Explore the
most celebrated ecosystem in the world; Serengeti National
Park. Within this diverse and stunning area, enjoy
game drives in seldom visited parts of the park where you
can see the Great Wildebeest Migration and wildebeest calving
in season.
Location & size:
The Serengeti is situated in Northern
Tanzania, to the East of Lake Victoria and West of the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area. The Serengeti is Tanzania’s
largest national park, covering almost 15,000km2,
and takes its name from the Maasai word Siringet,
meaning ‘extended place’.
Landscapes & vegetation:
The vast, seemingly endless grass
plains of the Serengeti, are punctuated by twisted, solitary
acacia trees and large kopjes. However, the Serengeti
National Park contains a diverse array of habitats often overlooked;
in the north the terrain is hilly and rocky whilst to the west
there are plains, hills, valleys, rivers and associated riverine
vegetation and forest.
Mammals:
The sheer profusion of life supported by the Serengeti
Plains is beyond belief. The Serengeti is most famous
as being home to millions of animals, including 1 million wildebeest,
half a million zebras and a quarter of a million Thompsons
gazelles.
The annual wildebeest migration which occurs within the Serengeti
Ecosystem is the largest mass movement of terrestrial mammals
on the planet, with over a million wildebeest and countless
zebras making the journey. The rut (wildebeest mating) usually commences around June to July. The following February, over 8000 wildebeest calves are born everyday, making for an amazing spectacle. A
large number of predators benefit from the annual migration,
including lion, vultures and crocodiles. Depending when
you Safari you will be able to witness the awe-inspiring wildebeest
rut, calving or Great Migration.
The plains is home to many other species of mammals – leopards, cheetah, hyena, rhino, families
of elephant, herds of cape buffalo, the elegant giraffe, eland, various species of antelope and gazelle, monkey, families
of warthog and a host of others.
Birds:
Often overlooked is the abundance of bird-life in the
Serengeti. The
Serengeti National Park is an internationally recognised Important
Bird Area (IBA) and is home to over 500 species. Ostrich
and secretary birds can be seen wandering through the grass,
whilst black crested snake eagles and African fish eagles hunt
from the air. Flocks of the bizarre-looking and large
marabou stork can be seen sitting in trees. Ruppell's
Griffon vultures and Egyptian vultures follow the Great Migration,
gorging themselves on carcasses left behind on the Serengeti
Plains.
Reptiles & fish:
The reptiles of the Serengeti are often
overlooked, however there is plenty to keep the herper occupied. The
most visible of the Serengeti reptiles is undoubtedly the nile
crocodile, which you will see probably in the Grumeti River. If
the timing is right, you may even see a crocodile make a kill
during the famous wildebeest river crossings.
There is also a large variety of snakes in the Serengeti (including
huge African rock pythons, black-necked spitting cobras and
puff adders), lizards such as the enigmatic red-headed rock
agamas and chameleons, and the well-respected leopard tortoises
(sometimes called mzee kope by locals).
Grumeti Game Reserve
Part
of the Serengeti Ecosystem is Grumeti Game Reserve - a
remote valley in the western corridor of the Serengeti. During
the annual animal migration, you can view hundreds of thousands
of wildebeest & zebra congregate on the banks of the
crocodile-infested river, before attempting the famous river
crossings.
At other times of the year and in other parts of the river
and Grumeti reserve, active monitor lizards live amongst
the reeds and bushes, growing to 1.5m long. You can
get close (but not too close!) to large pods of hippo as
they grunt & cool off in the lily-carpeted river, coming ashore at night to feed. striated
herons and water thick-knees (stone curlews) often rest in
dense thickets beside the river whilst in shallower parts
of the river, Egyptian geese, yellow-billed storks and goliath
herons can be found. Prides of lion and packs of
hyena can be heard during the night. Leopard, and some
of the highest densities of cheetah in Africa can be found
in this area.
Serengeti
Plains Safaris Ultimate
Luxury & Romance |
Wildebeest on their Great Migration
(Connochaetes taurinus)
- Over 8000 wildebeest calves born each day
- Home to the BIG 5, Small 5 and everything in between
Lions feeding on a recent kill
(Panthera leo)
- Remote valley in western corridor
Males hippos are extremely territorial
(Hippopotamus amphibius)
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