Serengeti National Park: Home to the Great Migration

Serengeti National Park is arguably the finest game park in Africa. It is also one of the most iconic destinations in the world, so it's no wonder it’s one of Tanzania’s top attractions. The subject of many nature documentaries, the park is host to the dramatic Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles must cross the Mara River. 

Between June and October, travellers can witness this epic event: the clouds of dust, hooves pummelling the earth, the grunts and splashing of herds crossing the river — some inevitably falling prey to the waiting crocodiles. But that’s not all. On the vast Serengeti plains, you can spot cheetahs scanning from the top of a termite mound, lions beginning their prowl at dusk and herds of browsing elephants moving from tree to tree.

At 14,763 square kilometres in size, the Serengeti is arguably the finest national park in Africa and offers a wealth of wildlife viewing opportunities. Pretty much every large animal in East Africa can be regularly seen in the national park or wider ecosystem. When you include all the contiguous protected areas, of which Ngorongoro is one of the most noteworthy, the total size of the entire Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is a staggering 30,000 square kilometres packed choc-full of truly extraordinary wildlife sightings. Renowned for its predators – especially lions, leopards and cheetahs – and with plenty of elephants favouring the western woodlands of Grumeti, the Serengeti dazzles even the most hardened safari critics.

Regions Of Serengeti

Though most imagine the plains as the Serengeti, this immense reserve is divided into three eco-regions.

1. The Serengeti plains:

These are the great treeless expanses of grassland in the south which most think of as typifying the park. Here the wildebeest breed from roughly December to May. You’ll find other hoofed animals here like zebra, gazelle, impala, hartebeest, buffalo and waterbuck.

2. Western Corridor:

This area is mostly known for the Grumeti River and its surrounding forests, where crocodiles, monkeys, hippos and eagles dwell.

3. The Northern Serengeti:

This area is primarily open woodlands and hills. Though not heavily visited, this region is a good environment to spot elephants and giraffes.

The vast Serengeti ecosystem is one of the planet’s oldest, its vegetation and wildlife are little different than they appeared a million years ago.

The area is a prehistoric cradle for mankind as well. Early man inhabited the nearby Olduvai Gorge about 2 million years ago. Signs of early tool making and other artefacts have been found here.

The Great Migration

Imagine this scene before you: 500,000 newborn wildebeest calves filling the reaches of these great plains. Plus young zebra, gazelle, eland, and more… out to the horizons. This is the incredible cycle of nature – a gift for all of us.

The calving season occurs in January and February and within a few months, the young are big enough to move with the herd as it heads to the Grumeti and Mara Rivers, searching for water and more abundant grasses. The Serengeti is unfenced, allowing the thousands and then millions of herding wildlife to move into the bordering Masai Mara.

Serengeti is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Serengeti Park may be the most immersive and untouched province of unspoiled Africa any of us will ever experience. It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a “Ten Natural Travel Wonders of the World” recipient.

Protection and management requirements

The site (Serengeti National Park) has a well-designated and partially demarcated boundary, and since 2009 funds have been allocated to demarcate the entire boundary. Its management is regulated by both international and government policies and legal obligations. The National Parks Ordinance Cap 412 of 1959 provides for Tanzania National Parks with the mandate to manage the site. In addition, The 1974 Tanzanian Wildlife Conservation Act and the 2009 Wildlife Conservation Act provide for both within the site and adjacent area protection of resources, respectively.

A General Management Plan (2006-2016) has been formulated to guide the daily management of the site sustainably and is currently being implemented. The Plan guides how to execute the various activities within the park under four main Themes: Ecosystem Management, Outreach services, Tourism Management and Park Operations.

The site has a reasonable level of human and financial resources for effective management, but as the activities expand, and more challenges emerge, the lack of sufficient resources remains a potential future constraint. The major management concerns include poaching, tourism pressure, wildfires, and lack of adequate capacity for resource monitoring. Another important management challenge is water: despite numerous sources of water during the rainy season, there is only one perennial river (Mara) which is transnational. However, this river currently faces multiple human-mediated cross-boundary threats.

So join us on a safari exploration of this spectacular setting in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park – Tanzania’s most popular park.