Activities to do in Serengeti National park : Welcome to Serengeti National park located North of tanzania,500kilometres from Dodoma ,235 kilometres from Arusha ,868 kilometres by roads from Dar es salaam. The park is 14,763km² by its size with its name derived from the Maasai people who are the original habitants of the area. The name Serengeti comes from the Masai word Siringet which means a place where the land runs forever. The park was established in 1951, which receives and since then together with Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya has always remain the best wildlife safari destinations in Africa.
The park is the most popular tourist destination for its unique natural wildlife and the largest terrestrial mammals migration in the world. Every year over 1.7 Million wildebeest, 250,000 of Zebras and other thousands of Antelopes move from Serengeti National park northwards into Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
The park is known for it and the Great migration has been listed as the seven wonders of Africa and one of the ten natural wonders of the world. The park is also known for its enormous of diversity and richness in wildlife.
Serengeti National park has all it takes to experience a memorable wildlife experience. The growth of tourism industry in Tanzania is because there are many attracting and enjoyable activities to do in Serengeti National park. Some of the attractions of Serengeti National park are:
Game viewing
Game viewing is the best activity of Serengeti National park which is rich with diverse wildlife. This is the highlight of the safari tours to the park which has not only the famous Big five animals but in large numbers spread across the big National Park. There are over 4000 lions ,30,000 buffaloes, more than 1000 leopards ,more than 5000 elephants and a number of Rhinoceros took. Other animals include Cheetahs which are the fastest land animal in the world. spotted hyena, Black backed jackal ,African golden wolf, honey badger, stripped hyenas, Caracals, serval, banded Mongoose, African wild dogs, Hippopotamus, Common warthog, aardvark, African civet, African wild cat, common Genet, African stripped weasel ,bat eared fox, Zorilla, Ground pangolin, Crested porcupine ,Cape hare, three species of hyraxes, vervet monkeys, Yellow and olive baboons, paths and vervet monkeys, mantled guereza, Nile crocodiles, leopard Tortoise, serrated hinged terrapin, rainbow agama, African python , black mamba, Jackson’s Chameleon ,Black neck spitting cobra, puff adder and Nile Monitor among others.
The animals range from mammals both big to the smallest, reptiles, amphibians to butterflies. These animals are spread across the vast Serengeti National park, can be exploited through organised game drives. Majority of the game drives are done with open roof top 4×4 cruiser customised for tourists, Vans and tour safaris customised lorries. Most Game drives are done early in the morning and late in the afternoon but there are also Night game drives organised in advance with the lodge of you’re staying.
Bird watching
Serengeti National park is also a bird watchers haven with more than 500 bird species recorded in the park from the largest Bird in the world the Ostrich to the smallest hummingbird. Other species of birds likely to be spotted are Secretary birds, helmeted guinea fowl, kori Bustard, Black herons ,sacred ibis, African collared dove ,blacksmith lapwing, Marabou storks, African fish Eagle, goliath herons, lovebirds, Southern ground Hornbill, Red billed buffalo weaver, crowned cranes, cattle Egret, knob-billed ducks, saddle billed storks, yellow billed storks, White storks, spotted thick-knees, lesser flamingos ,shoebills, abdim’s storks, Hamerkops, Hadada ibis, Tanzania red-billed hornbills, Martial Eagles, Egyptian Geese, Spur -winged geese,Oxpeckers ,pink backed pelicans and Grey-breasted spurfowl among other birds.
Hot air ballooning
This the most expensive safari tour, but also the most rewarding game viewing safari. There is all year hot air balloon station at the Seronera area. There is nothing compared to floating effortlessly above treetop and over the vast plain of savannah grasslands having the full view of the endless Serengeti plains.
The highly trained pilots know when to fly high for wide view of the park and after spotting a group or an hunting activity ,flies low to capture the intruding moments unfolding below. Some time the pilot may fly low to capture the best aerial shots of the animals below. The best hot air balloon experience is when you are flying following the river to capture the Crocodiles and the Hippos too.
This activity is done very early in the morning and it involves a lot of crew members. This activity is done subject to weather conditions of the day because it is affect by poor weather conditions.
Nature walks
There is no better natural way of exploring and viewing the animals than having a nature guided walks in certain designated areas. It is also an opportunity to unlock Africa’s nature on foot. This wonderful nature safari walk is accompanied by experienced guides and a armed warden .This offers the unique view of Serengeti National park, in a memorable and a rare opportunity to showcase nature in its undisturbed raw state .
Nature walks usually takes one to three hours depending on the physical fitness and the pace of the visitors. It also presents best photography moments of the best nature has to offer from the landscape vegetation to the wildlife.
Wildebeest migration
This wonder of the world is one outstanding activity that has made Masai Mara National Game Reserve a popular tourist destination in the world.
This is amazing wildlife phenomenon takes place each year between the months of July to October. During the period more than one million wildebeest, hundreds of zebras and Antelopes move from Serengeti National park in Tanzania into Masai Mara National Game Reserve in Kenya and the climax of it ,is when crossing the crocodiles infested Mara river, Activities to do in Serengeti National park
This is better known as the Great migration, where the animals move in a clockwise direction, following season rains from Serengeti National park in Tanzania to Masai Mara National Game Reserve in Kenya and back to Serengeti again.
It is however unclear how the Wildebeest know when to move but it believed that they are guided by the instincts in pursuit of rains and the greener pastures.
The Wildebeest and Zebras have a cordial relationship and depend on each other during the great migration, they also have different eating patterns ,zebra eat long grass because of their strong front teeth while Wildebeest eat the short grass. The herd of zebra joins the wildebeest migration as they are great in sensing any threat especially when crossing the Mara river, it is during this period that great population of predators hide in the bushes near the river.
The great migration has no specific starting or ending points because it is an all year round movement. The great migration is a clockwise loop between Tanzania and Kenya, the Serengeti National park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Loliondo Managed Game Area and Grumeti reserve is the main destination.
