Serengeti National Park is one of the best national parks in Tanzania and perhaps in the world. Recognized for its extraordinary wildlife, it is located in Northern Tanzania Safari destinations. Serengeti National Park is the best place to witness the immense pride of lions and other terrestrial animals like cheetahs, leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, African Buffaloes, Giraffes, Zebras, and Kudus. Also, more than 500 bird species are found in the Serengeti National Park, which is the only area on Earth where you can witness the most incredible world animal migration “Wildebeest Migration” each year from June to October, which involves the movement of over two million animals from Serengeti ecosystem to Mara ecosystem in Kenya by crossing the Mara River which separates Kenya and Tanzania.
Serengeti National Park covers an area of 14,763 square kilometers. The Park also involves a few game reserves like Grumeti Reserve, Loliondo Concession, and Mwiba Wildlife Reserve,
Serengeti National Park is home to a BIG-5, such as Lions, Elephants, African Buffaloes, Leopards, and hippos; the safari tour to Tanzania is complete with a visit to Serengeti National Park. It was established as a national park in 1951; however, since 1940, it has been a protected area. More than 5000 lions can be seen in Serengeti National Park. Its name is a Maasai word, “Siringet,” which means “Endless Plains.” It’s believed that the first Europeans to arrive in Tanzania could not pronounce “Siringet.” Instead, he called it Serengeti, and it became its name up-to-date.
Four ecological zones make up Serengeti National Park; each of them has its unique ecosystem characteristics,
Central Serengeti National Park is sometimes referred to as Seronera Valley. It consists of transition zones and woodland plains and is home to beautiful wild animals like Leopards, several cats, caracals, lions, elands, hippos, elephants, hyenas, kudus, vultures, and many others. All these animals are concentrated in the central part, which makes this area the best to visit all year round. If you want to see African Kopjes, then Central Serengeti is the place to see them; Moru Kopjes and Simba Kopjes are seen in this national park. There is also an airstrip known as Seronera Airstrip, which serves a few domestic flights from Zanzibar, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Maasai Mara, or Ruaha National Park; not only domestic aircraft but also private charters can land inside the Serengeti National Park.
Western Serengeti, also called Grumeti Wildlife Corridor, is an essential ecological area of Serengeti safari, as many of the animals can be seen here from May to July; two rivers, Mbalageti and Grumeti, provide enough water that helps animals sustain their life, birds like Rufus-tailed weaver, Grey-breasted spurfowl, Marabou stork, Kori bustard are part of this ecosystem which characterized by open grasslands. Also, from April to July, wildebeest migration happens in this area, crossing the Mbalageti River and heading to northern Serengeti.
Southern Serengeti, known as the Ndutu ecosystem, is the best place to visit from December to March. The size of the area is about 1,900 square miles, dominated by granite kopjes short grass plains; Lake Masek is only nearest river where animals bend to drink each evening, and that makes this area suitable for photographers, it also borders the Northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area, many animals can be spotted here such as African Caracals, Giraffes, Lions, Crocodiles. Calving Season occurs in this area when millions of wildebeest give birth every day. The temperature in Ndutu ranges between 23 to 26 degrees centigrade during afternoon hours and drops to 15 degrees centigrade in the night hours. Ndutu Airstrip is the closest airstrip in the park.
Northern Serengeti is home to migration safaris from June to October; this riverine area covers 2,200 square miles, making it an ideal place for wildlife viewing; it is still an unexplored ecosystem region. Kogatende airstrip is the most used airstrip in this region for those who prefer fly-in wildlife safaris in northern Serengeti National Park. Once the herds of wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes have crossed the Grumeti River, they will also attempt to cross the Masai Mara River and jump into Kenya’s side. During this tragedy, hundreds of animals lost their lives to predators like Nile Crocodiles, Leopards, and lions. Many of the big cats can be spotted in Lobo Valley in northern Serengeti; for anyone planning to visit Serengeti, this is the perfect area to include in the itinerary.
The Serengeti is a fascinating place to travel. The park has a wide array of wildlife. Anyone who wants to explore the wildebeest immigration visits the Serengeti National Park. Famous People worldwide, including Hollywood A-listers, have enjoyed the park.
Serengeti is expansive, and tourists who want to enjoy the migration book weeks in advance before it happens. It has terrific views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Watch the birds that flock to the plains while others, like flamingoes and pelicans, are easy to spot.
