THE SERENGETI
swala@habari.co.tz
swala@habari.co.tz
Page modified April 03, 2009
The Serengeti National Park has a good web site at www.serengeti.org .
Serengeti National Park is 12,800 sq kms in area and is part of the larger 32,000 sq km Serengeti Ecosystem, an area the size of Wales or Maryland. The Serengeti is one of the world's most important national parks and is a World Heritage Site. The Serengeti Ecosystem encompasses the Maswa Game Reserve in the south, Grumeti and Ikorongo Game Reserves in the north-west, Loliondo Game Controlled Area in the east, Ikoma Wildlife Management Area, and the Masai Mara in Kenya.
Serengeti's main importance is the annual migration of the large herds
of ungulates such as the gnu, zebra and gazelle. The herds are the largest in the world.
Not only is their quantity of animals, but also a great number of different
species,particularly of ungulates of which there are 28 species.
The same applies to the predators, the birds and even insects.
The vegetation is varied. In the south-east on the shallow alkaline soils are the short grass plains - treeless except along Olduvai Gorge. To the north there is deeper soils and longer grass merging with woodlands of mainly acacias and balanites trees. The woodlands start as a well-defined boundary running south and east of Seronera and make up about 60% of the total area of the park.
The total animal population of large mammals in the Serengeti is over three million. Wildebeest and zebra are in the hundreds of thousands' Grants and Thomson gazelles and topi are also in very large numbers. There are approximately 7,000 hyenas, 2000 lions, and 1,000 each of leopards and cheetahs. The elephant population, however, has always been rather small considering the size of the Serengeti. Elephants now number about 2,500. Other animals include various species of antelope, jackals, mongoose as well as bat eared fox, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, baboons and monkeys. Nocturnal species are caracal, serval, aardwolf, striped hyena, ratel, pangolin, porcupine, civet, white-tailed mongoose, and aardvark. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded and 100 species of dung beetles (and this was in one small area). If you're looking for grasshoppers, you'll be challenged in identifying the 80 species already found.
During May/June the big herds move off the Serengeti Plain toward the center of the Serengeti (Seronera). By July they are in the western corridor and North Serengeti( the Masai Mara) where they stay until October/November. The Serengeti Plain has little wildlife from June to December. However, the north and western parts of the Serengeti are excellent. It should be noted that the whereabouts of the migratory plains animals (wildebeest, zebra and gazelle) depends very much on local climatic conditions and can vary from year to year.
The return of the wildebeest takes place in November and December. By late December or early January the herds are back on the Serengeti Plain. Throughout the year there is a constant to and fro movement of gnu in the woodland areas. In the intermediate periods when the herds are not on the Serengeti Plain or in the Mara, they will be found in large numbers in the central, western and northern Serengeti. The years 1999 and 2000 were very unusual in that the big herds were not on the plains for long periods in January and February as they normally are, but instead were concentrated in the woodlands surrounding the plain.
Apart from the Serengeti Plain, the remainder of the Park is a mixture of acacia woodland and savannah grassland. It is through this area that the animals migrate on their way to the dry season grazing areas in the larger Serengeti Ecosystem; it is also primarily where the hotels and permanent camps are situated and where there is excellent game viewing throughout the year. Your driver normally knows the latest bush news and even the most recent dining-out place of the local lions.
CLIMATE: late December and early January fall within the short rains, characterized by heavy afternoon thunderstorms. The wettest part of the year is from the end of March through April and early May. Although game viewing on the Serengeti Plain can be excellent at this time, the wet roads can make progress slow and access sometimes very difficult. Temperatures vary in the dry season of June to October from mid-day 25 C. to night-time 8 C. The hot season temperatures are 36 C mid-day and 14 C night-time.
GAME VIEWING: good quality game viewing will depend on your driver's knowledge of the Serengeti. The Seronera Valley in the central Serengeti is normally very good for seeing the big cats - lion, leopard and cheetah although they are also seen throughout most of the park. Unfortunately it is a very popular area. The big cats are located often by the sight of numerous tour vehicles around them. For quiet game viewing you will need to go to places further afield such as Ikoma Wildlife Area or Kirawira.
Banagi, 18 kms north of Seronera and 28 kms from Ikoma Safari Camp is also excellent for game viewing with large herds of impala and a hippo and crocodile pool. Kirawira near the Grumeti River has some of the largest crocodiles in Africa.
PARK FEES
Entry Fee: $50 per person per 24 hours.
Public Camp Site: $30 per person per night
Private Camp Site: $50 per person per night.
ACCOMMODATION IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
There are six lodges and five camps. All lodges and camps have good game viewing throughout the year. Some may be better than others at certain times of the year. Ndutu Lodge and Sopa Serengeti are well-located for the big herds between January and May. Prices given below are in US dollars per person per night full board sharing. Low season rates are approximately 15% less between 1 April and 30 June.
For further information on lodge and camp tariffs see Accommodation in Serengeti.
FROM ARUSHA:
By Road: Dirt track roads are generally in fairly good condition in the National Parks. During the dry season there is a lot of dust.
By Air: Recommended for safaris of less than 10 days as it allows more time for seeing the Serengeti and avoids long and uncomfortable hours of driving on rough roads. Fly to the Serengeti and drive back (or vice versa). There are three scheduled flights every day from Arusha to Serengeti. The cost is $135 single. The morning shuttle bus from Nairobi will link up with the 3 p.m. flight.
FROM MWANZA. Four hours by road. Ikoma Safari Camp can arrange transfers to the Serengeti.
FROM KENYA:
Most safaris start and end in Arusha. If arriving from Nairobi, the normal route is via the border town of Namanga to Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, and the Serengeti, returning via Ngorongoro, Manyara, Arusha, Namanga and back to Nairobi.
Ex-Nairobi: Shuttle bus transfer to Arusha ($20 single) and continue as above. Shuttle departs Nairobi 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Takes five hours to drive to Arusha. Alternatively fly to Mwanza or the Masai Mara and continue to the Serengeti via the eastern side of Lake Victoria. There are three flights a week from Nairobi to Mwanza.
Ex-Mara: Recommended for those who wish to visit both the Serengeti and the Masai Mara without having to spend three days traveling. It takes one day to the Serengeti although two is preferable, with an overnight stay at Lake Victoria (Peninsula Hotel) or Kericho (Kenya's tea growing area). See Kenya and Tanzania.
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