SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK.

Serengeti National Park, well known for the annual migration of millions of wildebeests is situated in the northern part of Tanzania. Tanzania is a beautiful country good for tourism due to diverse wildlife in different national parks, reserves and cultures like the Masai and Chagga people. The park neighbours Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya to the north.

Covering an area of 14,750sq.km, Serengeti national park becomes the largest conservation area in the country and it was established in 1951 and later in 1981 recorded to be a UNESCO world heritage site due to the uniqueness of its wildlife which is made up of over 300 mammal species including the big five animals and big cats like lion, cheetah, and leopards, over 500 bird species and over 314 tree species including, Acacia tortilis, Acacia Drepanolobium, Kigelia (the Sausage tree) among others.

A safari to Serengeti national park takes about three - four days of adventure, leading you to sight the beautiful plains of Serengeti with diverse wildlife. As the park is hub to wildebeest migration joined by thousands of zebras and gazelles, this is because of the rivers such as Mara River, Grumeti river, Naironya River, Nanyuki River, Mbalageti river and the famous Seronera River that supply water to wildebeests and other wildlife.

TOURIST ACTIVITIES IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK.

There are various activities that can be enjoyed as you visit Serengeti national park and these include;

Game drives:

Game drives are normally three here; Morning, evening and night game drives. This rewards you with the unique moment where you will be taken to the plains and valleys of Serengeti to watch wildlife. Head to the famous river Grumeti where you are able to spot the wildebeest migration together with zebras and gazelles.

Other wildlife spotted here are the giraffes, elephants, warthogs, lions, leopards, tree climbing lions, hippos and crocodiles in the rivers. The game drive experience usually lasts for 3-4 hours.

Birding.

Serengeti boasts over 500 bird species, therefore birding is very possible and the activity starts early in the morning taking the whole day due to slow movements.

Among the birds that can be spotted include black headed gonolek, red-capped robin chart, Rufous-tailed weavers, ostriches, bustards, secretary birds, lovebirds, and starlings, grey-backed fiscal and black eagles.

Ballooning safaris.

Have an eagle eye view of the savannah plains and wildlife as you take a hot air balloon to view wildlife in Serengeti national park. The basket of the hot air balloon takes between 8-16 people and well-spaced. The activity ends in 2-3m hours and on the landing, be quencher with a glass of Champagne.

Visit Olduvai Gorge.

Drive for about an hour or less from Serengeti national park to Olduvai Gorge and discover where the first human skull was discovered. Take a visit of the museum with fossils and tools that were used 2 million years ago and learn more about the Zinjathropus. The visit can take the whole day as you explore the different artefacts and archaeological materials in the museum.

Cultural encounters.

Visit the Masai community to experience and learn this unique culture in the nearby community around the park. learn their Language ‘the Maa’, their cultural songs and dances, their ritual ceremonies like circumcision for both boys and girls, their food which is the Row-blood, porridge called ‘ugali’ in Swahili and so much more.

How to access Serengeti national park.

The park can be accessed by either road or air transport. By air, you can fly from Arusha to any of the seven airstrips in Serengeti national park.

By road, you can head northwards to Serengeti from Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport, a distance of about 310km taking 5-6 hours of drive.