Big Cats of the Serengeti: A Complete Guide

The Serengeti holds healthy populations of all three of Africa's major big cats — lions, leopards and cheetahs — which is a big part of what makes it one of the best big-cat destinations anywhere on the continent. What's less obvious until you're actually there is how differently each species uses the landscape. Lions favor open grassland, where their pride-based hunting style and territorial behavior play out across wide, visible terrain. Leopards do the opposite, sticking close to riverine trees and dense cover where they can rest hidden during the day and hunt using stealth rather than open pursuit. Cheetahs need something different again — flat, open plains with long sightlines, since their entire hunting strategy depends on speed over distance rather than ambush. Across all three species, early morning drives generally offer the best odds, before the day's heat sets in and encourages more resting than hunting. See our species-specific guides — lions, leopards, and cheetahs — or browse our photographic safaris.