The Serengeti National Park is a Tanzanian National Park in the Serengeti ecosystem in the Mara and Simiyu regions. Its famous and well known for its annual migration of over 1.5million white beard and 250,000 zebras and variety of the Nile crocodiles and honey badgers. The name Serengeti is an approximation of the word used by the Maasai to describe the area, Siringet which means the place where the land runs on forever. The park gained more fame after the initial work of Bernhard Gizimek and his son Michael in the 1950s. The park is Tanzania’s oldest National Park and remains the flagship of the country’s tourism industry, offering a major draw to the northern safari circuit involing Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park, Arusha National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It has got 2,500 lions and more than 1 million wildebeest.

The park covers 14,750 square kilometers of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest and the woodlands. The park lies in northwestern Tanzania, bordered to the north by the Kenya border, where it proceeds with the Massai Marra National Park. To the south east, the park is bordered by Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to the south west lies Maswa Game reserve to Lojiando Game Control Area. Together, these areas form the larger Serengeti ecosystem. The animal species found in the park include; zebras, gazelle, impalas, hartebeest, buffaloes, topis, waterbucks, hyrax and the pythons. There are also many Nile crocodiles, patas monkeys, hippos, and martial eagles and many more. The many mammal species in this national park include; wildebeest, lions, African leopards, African bush elephants, Eastern black Rhinos and the cape buffaloes.

How to access Serengeti National Park?

The most famous way to travel to Serengeti National Park by road is by booking a drive in safari. In general, the drive in safaris start from the town of Arusha and it will take 8 hours to travel from Arusha to the Serengeti National Park, an overnight stay at one or more wildlife sites en route is usually part of your safari package.

Even though not recommended, the Serengeti National park is accessible when traveling by a rental vehicle. Please keep in mind that careful planning is necessary when driving by yourself through the Park. A 4x4 vehicle is required to be able to access all roads throughout the year. Petrol is sold at seronera in the southern Serengeti Area but driving is not permitted in the park after 19:00.

In case you are looking for a faster and even more convenient option to get to Serengeti, A scheduled or private flight is the way to go. Some of the more exclusive lodges that have their own airstrip and are able to arrange direct scheduled and private charter flights from Kilimanjaro international Airport or Arusha Airport to their air strip.