Serengeti National Park
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Travel Guide Africa Tanzania Serengeti National Park
Introduction
Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, and adjoining Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Serengeti National Park is famed for its annual wildebeest migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the million wildebeest trekking for fresh grazing. It is placed on the Unesco World Heritage List. It is possible to see all of the Big Five in the park, though with off-roading being illegal you will probably have to rely on binoculars to see any leopards, as they are generally hiding in the treetops.
Geography
Size: 14,763 square kilometres.
Location: 335 kilometres from Arusha, stretching north to Kenya and bordering Lake Victoria to the west.
Sights and Activities
Hot air balloon safaris, walking safari, picnicking, game drives, bush lunch/dinner can be arranged with hotels/tour operators. Maasai rock paintings and musical rocks. Nearby visit Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano and Lake Natron's flamingos.
Wildlife
The Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park. Golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat. But there is more to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.
Opening Hours
Open year-round. Best time to follow the wildebeest migration, December-July. To see predators, June-October.
Getting There
By Train
Scheduled and charter flights from Arusha, Lake Manyara and Mwanza.
By Car
The Serengeti is commonly visited on safari from Arusha, usually in combination with Lake Manyara, Tarangire NP and/or Ngorongoro Crater.
Sleep
There are various camps within the national park. If you are visiting during the wildebeest migration, make sure you (or your guide) knows which one(s) will be best for viewing the migration. Note that not all have electricity (or hot water), so make sure those camera batteries are charged before you go.
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This is version 7. Last edited at 12:30 on Dec 13, 12 by Utrecht. 13 articles link to this page.
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