Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park, located in northern Tanzania, is one of the most iconic safari destinations on the African continent and globally. The most well-known of Africa’s savanna habitats is the Serengeti (or Serengeti Plains). The Serengeti is a huge, undulating plain spanning 30,000 square kilometers from Kenya’s Maasai-Mara game reserve to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.

Serengeti National Park has one of Africa’s greatest densities of big animal species, such as lions, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, and elephants. Every year, more than one million wildebeest migrate in a cyclical pattern over the Serengeti Plains, after periodic rains. Their grazing and trampling of grass allow new grasses to develop, and their feces fertilize the soil.

The name “Serengeti” is sometimes traced to the Maasai term “siringet,” which means “the place where the land runs on forever” or “endless plains”. However, this term is not found in the language’s dictionaries.

Brief History of Serengeti National Park.

In 1930, a 2,286 square kilometer wildlife reserve was established in the southern and eastern Serengeti. In the 1930s, Tanganyika’s government built a system of national parks in accordance with the Convention Relative to the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in Their Natural State.

Major Richard Hingston, who was visiting Tanganyika on behalf of the Society for the Preservation of the Fauna of the Empire, proposed in 1930 that the Serengeti Game Reserve be designated as a national park to protect it from the pressures of population growth and economic development.

The region was designated a national park in 1940. When the Serengeti National Park Board of Trustees was established in 1948 to manage the national park, it was given severe protection. The government limited the local Maasai people’s movements, and the park’s boundaries were established in 1951.

In 1959, an area of 8,300 square kilometers in the eastern half of the national park was cut off and re-established as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with the goal of accommodating the Maasai people’s traditional land use interests in a multi-use region.

The Serengeti Research Institute situated in Seronera was set up in 1966 to monitor the Great Migration and carry out research. Also, by 1981, the park spanned over a radius of 12,950 square kilometers. The park later gained world fame in 1959 when Bernhard Grzimek, along with his son Michael, produced a documentary titled ‘Serengeti shall not die.’

Wildlife found in Serengeti National Park.

Since 2005, Serengeti National Park has formed a Lion Conservation Unit with the Maasai Mara National Reserve. There are almost 3,000 lions in this environment. In 1994, an outbreak of canine distemper killed almost one-third of the lion population in the area. The African leopard’s population density during the dry season is estimated to be 5.41 individuals per 100 km2.

African bush elephant herds rebounded from a population low in the 1980s due to poaching, reaching over 5,000 animals by 2014. Poaching reduced the African buffalo population from 1976 to 1996, but it rebounded to 28,524 animals by 2008. The Eastern black rhinoceros’ population was reduced to roughly 10 animals in the 1980s as a result of poaching, and fewer than 70 remain in the park now.

Rhinos feed mostly on grasses, woody Indigofera, Acacia, and Crotalaria forbs and shrubs. In 2010, the park’s Masai giraffe population was estimated to be 3,520, down from 10,750 in 1977. Since 2010, the giraffe population has stabilized in the protected area’s core, although it has continued to drop on the edges.

Other mammal carnivores that you can sight in Serengeti National Park include the cheetah, about 3,500 spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, East African golden wolf, honey badger, striped hyena, caracal, serval, banded mongoose, and two species of otters. The African wild dog was reintroduced into the region in 2012 after vanishing in 1991.

Other mammals found in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania include the hippopotamus, common warthog, aardvark, aardwolf, African wildcat, African civet, common genet, zorilla, African striped weasel, bat-eared fox, ground pangolin, crested porcupine, three kinds of hyraxes, and Cape hare. Yellow and olive baboons, vervet monkeys, and mantled guerezas are among the primates found in the Grumeti River’s gallery forests.

Reptile Species found in Serengeti National Park.

Reptile species that you can find in Serengeti National Park include the Nile crocodile, rainbow agama, leopard tortoise, Nile monitor, serrated hinged terrapin, Jackson’s chameleon, African python, puff adder, black mamba, and the black-necked spitting cobra.

Birdlife in Serengeti National Park.

Over 500 bird species can be sighted in Serengeti National Park, such as the Masai ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustards, helmeted Guinea fowls, grey-breasted spur fowl, blacksmith lapwing, African collared dove, red-billed buffalo weaver, southern ground hornbill, crowned cranes, sacred ibis, cattle egrets, black herons, knob-billed ducks, saddle-billed storks, white storks, goliath herons, marabou storks, yellow-billed stork, and spotted thick-knees among others.

What you should know about the Great Migration in Serengeti National Park?

The Great Migration is the world’s second-longest overland migration. The total migratory path is around 800 kilometers. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, located south of this migratory path, is home to around half a million wildebeest that give birth between January and March. By March, at the start of the dry season, around 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebras begin their migration north to Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

Common eland, plains zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle join the wildebeest. During April and May, migratory herds pass through the Western Corridor. To reach the Maasai Mara in Kenya, the herds must bridge the Grumeti and Mara Rivers, where over 3,000 crocodiles wait. For every wildebeest caught by the crocodiles, 50 drown. When the dry season ends in late October, the migratory herds begin to return south. Every year, around 250,000 wildebeest and 30,000 plains zebras die due to drowning, predation, disease, thirst or fatigue.

Other activities are offered in Serengeti National Park.

Community Cultural Tours in Serengeti National Park.

Although wildlife still rules the vast savannah plains of Serengeti National Park, this area has a long history of human settlement. This area has been inhabited by humans and their predecessors for around 4 million years. Several indigenous groups continue to reside in Serengeti National Park today. The Maasai tribe is well-known for its long-preserved culture. Despite education, civilization, and Western cultural influences, the Maasai people have preserved their ancient way of life, making them an icon of Tanzanian and Kenyan culture.

Hot Air Balloon Tours in Serengeti National Park

This allows you to observe the magnificent scenery from a bird’s-eye perspective. At sunrise, the hot air balloon will provide you with a panoramic view over the entire Serengeti National Park, with all of its fascinating reliefs and wildlife.

Guided Game Drives in Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park offers wildlife drives twice a day, at sunrise and sunset. During this journey, you will see elephants, buffalo, wildebeests, warthogs, zebras, antelopes, lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, and many other creatures, as well as magnificent birds.

Other areas to explore in Serengeti National Park.

Grumeti River

This is a body of water inhabited by crocodiles both within and along its coasts. It’s funny to see creatures like wildebeests and zebras risk their lives by crossing the river, where predators are waiting to consume them. The river may also be a peaceful and beautiful sight.

Seronera River Valley

The Seronera river valley is an exceptionally stunning area to explore with flowing rivers, meadows, gorges, and plains, as well as animals grazing within the park. The valley is a compilation of the unique animals and plants in the park.

Retina Hippo Pool

As the name implies, the Retina Hippo pool in Serengeti National Park is a body of water noted for its massive pods of hippos. At this place, you may watch a variety of hippos fighting and swimming in the water.

Olduvai Gorge

This is another wonderful site located within the Serengeti National Park. This is the location where archeologist Dr. Louis Leaky discovered the bones of the first early man, around a million years ago. This location depicts human history and is an interesting destination to visit while in the renowned Serengeti National Park.

Moru Kopjes

The Moru Kopjes in Serengeti National Park basically comprise of rocky area where you can easily sight the black rhino and several other predators. This area is best explored on a game drive in the park.

Where can you stay during your Tanzania safari in Serengeti National Park?

Accommodation in Serengeti National Park ranges from budget to midrange and luxury, depending on your budget range and the area of the park that you will be exploring. Accommodations in the park include: Singita Mara River Camp, Lake Masek Tented Camp, Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp, Lobo Wildlife Lodge, Robanda Tented Camp, Serengeti Mawe Tented Camp, Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Mapito Tented Camp, Serians Serengeti Camp, Serengeti Halisi Camp, and Soroi Serengeti Camp, among others.

How to get to Serengeti National Park?

The easiest way to get to the Serengeti is to fly to Kilimanjaro airport, which is 29 miles from Arusha, and then take a small chartered plane to the Serengeti, or to drive 8 hours to Serengeti National Park.

Getting to Serengeti National Park by Road

A drive-in safari is the most popular way to view Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park by car. The drive-in safaris frequently depart from Arusha. Because the travel from Arusha to the park takes around eight hours, an overnight stay at one or more wildlife spots along the way is typically included in your safari itinerary.

Getting to Serengeti National Park by Air

Despite its remote location on the planet, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is easily accessible. Most visitors start their Tanzania safari experience in Serengeti National Park at Kilimanjaro International Airport, which serves the cities of Arusha and Moshi. From here, you may take a short transfer plane or safari vehicle to your preferred destination.