengeti National Park, the main attraction is witnessing the mega-herds of wildebeest, zebra, and antelope that make up the Great Migration. Where the Great Migration flows, the predators are never far behind, and witnessing lions and hyenas on the hunt on the open savannah is a safari highlight.

Visitors to the Serengeti, with a good guide and some luck, are likely to see all of the Big 5 as well as giraffes, eland, aardvarks, jackals, caracals, bat-eared foxes, cheetahs, African painted wolves, a plethora of smaller game including the small 5, ant lion, leopard tortoise, rhino beetle, buffalo weaver, and elephant shrew.

Animals and plants of the Kruger

The Kruger National Park is an astounding destination that boasts 5 distinct vegetation zones, 148 mammal species, 336 tree species, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, and over 500 birds. Covering nearly 2 million hectares, Kruger National Park is most celebrated for being home to Africa's Big 5 – lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. It is also, however, a haven for rare species like black and white rhinos, African-painted wolves, cheetahs and more. Other notable species include Black sable, giraffe, zebra, impala, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, and eland.

Bird watchers must keep an eye out for the avian Big 6, the lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, saddle-billed stork, the kori bustard, ground hornbill, and Pel’s fishing owl, a group of birds synonymous with the park. Those who venture out on a walking safari can also see Kruger’s Little 5, the antlion, the eastern rock elephant shrew, the leopard tortoise, the red-billed buffalo weaver, and the rhino beetle.

When visiting the Kruger National Park, most flock to the southern Kruger where water is abundant and the wildlife viewing is spectacular. Southern Kruger has some of the best leopard sightings in Africa and is the best place to see all of the Big 5 in a single visit. The reserves of the Greater Kruger, Sabi Sands, Balule, Thorney Bush, and Timbavati, are outstanding and are famous for their excellent guided safaris and guides.

Serengeti Safari

Animals Serengeti vs Kruger

		Kruger National Park Size: 19,623 km² / 7,576 miles² Big 5, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo 148 mammals 336 trees 114 reptiles 34 Amphibiansfrogs 49 fish 5 distinct vegetation zones from arid mopane woodland in the north, acacia thorn and sweet grasslands, woodland, and dense riverine forest.	Serengeti National Park Size: 14,763 km² / 5,700 mi² Big 5, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhinos* Around 90 mammal species Over 500 bird species Mega-herds of Wildebeest, Thompson’s gazelles, and zebra The landscape is dominated by open savannah but the park also features Acacia woodland, Kopjes, and riparian forest. *Rhinos are rare in the Serengeti, but most safari tours will pass through the Ngorongoro Crater where rhinos roam on the crater floor.

Travel costs: Serengeti vs Kruger

Serengeti Safari

African Budget Safaris has a comprehensive safari cost guide to both the Serengeti National Park and the Kruger National Park. You can also check out our Safari Cost Guide for a general comparison of safari destinations across East and southern Africa. Below is a quick breakdown of costs for the Serengeti and Kruger, as well as a few safari packages.

How much does a Serengeti safari cost?

How much does a Kruger safari cost?

Serengeti National Park Entrance fees are US$60 for adults and US$30 for children under 16. Tanzania Safari Costs* Budget Safari: US$ 250 to US$ 400 per person per day Mid-Range Safari: US$ 400 to US$ 650 per person per day Luxury Safari: US$ 700 to US$ 1000 + per person per day *These prices are meant to give you a quick overview. For accurate and up-to-date safari prices, check out African Budget Safaris How Much Does a Tanzania Safari Cost?

Kruger National Park Entrance fees are US$ 25 / ZAR486 for adults per day, and US$ 13 / ZAR 243 South Africa Safari Costs* Budget Safari: US$ 150 to US$ 250 per person per day Mid-Range Safari: US$ 250 to US$ 400 per person per day Luxury Safari: US$ 400 to US$ 1000 + per person per day *These prices are meant to give you a quick overview. For accurate and up-to-date safari prices, check out African Budget Safaris How Much Does a South African Safari Cost?

Serengeti lions

Many factors will affect the cost of your safari from time of year to safari duration, group size, and level of comfort. These price ranges are meant as a guide to give you a sense of the cost. When looking at tours, always check the group size as well as the type of accommodation. If you can't find what you are looking for, then talk to a safari consultant who will be able to give you accurate information and advise you on the best choice for your specific budget. Below is a sample of 4-day, 6-day, and 7-day safaris to Kruger and to the Serengeti.

Kruger Safari Packages

• 4-day Greater Kruger, Timbavati Lodge Safari US$ 1075
• 6-day Kruger Park and Private Game Reserve Lodge Safari US$ 1545
• 7-day Kruger & Sabi Sands fly-in tented camp safari US$ 2520

Serengeti Safari Packages

• 4-day Tanzania Lodge Safari US$ 2370
• 6-day Camping and Lodge safari US$ 4944
• 7-day Private lodge and camping US$ 5010

African Budget Safari specialises in small group safaris to Africa that won't break your budget. We have 141 tours that visit Kruger National Park and 68 tours that visit the Serengeti.

Serengeti lions

Kruger vs Serengeti for a Big 5 Safari?

Both Kruger and the Serengeti offer an amazing safari experience, and both parks are at their best in the winter months, though the summer months do offer their own rewards.

The Serengeti will be a bit more costly but offers an open savannah, the mega-herds of the Great Migration on a guided safari, and some of the best predator action in Africa. While the Serengeti is a Big 5 destination, rhinos are rare. Luckily, most tours pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you can see rhinos on the Ngorongoro Crater floor. In the Serengeti, however, big draw card is witnessing the Great Wildebeest Migration, the Mara River crossing, and the accompanying predator action. The Serengeti pairs well with Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Zanzibar.

The Kruger National Park, being more budget-friendly, is a great family safari destination with rugged bushveld and a staggering array of wildlife - including the Big 5 - that invites guests to self-drive through the well-maintained network of roads.

Ultimately, the Kruger is a better Big 5 destination that offers amazing value for money with a favourable rand-to-dollar exchange rate. A stunning array of accommodations matches any budget and safari add-ons, including Eswatini, Hluhluwe Imfolozi, Cape Town, and the Garden Route.

Ready to book a Big 5 safari? Talk to one of our African safari experts today and start planning the trip of a lifetime.