SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK.
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This national park is located in Northern Tanzania with an area of 14763km2 that’s 5700sauare miles. It’s also located in the eastern Mara from the Eastern Mara region and the north east portion of Simiyu Region and Contains over 15,000,000 hectares that’s 37,000,000 acres of the savanna. This national park was established in 1940 and is the largest annual animal migration in whole world with over 1.5 million blue wildebeest and over 2550000 zebras and the largest lion population in the whole world.
History of the national park
By 1930, the colonial government of the Germans designated an area of 2286 km2of land as a game reserve in the southern and tee stern Serengeti. In the same year the Tanganyika Government established a system of national parks compliant with the convenient relative to preservation of both the Fauna and the Flora. The area became fully a national park in 1940. It was granted a strict protection eight years after its establishment after the formation of the Serengeti National Park Board of Trustees being formed to administer the National Park. In 1959, the government split an area of 8300km2 about 3200 square miles in the eastern part of the park and re-established as Ngorongoro Conservation Area with an aim of accommodating the traditional land use interests of the Maasai people in a multiple land use area.
It then gained fame after Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael produced a book and the documentary titled Serengeti Shall Not Die
Fauna: The national park has a variety of animals formed a Lion Conservation unit since 2005 having more than 3000 lions living in this ecosystem. The African leopards’ population density is estimated to be at 5.41 individuals per 100km2 about 39 square miles in the dry season.
African bush herds recovered from a population low in the 1980scaused by poaching and numbered over 5000 individuals by 2014. The African Buffalo population declined between 1976 and 1976 due to poaching, but later increased to 28524 individuals until 2008.
The black Rhinos population was reduced to 10 individuals in 19980 due poaching and less than 50 individuals survive by today in areas that less affected and other
The park has reptile species of which include, Nile Crocodile, leopard tortoise, serrated hinged terrapin, Rainbow agama, Nile monitor, Chameleon, black necked spitting Cobra, African python and many others.
The park is recorded to have variety of bird species and some of the species include, Masai ostrich, secretary birds, Kori Bustards, helmeted Guinea fowls, Grey breasted spur fowl, Blacksmith lapwing, African Collared Dove, Red billed buffalo weaver, southern grand horn bill, yellow- billed storks, white stocks, Goliath herons, Tanzanian red billed hornbill, Egyptian geese, lovebirds, spur-wined geese, Oxpeckers, shoe bills and many others
Things to do
Tourists activities that offered by the Serengeti National Park and visitors can engage in include,
Game Drives.
Game drives in Serengeti National Park can be done in the morning, afternoon, evening and even whole day this activity is so popular and visitor enjoy driving through the endless savannah. Some of the animals watches during the drive include, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, lions, African bush elephants, African buffalos, black Rhinos, spotted hyenas, golden wolf, east African wild dogs and many others. The park was divided into different sections. From southern end bordering Ngorongoro crater to further North bordering Maasai Mara national reserve and the seronera area which is the central circuit where most of the morning game drives are done. The game drives are categorized into four groups including the morning drives, full day game drive, afternoon and the Night drive.
Birding.
This is a key activity taking place at the right place in Serengeti National Park. There have been recorded over 750 different species of birds across the endless plains of the Serengeti National Park with Nduutu area that has over the half of the total bird species in the park. The birders don’t seem to hurry here, they more time to look their favorite birds as they involve in moving slowly to look for these birds and not scaring them so cameras should in your hands. This national park harbors five bird species that are not found anywhere in the in Tanzania and other place in the world. Birding is done every time throughout the year though birders are advised between the month of November-April which is a breeding period for most of the species within the park. The park also receives Migratory birds. This activity in Serengeti National Park starts in the early and takes the whole of the day so foods are expected to be carried during the activity. The most common bird species are, Kori Bustard, Secretary birds, Rufous-tailed, weaver, spurb sterling, Ruppell’s vulture, Southern Ground hornbill, Grey-crested helmet, Black Eagles, Ostriches and many other birds around
Hot air balloon experience
This activity starts early morning at around 5am when the wind is its good peak. The visitors will be picked from the Camp very early and the experience start as you fly in the air watching wild animals, plants and many other things on the clear eagle eye view.
Visitors will have a briefing just as early as possible before 5am by himself the pilot. After you will enter the basket. The balloon starts with greater sound at the begging and some shakes before ascending. All the scared will seat down as wait from the pilot to tell them when to stand up or open their eyes. After some time when the balloon stabilizes, the crew will let you know wake up and start enjoying the fresh air as you sail in the cool fantastic winds.
The Hot air balloon is conducted in three sector in Serengeti National Park including the central seronera park the northern Masai Mara and in the Southern Nduutu and all sections enjoy this activity early morning and sometimes depending on the weather. The hot air balloon experience can take from one to four hours and it will end with the bush breakfast where the balloon will stop. The highs may reach 1000 meters above the sea level and if one wants to see the large open area it may go beyond. There are many companies that operate hot air balloon experience and they are used because of their experience in the field.
How to Get there
By road: The most popular way to travel by road to this national park is a general drive from Arusha town to Serengeti National Park. And those passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area the only option is to fly and then drive taking overnight stop to visit the Ngorongoro crater.
Coming from the crater, distance to the Seronera area in the Serengeti is about 140km/90 miles and the driving time is only 2-3 hours
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation facilities are divided into three categories that’s luxury, mid-range, and budget accommodation facilities and these include, Kigelia Camp, Mdonya Old camp, Zebra Kameng’ore Bush Tented camp. Lemmale Ewanan Tented Camp, Andeyond Grumeti Seregeti River, Ndutu Serengeti Savannah Camp, Mbugani Camps Seronera, Suenos de Africa Luxury Camp, Mount Royal Villa, Camp Zebra Serengeti, Into Wild luxury camp and many others