The Serengeti, the first World Heritage site, is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania’s protected areas which altogether make up some 14% of the country’s land area, a conservation record that few other countries can match. First established in the 1920’s it was made a national park in 1951.
The Serengeti means “endless plains” in Maasai, aptly named as this is a vast area which encompasses the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Maswa Game Reserve to name a few. The park is just short of 15,000 square kilometres large, which is about 1,000 square kilometers larger than the island of Hawaii.
The Serengeti is one of the most famous national parks on Earth, but best known for its great migration. Imagine a sea of animals, over 200,000 zebras and 1,000,000 wildebeest moving clockwise around the plains following the rains and the new shoots.
While the magnificence of the migration is hard to beat, the Serengeti is a stunning place to visit at any time of year. A prolific area for game spotting, over 70 specifies of larger mammals, including all of the “big five” and some of the largest herds of elephants to be seen anywhere.
From romantic tented camps to exclusive safari lodges and private villas, accommodation in the Serengeti is found throughout the park itself as well as on adjacent private reserves and there is something to appeal to any traveller.
