Renowned as one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, the Serengeti offers an unmatched wildlife viewing experience. This vast park is home to the famous Big Five: elephants, lions, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, and leopards, as well as many other animals including giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles. It’s also where the Great Migration of wildebeests and zebras takes place. With over 70 species of large mammals and 500 birds, the Serengeti is a must-visit wildlife area.
Together with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Park is recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Is Serengeti in Kenya or Tanzania? – This question is often raised by travelers who plan to visit East Africa. The answer is simple: the Serengeti National Park is located in northern Tanzania, stretching over 1,500,000 hectares (3,700,000 acres) of wild savanna. It can be easily found on the map – to the east of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, near the border with Kenya.
To the north, the Serengeti borders the Kenyan Maasai Mara National Reserve, and to the east, the renowned Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area. The larger Serengeti ecosystem stretches even beyond the national park, being defined by the area covered by the Great Migration.
The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, is one of the largest safari parks in Africa. To visit the main locations, travelers need 3-4 days. Here are the key places one needs to visit to get to know Serengeti:
Central Serengeti and the Seronera River Valley
This is the most popular place in the Serengeti. Here, you can see practically all the animals, and it is also where most safari lodges are located. Almost all multi-day safaris in the Serengeti start in its central part.
Western Corridor and Grumeti
The western part of the park is an open savanna. Here you can also see all the iconic African animals: lions, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and many others. The Grumeti and Mbalageti rivers are home to hippos and crocodiles.
Northern Serengeti: Kogatende, Lobo, and Lamai
The final stage of the Great Wildebeest Migration happens in the northern part of the Serengeti when large herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles cross the wide Mara River. This area is very picturesque and a must-visit during a safari.
The Serengeti is home to more than seventy species of large mammals, making it the best place on the continent to see all the famous African animals. The populations of many species here are significantly higher than in other well-known national parks. The Serengeti is also one of the few places where you can spot Africa’s rarest animal – the Eastern black rhinoceros.
It’s important to remember that the Serengeti is a vast park. Animals are constantly on the move, and sometimes you can travel 30 minutes on a game drive without major sightings. Your experienced safari guide will coordinate with colleagues via radio to locate where animals have recently been sighted.
