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Tanzania's oldest
and most popular
national park, also
a world heritage
site and recently
proclaimed a 7th
world wide wonder, a
million
wildebeest... each
one driven by the
same ancient rhythm,
fulfilling its
instinctive role in
the inescapable
cycle of life: a
frenzied three-week
bout of territorial
conquests and
mating; survival of
the fittest as 40km
(25 mile) long
columns plunge
through
crocodile-infested
waters on the annual
exodus north;
replenishing the
species in a brief
population explosion
that produces more
than 8,000 calves
daily before the
1,000 km (600 mile)
pilgrimage begins
again, 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.
As enduring as the
game-viewing is the
liberating sense of
space that
characterises the
Serengeti Plains,
stretching across sunburnt savannah to
a shimmering golden
horizon at the end
of the earth. Yet,
after the rains,
this golden expanse
of grass is
transformed into an
endless green carpet
flecked with
wildflowers. And
there are also
wooded hills and
towering termite
mounds, rivers lined
with fig trees and
acacia woodland
stained orange by
dust.
Popular the
Serengeti might be,
but it remains so
vast that you may be
the only human
audience when a
pride of lions
masterminds a siege,
focussed
unswervingly on its
next meal.
About Serengeti
Size: 14,763 sq km
(5,700 sq miles).
Location: 335km (208
miles) from Arusha,
stretching north to
Kenya and bordering
Lake Victoria to the
west.
Getting there
Scheduled and
charter flights from
Arusha, Lake Manyara
and Mwanza.
Drive from Arusha,
Lake Manyara,
Tarangire or
Ngorongoro Crater.
What to do
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.
Visit neighbouring
Ngorongoro Crater,
Olduvai Gorge, Ol
Doinyo Lengai
volcano and Lake
Natron's flamingos.
When to go
To follow the
wildebeest
migration,
December-July. To
see predators,
June-October.
Accommodation
More info on
accomodation
click here to
enquire
NOTE
The route and timing
of the wildebeest
migration is
unpredictable. Allow
at least three days
to be assured of
seeing them on your
visit - longer if
you want to see the
main predators as
well.
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