The Serengeti
Why You Should Visit Serengeti
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The famous Great Migration of wildebeest occupies the Serengeti for most of the year, offering one of the greatest wildlife shows on earth
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One of the largest conservation areas in Africa, home to the Odupai Gorge (the cradle of early hominids), the shifting sands of Ol Donyo Lengai and the famous crocodile monsters of Grumetti
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Ten times larger than the Masai Mara, the Serengeti hosts a huge diversity of wildlife
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It offers true wilderness, researchers still flock to the area to document the habits of animals in true wilderness
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The opportunity for walking safaris in the Serengeti, a unique opportunity to get under the skin of this amazing area
A little more about the Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park is Africa's most famous game park and a Serengeti safari never fails to impress its visitors. Its fame comes from the dense population of animals and particularly the host of predators that stalk across the 5,700 sq miles of grassy plains, which are broken only by small river valleys and rock kopjes. The Serengeti region encompasses the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
The trick to a fabulous Serengeti Safari is to know its seasons. If you visit the short grass plains in January you will not have to go anywhere else to see the most wonderful wildlife spectacles unfold on a downy green carpet, in stark contrast to the almost non existant widlife viewing in October.
Illona one of our Africa specialsits has lived in the Serengeti for a few years and has firsthand experience of its moods. The Grumeti areas and the western corridor are great in July when you have the chance to see the transient migration herds come by. The area has water in the Grumeti river all year round and hence can sustain a good local community of varied wildlife. Cheetah and crocodile are easily spotted here at any time of the year.
The central area of Seronera and Ikoma offer the opportunity for year round wildlife viewing due to the permanent rivers here. In the months of August to November when the migration is in the Mara, the northern Serengeti is most productive and you can also see the river crossings if you stay at some of the well positioned camps on the Mara borders, offering the best of both worlds. Rhino inhabit the hilltops in these areas too.
The Masai community concessions in the north offer an opportunity to witness how deftly conservation and local communities can work together. In the east you will find the rocky outcrops of Lobo and the wilderness areas where walking safaris allow one to avoid the disturbance of a vehicle. And beyond there are the endless plains of Piyaya.
The Serengeti offers something for everyone at most times of the year.
When to go
The best time to go to the Serengeti is in the months of December to April when the thousands of animals making up the Wildebeest and Zebra Migration fill the short grass plains near lake Ndutu. They amass here to calve and to feed on the tender grass which springs up after the rains in November. With predators in tow, the spectacle of thousands of animals in one place is one to behold. You can also visit the Serengeti in the months between July and November when we will place you in areas of the park best suited for the time of the year.
For more information on the Serengeti, or for advice on your holiday to Tanzania, please contact Illona our Tanzanian specialist on 01285 650 011.