You rarely find a leopard. More often, a leopard decides to let you see it — a tail hanging from a branch, a pair of eyes in the grass, and then, for a few minutes, everything else falls silent.
Of all the big cats, the leopard is the one guests most want to see and the one most likely to stay hidden. Solitary, mostly active around dawn and dusk, and superbly camouflaged, leopards rely on cover — trees, thickets, rocky kopjes and the dense vegetation along rivers.
Why Central Serengeti
The open southern plains are cheetah country. Leopards prefer places with somewhere to hide, rest and stash a kill out of reach of lions and hyenas. Central Serengeti, with its rivers, woodland and kopjes, has long been known as one of the best areas of the park for leopard sightings.
Escape sits in the wooded hills of the Nyabogati sector, at the headwaters of the Nyabogati River, where permanent springs keep the vegetation green. Wooded hills mean leopard country — and fewer vehicles than the busier valleys nearby.
How to improve your chances
- Go out early. Our game drives leave at first light, when leopards are still moving.
- Look up. Scan the larger trees for a hanging tail or a shape along a branch.
- Be patient. A leopard resting in a tree may move only when the light changes. Waiting quietly is often rewarded.
- Trust your guide. Guides read the alarm calls of baboons, impala and birds that give a hidden cat away.
Watching responsibly
Leopards are easily disturbed. Our guides keep a respectful distance, switch off the engine and never crowd a sighting, so the cat stays relaxed — and so do you.
Read more about our game drives or see a typical day at Escape.
Questions & answers
Where is the best place to see leopards in the Serengeti?
Central Serengeti is one of the best areas, thanks to its rivers, woodland and rocky kopjes, which give leopards the cover they need.
What time of day are leopards most active?
Mostly around dawn and dusk, which is why early-morning and late-afternoon game drives give the best chances.
