Serengeti National Park

Overview

The Serengeti National Park is without a doubt the most well-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unparalleled in terms of natural beauty and scientific value, and it has the highest concentration of plains game in Africa. Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park was established in 1952. It is the site of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle, the great migration of wildebeest and zebra.

The resident lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, and bird populations are also impressive. There are numerous options for lodging, ranging from luxury lodges to mobile camps. The park is larger than Connecticut, covering 5,700 square miles (14,763 square kilometers), with only a few hundred vehicles driving around. The Park is divided into three sections.

The popular southern/central part (Seronera Valley) is known as the Maasai “serengit,” or “land of endless plains.” It’s typical savannah, dotted with acacias and teeming with wildlife. The Grumeti River runs through the western corridor, which has more forests and dense bush. The least visited section is in the north, where Lobo meets Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve.

Within the 30,000 km², two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established. Its unique ecosystem has inspired writers ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Peter Mattheissen, filmmakers such as Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root, as well as numerous photographers and scientists, many of whom have contributed to the creation of this website.

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the most ancient on the planet. Climate, vegetation, and fauna have remained largely unchanged over the last million years. Around two million years ago, early man appeared in Olduvai Gorge. Some life, death, adaptation, and migration patterns are as old as the hills themselves.

The Serengeti is perhaps best known for its migration. During the short rains in October and November, over a million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains, then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May, and June. The ancient instinct to move is so strong that no drought, gorge, or crocodile-infested river can stop them. The wildebeest migrate through a variety of parks, reserves, and protected areas, as well as habitat. Join us as we explore the Serengeti ecosystem’s various vegetation and landscapes and meet some of its most fascinating inhabitants.