Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

North-eastern Tanzania is where you will find Serengeti National Park.

Serengeti is Tanzania’s most famous national park and one of the most famous game reserves in the world.

In the national park, you will discover unique nature and Africa’s amazing wildlife, and a safari holiday in Serengeti is a tour you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

The nature

Endless plains with acacia trees, hills covered in dense vegetation, and the Kopjers, the characteristic rock formations which rise up from the savannah. Most people who come to the Serengeti are overwhelmed by its amazing nature.

Serengeti National Park covers an area of 14,763 km2, where you will discover one of the world’s oldest and most complex ecosystems.

Serengeti is named after the large, open grasslands found in the southern and central parts of the park. “Serengit” means “endless grasslands” in the Masai language, maa.

The Grumeti River flows through the western part of Serengeti, nourishing the area’s green forests where you can experience the great migration between May and July.

There are very few trees on the plains in the south due to the volcanic rocks in the soil that prevent trees from taking root. The plains in this part of the park are a perfect place to spot the wildebeest and gazelles on the great migration.

The wildlife

In addition to its unique nature, you should visit the Serengeti for the park’s amazing wildlife.

Some 70 different species of mammals live on Serengeti’s plains. On your safari in the national park, you may be lucky enough to spot the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the rhinoceros and the buffalo, which go under the collective name of the big 5.

In Serengeti’s lakes, hippos wallow in the baking sun, right next to the ferocious crocodiles that also live in the water. Sometimes up to 50 hippos can be spotted at once in the so-called hippo pools.

And hippos are not the only animals found in large numbers at Serengeti National Park. The park is one of the best places in the world to see giraffes, with herds of 40+ giraffes having been spotted at times.

You can also see countless other exciting animals such as zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, warthogs, ostriches and many, many more.

Serengeti’s big cats

If you want to experience Africa’s big cats, Serengeti National Park is a fantastic safari destination.

Some 4,000 lions live in the ecosystem, which includes both Serengeti and Masai Mara, making the ecosystem one of the places in Africa with the highest density of lions.

Around 225 cheetahs and 1,000 leopards also live on Serengeti’s plains.

Able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds, the cheetah is Africa’s fastest animal. However, prey such as ibex and springbok can still get away as they have greater endurance. The cheetah can only maintain its speed for a few seconds at a time.

The leopard is very shy and lives alone unless it has cubs. It is a nocturnal animal, which means that it is active – and thus hunts – at night. During the day, the leopard is typically to be found sleeping in the trees on the savannah. Although leopards are shy, the chances of spotting the fantastic cat are good with the help of your safari guide.

Birds in Serengeti

Serengeti National Park is also home to some amazing birds.

More than 500 different bird species live in the park, five of which are only found in Serengeti. These include the beautiful Fischer’s lovebird, which is recognisable by its green plumage and red and yellow head. You may also see the lilac-breasted roller and the crowned cranes. What’s more, Serengeti has the largest ostrich population in Africa.

Serengeti National Park generally offers a very varied and fantastic selection of birds all year round. The abundance of birds peaks between November and April, when numerous migratory birds from Europe and North Africa migrate to Tanzania. This is also the period when Serengeti’s own birds nest.

The great migration

One of the major annual events you can experience in Serengeti is the great migration of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles.

Every year, millions of hooves trample their way across Serengeti’s plains in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya and back again. Some two million animals, including more than a million wildebeest, make the 3,000-kilometre trek in search of fresh grass and water.

During the great migration, the animals migrate in herds of several thousand wildebeest, gazelles and zebras. It is the world’s largest migration of land mammals, and the phenomenon is listed as one of the seven natural wonders in Africa.

The migration can be experienced in various places in Tanzania and Kenya during the year. It is, for example, best to travel there in January and February if you wish to see the wildebeest calves. Around 500,000 wildebeest calves are born during the great migration.

In Serengeti, you will find outstanding nature and wildlife experiences all year round.

If you dream of enjoying specific experiences in Serengeti, such as the great migration, you should be sure of booking the right time. If you have any doubts about when to travel, you are very welcome to contact our travel consultants.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller