Serengeti National Park

Area: 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles)

Established: 1951 – became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1981

Distance from Arusha: 335 km (208 miles)

The Serengeti is home to one of nature’s greatest and largest animal migrations. More than 1.5 million white bearded wildebeest and 250,000 zebras take part in the 1000 km journey in search of greener pastures. During their trek towards the rich grazing grounds they must overcome the most dangerous obstacle on the journey, the Mara River, famous for its huge prehistoric reptiles, the crocodiles.

Apart from the annual migration the Serengeti is also home to the “big five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard and it is claimed that the Serengeti has the highest population of lions anywhere in Africa. Leopards are frequently spotted relaxing while large herds of elephants and buffaloes graze on the savannah. Although the park is also home to very few black rhinos, they are rarely ever seen as they tend to hide in the more bushy areas of the park. But it is not only mammals that reside here and over 500 species of birds including ostriches, secretary birds, different types of vultures and eagles, Egyptian geese, black headed herons, crowned cranes, Kori bustards and many more can also be found in the Serengeti National Park.

The Serengeti National Park is home to a large array of animals. Included in this is the entire Big Five, however the rhino populations are very small due to the large amounts of rhino poaching in all of Africa. Strong measures are taken in the park to ensure the safety of this endangered animal.

Some of the other animals found in the park are large herds of impala (one of the most successful mammals on earth), Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, klipspringer, giraffe, warthog, roan antelope, bushbuck, lesser kudu, oryx, hartebeest, eland, wild wildebeest and many others.

Other carnivores within the area include the very rare African golden wolf, African lion, leopard, striped hyena, spotted hyena, African wild dogs, honey badger, serval, cheetah and many others.

The area is a birder’s paradise, featuring more than 500 different species of birds, ranging from the very large ostrich, the Ashy starling, the Black crake, Ficher’s lovebird, Hartlaub’s turaco, the red and yellow barbet and very small finches. A list of the more commonly found bird species in the Serengeti National Park.

The best option to fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) which is situated about 46km or 29miles from Arusha.From Arusha to the Serengeti one can take a small charter plane to one of the numerousairstrips in the park. From the Serengeti to Arusha it is approximately 325 kilometers or 202miles and will take 8 hours on road. The biggest part of the ride is bumpy, over dirt roads- but the trip offers beautiful scenery

All Year around, The dry season (from late June to September) offers the best wildlife viewing in general- with the wildebeest migration as its absolute highlight. The timing of the migration varies every year (the best chance of seeing it is during June and July) while the wildebeest calving is from late January to February.

The Serengeti is one of the areas in Tanzania that offers good game viewing all year round, although you might want to avoid the heavy rains in April and May. However, depending on your sightseeing priorities (wildebeest calving, wildebeest river crossing, best time to see predators, birding, etc.), you’ll want to plan your visit accordingly.