Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park
The word "Siringit" means "endless plains," and this is understandably from where the Serengeti National Park takes its name. The iconic, endless, golden plains of Africa are nowhere more evident than within this national park, as they stretch off into eternity, dotted throughout with thousands of animals.
Located in the north-west corner of Tanzania, alongside Lake Victoria, the Serengeti has earned its place as one of the world's most famous wildlife areas. While best known for the enormous herds of the wildebeest migration, there is far more to the Serengeti than this, and the national park can be enjoyed even when you are not in the vicinity of this spectacle.
The national park itself is roughly 14 500 square kilometres, but it forms part of the greater Serengeti eco-system, which comprises the neighbouring Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the bordering Masai Mara, in Kenya, with the country boundary between Kenya and Tanzania seperating the two.
The Serengeti can be accessed on a road safari, usually in combination with the Ngorongoro Crater, or there are regular daily flights into the park from Arusha.
Game Drives
There are very few parks in Africa which enable visitors to cover such great distances on game drives, or which offer such an overwhelming sense of space.
Game drives inside the park are run only during daylight hours, and can take you in any direction to any number of excellent game viewing areas. Due to the flat landscape and nature of the savannah, game viewing is easy, with cheetahs, lions, leopards, hyena, jackals, buffalo, giraffe and numerous types of herbivores being seen in all of the region.
Hot-air Balloon Safaris
If there is any place in the world to take a hot-air balloon flight, the Serengeti, or the Masai Mara, must surely rank up there with the best of them.
After being collected from your camp before sunrise, you will spend up to an hour floating above the plains of Africa and herds of wildlife, enjoying the silence and incredibly coloured sunrise. Watch the continent come to life, before setting down and partaking in a champagne breakfast in the bush. Is there a better way to start the day?
Iconic Scenery
As discussed previously, the Serengeti landscape provides visitors with the stunning African panoramas of golden grass plains flowing over the horizon. These plains are home to hundreds of thousands of animals, which have marvelled travellers for centuries.
Every now and again, the open sea of yellow is decorated with grey, rocky kopjes, and these islands of stone provide excellent homes for leopards and shelter for other small creatures.
The Seronera Valley
Due to the seasonality of the rains and the available water sources, certain areas of the Serengeti can seem a little bit quiet wildlife-wise at certain times of year. But not the Seronera Valley, in central Serengeti.
Even during the height of the dry season, when the herds of the migration are likely to be far north, the Seronera area has an excellent concentration of wildlife, and particularly predators. While it is also the busiest section of the park as far as tourists go, there are ways to escape the crowds and enjoy some fantastic sightings.
The Wildebeest Migration
At times of the year, many of the herds of the migration cross over the border into the Masai Mara in Kenya. However, a huge number also stay behind in the Serengeti Mara area, in the far north Serengeti.
This means that the wildebeest migration can be witnessed at any time of year on a Tanzanian safari; it is just important to travel to the right place at the right time.
Take a look at our Wildebeest Migration page which gives a breakdown of how best to view the migration.
Walking Safaris
Although only conducted in certain areas and from specific camps, guided walking safaris in the Serengeti are truly special, being led by experienced Masai morans (warriors). The Masai people have lived in and walked through this region for centuries, and have an innate knowledge of the fauna and flora found in the Serengeti.
A guided walk by one of the locals is an amazing way to see the wilderness from another perspective, and to get the thrill of seeing wildlife while on foot.
