Serengeti National Park, in northern Tanzania

Welcome to the enchanting world of Serengeti National Park, a magnificent haven of natural beauty and wildlife conservation nestled in the heart of north-central Tanzania. This extraordinary park extends its vastness, partly embracing the Kenyan border and gracefully adorning the northwest border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Serengeti National Park is renowned for its spectacular gatherings of plains animals, notably wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras. It stands as the exclus ive stage for monumental land-animal migrations on the African continent. This iconic destination has captured the hearts of international tourists and was bestowed with the prestigious honor of UNESCO World Heritage status in 1981.

Established in 1951, Serengeti National Park spans across 5,700 square miles (14,763 square km) of some of the finest grassland ranges in Africa. This pristine wilderness boasts extensive acacia woodland savanna, with elevations ranging from 3,020 to 6,070 feet (920 to 1,850 meters). The park gracefully stretches 100 miles (160 km) southeast from the serene shores of Lake Victoria, extending an additional 100 miles (160 km) south from the Kenya-Tanzania border in its eastern realm. Along the “western corridor” leading to Lake Victoria, numerous animal migrations unfold in a breathtaking spectacle. Inside this remarkable park, you’ll find nearly 1,300,000 wildebeests, 60,000 zebras, 150,000 gazelles, and a diverse array of other wildlife. During the wet season, from November to May, these herds graze in the lush southeastern plains of the park. Come late May or June, one of the main herds ventures west into the park’s woodland savanna before making its way north into the grasslands just beyond the Kenya-Tanzania border, known as the Mara, a part of the Masai Mara National Reserve. Another group undertakes a direct northward journey. These mesmerizing herds return to the southeastern plains of the park in November, marking the end of the dry season.

Serengeti National Park is also home to over 35 species of plains animals, including 3,000 lions and significant populations of spotted hyenas, leopards, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, giraffes, cheetahs, and baboons. The marshes near the Mara River are inhabited by crocodiles, while the skies above are graced by the presence of over 350 bird species, including ostriches, vultures, and flamingos.

Intriguingly, the park has witnessed the return of elephants, a species absent from the Serengeti just three decades ago. Their resurgence is linked to the increasing human populations and agricultural developments surrounding the park. The local elephant population now stands at an estimated 1,360. However, the last of the Serengeti’s wild dogs vanished in 1991, possibly due to unvaccinated domestic dogs spreading diseases to the wild dogs. Tragically, an epidemic of canine distemper claimed the lives of nearly one-third of the area’s lions in 1994. Furthermore, the illegal hunting of elephants for their ivory tusks, the ruthless slaughter of the now almost extinct black rhinoceros for their horns, and the poaching of game animals for their meat, estimated at a staggering 200,000 per year, pose significant threats to the park’s delicate ecosystem.

The first comprehensive wildlife population survey in this region was conducted by the distinguished German zoologist Bernhard Grzimek in the late 1950s. The park’s headquarters are located at Seronera, which also serves as the base for the Seronera Wildlife Research Centre, originally established as the Serengeti Research Institute in 1962. Serengeti National Park stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment to preserve and protect the breathtaking landscapes and the magnificent wildlife that call this extraordinary place home.