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A million
wildebeest... each one driven by the same ancient rhythm,
fulfilling its instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of
life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests
and mating; survival of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long
columns plunge through crocodile-infested waters on the
annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief
population explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves
daily before the 1,000 km (600 mile) pilgrimage begins
again.
Tanzania's oldest
and most popular national park, also a world heritage site
and recently proclaimed a 7th world wide wonder, the
Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six
million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000
zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s
trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is
quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating
game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller
groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands
of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.
The spectacle of
predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park.
Golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain
grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the
Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the
southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African
jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a
host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the
insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat.
But there is more
to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and
rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s
isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung
beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species,
ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird
of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar
effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.
As enduring as the game-viewing is the liberating sense of
space that characterises the Serengeti Plains, stretching
across sunburnt savannah to a shimmering golden horizon at
the end of the earth. Yet, after the rains, this golden
expanse of grass is transformed into an endless green carpet
flecked with wildflowers. And there are also wooded hills
and towering termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and
acacia woodland stained orange by dust.
Popular the
Serengeti might be, but it remains so vast that you may be
the only human audience when a pride of lions masterminds a
siege, focussed unswervingly on its next meal.
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About
Serengeti
Size: 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles).
Location: 335km (208 miles) from Arusha, stretching north to
Kenya and bordering Lake Victoria to the west.
Getting
there
Scheduled and charter flights from Arusha, Lake Manyara and
Mwanza.
Drive from Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire or Ngorongoro
Crater.
What to do
Hot air balloon safaris, walking safari, picnicking, game
drives, bush lunch/dinner can be arranged with hotels/tour
operators. Maasai rock paintings and musical rocks.
Visit neighbouring
Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano
and Lake Natron's flamingos.
When to go
To follow the wildebeest migration, December-July. To see
predators, June-October.
Accommodation
Four lodges, six luxury tented camps and camp sites
scattered through the park; one new lodge will be opened
next season (Bilila Lodge); one luxury camp, a lodge and two
tented camps just outside.
NOTE
The route and timing of the wildebeest migration is
unpredictable. Allow at least three days to be assured of
seeing them on your visit - longer if you want to see the
main predators as well. |
