Overview
Imagine endless horizons, seas of pale yellow grass rippling in the warm breeze, gnarled acacias twisting to the sky, and vultures circling on thermals overhead. The Serengeti is Africa’s most well-known and spectacular game reserve.
The Serengeti Africa is one of those very rare places that has a huge reputation, yet still somehow manages to surpass expectations and take your breath away. Surrounded by remarkable tribes such as the Massai and Hadzabe, this wider area is also fascinating from a cultural perspective.
The whole park is a world heritage site, and the varied ecosystem coupled with the huge volume of wildlife means you can spend ample time in different locations and never feel like you’ve seen it all.
From the dramatic Kjopes in the north to the acacia-dotted endless plains to the south, it is not just the animals that make a safari in the Serengeti so remarkable. In a nutshell, it is rightly the most celebrated wildlife reserve in the world; there is nowhere else to match it. It is outstanding!
Serengeti Animals
There is such a variety of species to be found in the Serengeti and definitely too great a number to mention here, which is why it is such an integral part of a Tanzania safari. The park’s main attraction is the Great Migration, consisting of up to 2 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 350,000 thompson, impala and grant’s gazelles – many consider it to be the most spectacular remaining African wildlife spectacle. The predator viewing here is exceptional with approximately 3-4,000 lion and huge numbers of cheetah, leopard and hyena. Other animals commonly found in the park include topi, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, elephant, caracal, serval, bat-eared fox, hyrax, genet, hares, porcupine, aardvark, giraffe, jackal, mongoose, crocodile, monitor lizard, aardwolf, many kinds of primates including baboons, vervet and colobus monkeys, and over 500 species of bird.
Where is the Serengeti located?
The Serengeti is the main component of a Northern Tanzania Safari Itinerary. It is a vast stretch of endless plains brimming with wildlife in the northeast of Tanzania – Tanzania’s border changes it to Kenya’s famous Masai Mara. It is only a short flight from Arusha (along with many other Northern airstrips!) – a flight you absolutely must consider if you are ever visiting other Northern Tanzania parks. Many travellers also visit Northern Tanzania to experience the vibrant Maasai culture in the Ngorongoro Highlands, but also to go into the Ngorongoro Crater itself. There are also other smaller surrounding parks, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, but these are more “add-on” destinations – The Serengeti in our view is the real star of the show.