Serengeti National Park-Wildlife Safaris in Tanzania
The Serengeti National park was founded in 1952 a name that means “siringet-endless plains” in Masai language. The park is large and situated in the Northern part of Tanzania covering an area of approximately 5,700 sq miles (14,763 sq km). With the greater Serengeti ecosystem covering an area of about 18,600 sq miles (30,000 sq km) with various game reserves and parks like the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park, the Parks is prominently known for the great wildebeest migration where all hoofed wildlife animals like the wildebeest, zebra, eland move from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park across Kenya to Masai mara National Park all year around depending on the growth of vegetation and change of seasons. It includes other wildlife animals like the BIG cats i.e lions, cheetah, as well as the elephant, giraffe and various bird species.
The Park is divided into three different sections i.e the famous southern/central part-Seronera Valley also referred to as the “serengit- the land of endless plains” in Masai. This is characterized with typical Savannah, dotted with acacias and fully occupied by wildlife animals. Another section is the western corridor that is uniquely identified by the Grumeti River and has many forests as well as a thick bush. The third one is the northern Lobo area that connects with Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve.
Activities/ What to do in Serengeti National Park
Experience-The Great wildebeest Migration
Many travelers around the world transfer to Tanzania’s Serengeti National park to experience the great wildebeest migration known as the world’s largest unique animal movement across two different countries i.e Kenya and Tanzania.
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6 Days Chimps, Gorillas and Golden Monkeys
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There are more than 1 million wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, eland transferring through the Serengeti ecosystem for in search for food and breeding grounds. The wet season in Serengeti begins from December-June and during this period, the animals transfer South-Naabi Hill then Southern Serengeti whereas when the temperatures rise and the dry season, the massive herds transfer through the Seronera River Valley and the Western Corridor before crossing the Grumeti River and continuing North to the Lobo Valley and Bologonja Springs.
After grazing in the green vegetation for many months, the herd turns around and starts the journey over again. Get a very experienced guide to take you where the herds cross from so as to experience the best of the wildebeest.
Game drives
Take on a game drive from one side of the Serengeti to another and here you will be able to spot a variety of different wildlife species grazing and BIG cats. The park is famously known to have the largest numbers of lions, cheetahs and other BIG cats like the jackals, leopards. You will spot these hiding under the grown Savannah plains waiting for a catch especially in the months of the great wildebeest migration.
Other animals can also be spotted on the day drive and these include; the elephant, buffalo, zebras, eland, gazelles, topis, waterbucks as well as the vast numbers of hippopotamus and crocodiles that inhabit the turbulent rivers.
Visit the Moru Kopjes
The Moru Kopjes are free to visit and are a home to Serengeti National Park’s endangered black Rhino species. This is located in the central part of Serengeti National Park between the Seronera and Ngare Nanyuki rivers in the Eastern part of the region approximately 32 miles Northwest of Naabi Hill.
However, a candid herd of the endangered species has been protected and conserved for future generation by armed anti poaching rangers. These isolate themselves so we recommend all travelers looking for this experience to transfer to the Moru Kopjes. Various other wildlife animals can also be spotted here and these include the lions, elephants and leopards.
Visit Naabi hill
Naabi Hill acts as Serengeti National Park’s entrance and is located in the Eastern region of Serengeti near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Visit and follow the walking trail along acacia covered Naabi hill where you will have beautiful views of the vast Serengeti. While here you will spot a pride of lions inhabiting the area as well as other wildlife animals like the millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles during the great movement to the eastern part of the park so as to feed and breed.
Cultural encounters
Take on cultural encounters to the nearby Masai and Hadza Villages to experience and encounter the best of the people in Tanzania. Transfer to meet and encounter the Hadza people at Lake Eyasi who have been separated from today’s civilization and are the last hunter gatherer society in Africa. These still live like their former ancestors a cultural encounter that will leave you excited due to their different ways of living. After visiting the Hadza, you will transfer to encounter the Masai who before occupied a vast portion of the African Plains as formidable warriors and cattle keepers/ herders.
Olduvai Gorge
Over the last thirty years or so, it has become increasingly apparent that Africa is probably the “Cradle of Mankind”. From Africa they spread out to populate the rest of Earth. Remains of the earliest humans were found in Oldupai Gorge.
Olduvai Gorge is a site in Tanzania that holds the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors. Paleoanthropologists have found hundreds of fossilized bones and stone tools in the area dating back millions of years, leading them to conclude that humans evolved in Africa.
Olduvai is a misspelling of Oldupai, a Maasai word for a wild sisal plant that grows in the area. The gorge is located in the Great Rift Valley, between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. It is 30 miles from Laetoli, another fossil-rich area. Olduvai Gorge was formed about 30,000 years ago, the result of aggressive geological activity and streams.
Serengeti Balloon Safaris
Serengeti Balloon Safaris offer visitors take to the skies to spot animals and watch the park’s famous Great Migration. The Balloons carry 8,12 to 16 travelers annually across Central Serengeti (and seasonally through the Western Corridor and Southern Serengeti) to give them a bird’s-eye view of the park. The safari guide picks visitors at 5 a.m so as to rise alongside the sun to fly over the plains for an hour enjoying a wine toast.
