Serengeti Savannah

Serengeti Savannah

Serengeti Savannah (Savannah of Serengeti): The park covers an area of 14,750 square kilometers of open, endless Savannah plains with dotted acacia woodland. Serengeti Savannah vegetation is one of the oldest and Africa’s most complex and unspoiled ecosystems. The Serengeti Savannah grassland alternates according to the Serengeti climate, greenish during the winter season or rainy season and dry and dusty during summer or dry season.

The central part of the park is covered by the Serengeti Savannah short grass with dotted Acacia trees; the Southern part of the park is dominated by the short savannah grass that can tolerate the dry season most times, the west and north parts of Serengeti National Park are covered by the Thornwood and long grassland alongside the river banks and gallery forest, and the hilly western corridor has extensive woods.

The park is mostly dominated by the short Serengeti grass on the open plains, which sometimes looks like a semi-desert place during the long dry season of the year but is very prone to wildfires and can tolerate them. During rainy seasons, the ungulates migrate to the central Serengeti area to look for fresh green pastures and water.

The vegetation of Serengeti National Park varies and ranges from the open Serengeti Savannah to the hilly woodlands and forests in the Northern sector of the park at the border with Kenya. The variation is caused by the different climatic conditions of the different sectors of the park, which are attributed to different altitude levels of the park.

The southern and central parts of Serengeti National Park are more flat, and it’s covered by the Serengeti grassland. The open grassland attracts more ungulates and other grazers like Zebras, Wildebeest, gazelles, kobs, Impalas, Oribi, Antelopes, topis, to mention but a  few, not forgetting the predators, as it’s said, where there is food must be eaters!!

Hence, the availability of these animals attracts a lot of predators, especially the big 5 like lions, leopards, cheetahs, and others around this area. The Northern and Western sector of Serengeti National Park is covered by rivers and hills, which influence the rainfall patterns of the area.

The area is covered by long grass and forest with a lot of woodland, and the main occupants here are the buffalo, elephants, and other Rhinos. The lions camp in this area during the dry months when the wildebeest are crossing the Grumeti River or the Mara River, while leopards stay permanently due to the favorable environment for them to hide out.