Serengeti National Park
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The Serengeti National Park, comprises of 1.5 million hectares of savannah, the annual migration of two million wildebeests plus hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras - followed by their predators in their annual migration in search of pasture and water – is one of the most impressive nature spectacles in the world. The biological diversity of the park is very high with at least four globally threatened or endangered animal species: black rhinoceros, elephant, wild dog, and cheetah.
The Serengeti plains harbor the largest remaining unaltered animal migration in the world where over one million wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of other ungulates engage in a 1,000 km long annual circular trek spanning the two adjacent countries of Kenya and Tanzania. This spectacular phenomenon takes place in a unique scenic setting of ‘endless plains’: 25,000km2 of treeless expanses of spectacularly flat short grasslands dotted with rocky outcrops (kopjes) interspersed with rivers and woodlands. The Park also hosts one of the largest and most diverse large predator-prey interactions worldwide, providing a particularly impressive aesthetic experience.
Great Migration
Each year around the same time, the circular great wildebeest migration begins in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of the southern Serengeti in Tanzania and loops in a clockwise direction through the Serengeti National Park and north towards the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. This migration is a natural phenomenon determined by the availability of grazing. The initial phase lasts from approximately January to March, when the calving season begins – a time when there is plenty of rain-ripened grass available for the 260,000 zebra that precede 1.7 million wildebeest and the following hundreds of thousands of other plains game, including around 470,000 gazelles.
During February, the wildebeest spend their time on the short grass plains of the southeastern part of the ecosystem, grazing and giving birth to approximately 500,000 calves within a 2 to 3-week period. Few calves are born ahead of time and of these, hardly any survive. The main reason is that very young calves are more noticeable to predators when mixed with older calves from the previous year. As the rains end in May, the animals start moving northwest into the areas around the Grumeti River, where they typically remain until late June. The crossings of the Grumeti and Mara rivers beginning in July are a popular safari attraction because crocodiles are lying in wait. The herds arrive in Kenya in late July / August, where they stay for the remainder of the dry season, except that the Thomson’s and Grants gazelles move only east/west. In early November, with the start of the short rains the migration starts moving south again, to the short grass plains of the southeast, usually arriving in December in plenty of time for calving in February.
Ecology
The Serengeti has some of East Africa's finest game areas. Besides being known for the great migration, the Serengeti is also famous for its abundant large predators. The ecosystem is home to over 3,000 lions, 1,000 African Leopard and 7,700 to 8,700 spotted hyenas. The East African are also present in Serengeti.
The Serengeti is also home to a diversity of grazers, including Cape Buffalo, African Elephants, Giraffes, warthog, Grant’s gazelle, eland, Waterbucks and topi.
The government body responsible for managing the Serengeti National Park is the Tanzania National Parks Authority with support from several wildlife conservation Agencies. In case you are organizing a safari by yourself own, you need to know that the entrance fee per day is $71 and a concession fee of $59 for those whose accommodation is within the boundaries of the National Park. If you are booking your Safari through us or any other Tour Operator, expect to have the park entrance fee included in the overall park fee.
The best time to visit the Serengeti depends on what activities you are looking at and the section of the park you would be visiting. The best time for game drives is between June to October. These months find the park dry and with sparse vegetation hence allowing for better wildlife viewing. The best time to see the great migration is from December to May while that of birdwatching is between November to April.
Apart from the wildlife, there is also the possibility of going for an amazing cultural encounter with the Masai Tribe in their villages. On a typical visit, the Maasai will take you to their homestead (known as bomas) to learn about their nomadic way of life, traditional dress code, marriage ceremonies, education system and their ancient tradition of keeping domestic animals. Visiting the Maasai is incomplete without taking part in the traditional Maasai dance and buying a few of their handicrafts.
If you are wondering where to stay while on a safari in the Serengeti National Park, then you don’t need worry. There are several luxuries, mid-range and budget hotels found within and outside the park. These accommodation facilities come in form of permanent tented camps, lodges, farms, mobile camps and campsites.
Serengeti National Park can be reached by air and road. The nearest airport and link to the park is Kilimanjaro international airport in Arusha. Qatar Airways, Turkish Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and KLM all have flights to Kilimanjaro. From Kilimanjaro International Airport, one would need to book a smaller plane to one of the airstrips in the park or hire a car to go by road. The route by road starting from Arusha takes anywhere between 7 to 8 hours.