East Africa
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SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
The Serengeti National Park quite simply offers the finest game viewing anywhere in Africa. Unrivaled concentrations of wildlife, stunningly beautiful landscapes and vast pristine areas make the Serengeti our pick for the best national park in the whole of Africa.
The greater Serengeti ecosystem encompasses 10,395 square miles and includes many other game reserves and conservation areas including the Ngorongoro, Masai Mara, Loliondo, Masawa, Grumeti and Ikorongo reserves. This is a more relevant figure as there are no fences and many of the animals freely migrate in and out of the official park borders.
The Serengeti is the most famous national park in Africa and is the best place for wildlife viewing for a variety of reasons. The Serengeti ecosystem supports not only the largest herds of migrating ungulates but also the highest concentrations of large predators in the world. At a quick glance, the numbers are astonishing. Estimates put the wildebeest at about 1.7 million, zebras at 250,000 and Thomson's gazelles at about 440,000. Hyenas are the most numerous of the large carnivores at about 9,000, lions at 2,800 and leopards at about 1,000.
The Serengeti offers exceptional year round game viewing. Though much of the wildlife in the Serengeti is migratory, abundant wildlife concentrations can be found throughout the year by basing yourself in the appropriate areas depending on your specific month of travel. Additionally, resident animals are plentiful. Regardless of when you travel, both resident and migratory animals can be found due to the size and nature of the Serengeti.
THE MIGRATION
The Serengeti is particularly famous for the great migration, which describes the annual cycle of movements made by wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's gazelle and eland. The general pattern is that the migrants use the plains in the wet season from December to May. As the plains dry out in May, the migratory animals retreat to the woodlands and remain there from June to October. The famous migratory movements usually occur in May-June (northward migration) and October-November (southward migration).
SOUTHERN SERENGETI
The southern Serengeti including the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area consists of the famous Serengeti plains. These short grass and nutrient rich plains are home to the enormous migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra during the wet season. Game viewing is spectacular during wet season in the southern Serengeti, as over two million animals will be spread across the open plains. In addition to the large migratory herds, predators will be abundant and easily seen. Cheetah densities will be at their highest as many have followed the migratory Thomson's gazelles onto the southern and eastern plains.
Lions should be easily visible, both resident prides and the nomads which have followed the wildebeest and zebra onto the plains. The most abundant predator, the hyena, will be in large numbers as many clan members will have commuted to the plains from their den areas located along the woodland/plains border.
CENTRAL SERENGETI
The central Serengeti consists of the plains woodland border and transition zone. In this area, the great Serengeti plains gradually diffuse into gentle rolling hills and the woodland habitat that dominates the western and northern regions of the park. The lions share of the lodges are located in this region as well as the park headquarters and the various research facilities. All these facilities are located here for good reason as not only is this area centrally located but it also supports an amazing abundance of year round, resident wildlife.
The central Serengeti is home to the beautiful Seronera valley. Several perennial rivers run through this valley enabling many resident animals to thrive year round. The combination of location and resident prey attracts the largest populations of predators in Africa. There is simply no better place in Africa to observe these large carnivores and since many are resident, excellent encounters are available year round regardless of the season or where the great migratory herds are located. It is not unusual to see all four large predators (lion, hyena, leopard and cheetah) during the course of a day in the central Serengeti.
WESTERN SERENGETI
The western corridor of the Serengeti is a special place seldom explored by those visiting the Serengeti. It is a remote and unique part of the famous Serengeti. The corridor stretches west from Seronera in the central Serengeti to almost Lake Victoria. The relatively narrow corridor is roughly 50 miles long and is characterized by dense stands of acacia tress interspersed with broken woodlands and open plains. The dominant feature is the Grumeti River, which runs almost the entire length of the corridor.
The pinnacle of the northward wildebeest migration takes place in the western corridor with the famous Grumeti River crossing. The river is infested with the Nile crocodile, the world's largest crocodile. For some of these prehistoric animals, it has been a year since they have last eaten and they eagerly await the wildebeest river crossing.
NORTHERN SERENGETI
The northern region of the Serengeti is a vast pristine area of wooded rolling hills interspersed with open grassy patches and large granite outcrops. This region extends north about 55 miles from Seronera in the central Serengeti to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.
The northern Serengeti supports a good number of resident herbivores including hippo, giraffe, eland, topi, impala and Thomson's gazelle. This area is home to the largest remaining concentrations of elephants in the Serengeti.
Predators are also abundant in the northern Serengeti. Lions and hyenas are regularly seen. Cheetahs are distributed fairly thinly in the northern woodlands but they are commonly seen since they are active during the day. Leopards are spread fairly constant throughout the woodlands but they are more elusive here in the northern Serengeti.
EASTERN SERENGETI
The eastern plains of the Serengeti ecosystem encompass a massive area. This area is approximately 50 miles wide from west to east. The eastern plains are similar to the southern plains in that they are extremely seasonal. During the dry season, the eastern plains are transformed into a semi desert and only a few hearty Grant's and Thomson's gazelles survive. However, the eastern plains come to life in the wet season from about November through May and offer prolific wildlife viewing for certain species of animals.
The Gol Kopjes, located on the Eastern Plains, boast the highest concentrations of cheetahs in Africa during the wet season. The majority of the cheetahs in the Serengeti are migratory.
In addition to cheetahs, the eastern plains are home to the largest concentrations of hyenas during the green season.
NGORONGORO CRATER
The Ngorongoro Crater is a world heritage site, the world's largest intact volcanic caldera and is commonly referred to as the 8th wonder of the world. The 2,000 feet high walls of the approximately 10 mile wide crater create a natural amphitheatre for the densest populations of large animals anywhere. It is a microcosm of the vast Serengeti National Park and in one day it is possible to see a staggering array of East African wildlife including all the big carnivores.
The crater lives up to its infamous reputation with abundant and easily accessible wildlife and offers a reasonable chance to see lion, hyena or cheetah in action. The Crater is truly awe-inspiring and will surely be one of the highlights of your safari
Herbivores that you will likely encounter include elephant, black rhino, hippo, buffalo, eland, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, warthog, Grant's gazelle and Thomson's gazelle. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the last places in Tanzania where you can still reliably see wild black rhinos.
Carnivores that you will likely encounter include lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal. Leopards, servals, bat eared foxes and ratels.
