Serengeti National Park in Africa

Serengeti National Park in Africa is one of the greatest and famous national parks. Serengeti national park has been voted as the best national park in Africa several times. It was voted as the 7th natural wonders of Africa, designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Serengeti national park was established in 1951, it was started as a game reserve to protect the lions from hunters on a small scale before it was enlarged and declared a national park in 1951. The park covers an area of 14,750 square kilometers that is mostly dominated by the open endless plains of Savannah grassland dotted with few Acacia trees.

The park was once grazing land for the local Maasai people who were the actual inhabitants of the area with their cattle especially the Eastern part of the park. The park was named by the Maasai locals that called it “siringet” meaning the slope of land that runs endlessly. The open parts of the park make it easy for guests to see as far as they can while on their game viewing safari. It is only your eyesight which is the limit but the plains keep going and running as afar as where your eye can reach.

Serengeti national park in Africa is a wildlife refuge that is located in the Northern part of Tanzania in the famous Arusha tourist city. It forms the Northern tourists’ circuit that comprises of Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Serengeti national park. It is adjacent to the famous national Reserve of Kenya that is Masai Mara National Reserve on the North, Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the South and several game reserves on the West. It is under the direct management of the Government of Tanzania under the Tanzania National parks Authority.

Serengeti national park forms together with the Ngorongoro crate conservation area and Masai Mara national reserve of Kenya the largest African ecosystem. The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem is not only the largest in Africa but the oldest ecosystem in the entire world. The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem covers a total land area of 30,000 square kilometers. It’s the only ecosystem in the entire world which has taken decades without great change with all its climatic system, vegetation, wildlife, and culture remains intact.

Serengeti national park in Africa is referred to as the African’s wildlife sanctuary with unique natural beauty that is attached to the scientific value. It is famous with the greatest concentration of the plain game not only in East Africa but the entire continent of Africa. Serengeti national park is a home of the second-largest African mammal migration that is wildebeest migration. The wildebeest migration is considered as one of the natural wonders in the world where over 1.5 million animals cross the Mara River transboundary to Kenya and vise vasa at a certain period of time. The migration is composed of the popular wildebeests that form the highest percentage. Other plain animals found in the migration circle are the zebras, topis, elands, and others. The movement is under the watch of predators especially the big cats like lions, leopards, and Cheetahs.

Serengeti national park in Africa is one of the best game viewing destinations that can be done throughout the year. The park has over 35 species of plain animals, the great number of the Big Cats not forgetting all African big 5 (Lions, leopards, Elephants, Rhinos and Buffalo). Birders also enjoy over 500 bird species listed at the park. It is also the best-protected area for spotting predators in entire Africa. The park has the highest number of predators especially the lions, leopards, and Cheetahs.

Serengeti was a home of the local Maasai people over 200 years ago before they were relocated to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. However, the Maasai culture remains one of the best experiences while enjoying the great Serengeti national park. The culture of the Maasai is one of the true African cultures that have never changed irrespective of the world’s transformation to Modernization. The Maasai locals are the only people that have managed to leave together with wildlife at peace. Their culture and mode of life of circular settlement in Kraals well fenced with local materials have given them and their livestock enough protection from wildlife. Their total dependence on their livestock as a source of life makes them do little agriculture hence having little effect on the wildlife grazing land.

Serengeti national park in Africa is divided into three regions these include:

The Seronera region also known as the central region.

This is the busiest and popular region where game viewing is done throughout the year. The Central region cuts across to the Southern area bordering the Ngorongoro Conservation area in Ndutu. This is the breeding place of the wildebeest where thousands of the newly born calves are given birth from. The central Serengeti is drained by the Seronera River that attracts more wildlife in this region hence making game viewing much suitable throughout the year. It is composed of the open grassland dotted with Acacia trees and Kopjes granite rocks. These are hiding areas for the lions and leopards, other animals found in this region include Cheetahs, buffalo, Elephants, Gazelles, warthogs, Hyenas, wildebeest, giraffes, topis, zebras, kudu, Eland mention but a few.

The second region is the Western Corridor commonly known as the Grumeti River section. This is a test of the wildebeest migration as they head to the Northern sector to cross the Mara River. This is the best place to be from May to June with most of the migration and other permanent residents more active. It’s a place to see large Nile Crocodiles, Hippos, Patas Monkey, lions, leopards, Buffaloes, and others.

The third region of Serengeti national park in Africa is Northern Serengeti. This is where the climax of the wildebeest migration happens from July to August. All tourists head to the North of Serengeti during the migration period as you catch live the world cup of the wildlife. The area is also a good spotting point for the shy rare Black Rhinos that hide along with the shrubs of the Northern Area.

The above regions make up the Serengeti national park in Africa, each region can be visited any time of the year though much better at a certain time of the year. The movement of the animals at Serengeti national park in Africa is determined by the weather and rainfall patterns hence making it circular arrangement and all year round game viewing destination.