Introduction |
Northern Circuit |
Southern Circuit |
Coastal Circuit |
Western Circuit
Please select the National Park or Game Reserve from the list below:
Northern Circuit
Serengeti National Park
Serengeti is derived from the Maasai language, Maa; specifically,
"Serengit" meaning "Endless Plains".The
Serengeti National Park, (bordering the Kenyan Masai
Mara in the North) covers 14,763 square km, is by common consent
the world's greatest wildlife sanctuary. it is home to
great numbers of wildlife, many of which endure the Wildebeest
Migration which offers some of Africa's most spectacular
game-viewing and phenomenal photographic opportunities. The Serengeti
was accepted by the World Heritage Convention(WHC) as UNESCO
World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve in 1981.
The park's terrain is varied: the vast, treeless central Serengeti
plains, Savannah dotted with acacia trees, monumental
rocky Kopjes, reverie bush, thick scrub to streams,
rivers, small swamps, and lakes. The Serengeti
is the setting for so many wildlife documentaries with good reason.
Visitors are virtually guaranteed to see an impressive array
of wildlife. The Serengeti boasts a staggering 8,500 giraffe,
10,000 eland, 500,000 zebra, 1.6 million wildebeest,
3,000 lions, 1,000 elephants, 280,000 Thompson's
gazelles, 25,000 buffalo, more than 400 species
of birds, 72,000 Topi, and 32,000 Grant's gazelle.
The annual wildebeest migration is one of the most spectacular
and breath-taking events in the world. From the Serengeti
to Kenya's Masai Mara over 1.4 million wildebeest
and 200,000 zebra and gazelle, relentlessly tracked by
Africa's great predators, migrate in a clockwise
fashion over 1,800 miles each year in search
of rain ripened grass. This mass of moving animals
is so large that even when it is in Kenya's Masai Mara,
parts of it are still in the Serengeti. Note
that even during August to November, the approximate
time when most of the wildebeest are expected
to be in the Masai Mara, the wildlife
is still plentiful in the Serengeti, as the 'resident'
animals opt to stay where they are instead of follow the migration.
Location:
7 hours drive from Arusha, 2.5 hours
drive from the Ngorongoro Crater
Things to Do:
Game-drives, Nature Walks and
Night Game Drives at Ikoma, Hot Air Balloon
safari
Animals:
Virtually all safari animals. All of the 'Big
Five' are present in Serengeti.
Elephants are few in number on the wide grassy
plains but more concentrated in the wooded areas of Lobo
and the Western Corridor. An estimated 300
lions hunt on the central Seronera
Plains alone, with more being dispersed around the park.
Leopard, more elusive and very well camouflaged
in the foilage of trees can often be spotted
by their tails hanging down. Buffalo
are significant in number and sizable herds are
scattered throughout the park, whilst the few remaining black
rhino are protected in an innaccessible area.
Time to visit:
To search for the elusive wildebeest, visit the
Serengeti from December to July.
To see Predators, June to October
are the best months. For the best chance of finding Migration,
allow a minimum of 3 days, longer if possible.
Wildebeest Migration
The Annual Movement of Wildebeest and other grazing
herbivores across the Serengeti - Mara
ecosystem is one of the greatest spectacles
in the natural world. More on Wildebeest
Migration
What are the Big Five
You may hear of the Big Five before going on
Safari, from an old book, or
from a nature documentary. Today, they are five
of the animals which people most want to see
while on Safari. One hundred
years ago, amid pith helmets, mosquito
boots, and 'darkest Africa', the Big
Five were the most sought after animals
to hunt. They were the fiercest,
the most dangerous animals; the animals that
would hunt the hunter. Explorers
of East Africa went home with stories of lions
and leopards in the tall African grass,
of rhinos that would charge
at the mere smell of a person, of the Cape Buffalo
hidden in the bushes, and of the terrors
of an enraged elephant. Today, of course, the
hunting is done with camera
lenses, but that doesn't take away from the thrill
of seeing your first lion or hearing a leopard
walk past your camp at night. These big mammals
are each far more interesting than the early
explorers knew.
For safari packages,
please visit Northern
Circuit Safaris section on Packages page
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