The Serengeti is home to an extraordinary density of wildlife, and most guests see far more than they expect within the first day or two, often including several of the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, though rhino sightings are rare.
Lion are the easiest of the five to find, often resting in the shade near a kill or lounging on a termite mound, while elephant and buffalo move in loose herds across the plains, sometimes passing close to camp itself.
Beyond the well-known names, the Serengeti's smaller residents are just as worth watching: dwarf mongoose, warthog families trotting in single file, and the vivid lilac-breasted roller, often cited as the most photographed bird in East Africa.
Patience matters more than luck. A guide who slows down for a termite mound covered in mongoose or a tree full of weaver nests often shows guests a side of the Serengeti the big-game rush misses entirely.
