Serengeti national park

Serengeti national park Tanzania is a famous safari destination in Tanzania which is located in the northern part of the country. Wildlife viewing brings many tourists to Serengeti national park throughout the year and safaris at the destination are carried out in the northern, southern, western and central parts of the national park.

Serengeti national park has a vast ecosystem and it consists of vast savannah plains, woodlands, kopjes, riverine forests, hills and so much more which acts as habitat for the various wildlife species. The national park covers about 14750 square kilometres and is also among the oldest national parks in Tanzania.

During a safari around Serengeti national park, wildlife species which can be spotted include the big five such as elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalos. The big five are considered the most difficult wildlife species to hunt on foot and they are a highlight for many tourists as they visit the park.

Other wildlife species which can be seen during safaris around Serengeti national park include giraffes, cheetahs, impalas, kudu, waterbucks, hartebeests, elands, zebras, gazelles, dik dik, hyenas, warthogs and many others.

When visiting Serengeti national park, you can also see various bird species during the year. The national park has over 350 bird species and the best time to see them is around November to April when migrant birds are also present around Serengeti national park.

Wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park

Another attraction in Serengeti national park is the great wildebeest migration which takes place across the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Over 2 million wildebeests can be seen during this migration in Tanzania.

The wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park can be seen in different parts of the national park during the year such as from December to March in the southern plains, from July to August in the northern part of Serengeti, around April and May in the central part of Serengeti national park.

During the wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park, some of the highlights of the migration include the Mara river crossings which take place around July to September when the wildebeest herds cross to Kenya.

The calving season is another highlight of the wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park and it can be seen from December to March. During the wildebeest calving season, over 8000 wildebeest calves are born daily, predators like lions can be seen during a safari as they wait to prey on wildebeests.

Activities to do around Serengeti national park

A lot is there to do when visiting Serengeti national park during a safari around Tanzania and they include the following;

Serengeti national park activities include game drives, guided nature walks, bird watching, hot air balloon safaris, cultural tours among others. These activities can be done at any time of the year.

Game drives around Serengeti national park can be done at different times of the day including the morning, afternoon or evening. Full day game drives are also done during safaris around Serengeti national park while searching for wildlife species such as elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos, giraffes, cheetahs, waterbucks, impalas, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, kudu among others. The best time to see these wildlife species is during the dry season from June to October when wildlife species can be spotted around waterholes.

 

Another activity which is done during safaris in Serengeti national park is guided nature walks. This activity involves getting closer to nature and getting to see wildlife species closely following off the tracks during the wildlife viewing experience. This activity takes about 2 to 3 hours and the guided nature walks can be done in the morning and also in the evening.

Hot air balloon safaris are an exciting activity which can be done during a Tanzania safari around Serengeti national park and during this activity, tourists can enjoy aerial views of the savannah plains and other attractions. Wildlife species can also be spotted in the plains below during this activity which takes 1 hour and it costs about 600 USD. The hot air balloon safari is done northern, central and southern parts of Serengeti national park.

Park entrance fee for Serengeti national park

Serengeti national park fees during tours in Tanzania are as follows excluding 18% tax;

Non-residents above the age of 16 years during safaris to Serengeti national park are charged park entrance fee of 70 USD in the high season and 60 USD in the low season.  Children aged between 5 and 15 years visiting Serengeti national park are charged park entrance fee of 20 USD for non-residents.

During safaris to Serengeti national park, residents above the age of 16 years are charged park entrance fee of 35 USD in the high season and 30 USD in the low season and children of 5 ages between 5 and 15 years are charged park entrance fee of 10 USD.

Park entrance fee paid by Tanzanians above 16 years during safaris to Serengeti national park is 10,000 Tanzania shillings while children aged between 5 and 15 years are charged park entrance fee of 2,000 Tanzania shillings.

During safaris in Serengeti national park, children of all nationalities (Tanzanians, Residents and non-residents) below the age of 5 years are not charged park entrance fees.

How to get to Serengeti national park during safaris

Serengeti national park can be accessed by flight and also by driving during Tanzania safaris. The drive from Arusha to Serengeti national park when visiting the northern part of Tanzania takes about 7 hours.

For the flights to Serengeti national park, different airlines offer charter and scheduled flights to airstrips such as Seronera airstrip, Kogatende airstrip, Lobo airstrip, Ndutu airstrip, Sasakwa airstrip, Kirawira airstrip among others. Some of the airlines which offer flights to Serengeti national park include Flight link, Auric air, Regional air among others.

When traveling to Tanzania, you can fly to Kilimanjaro international airport (JRO) or Arusha airport (ARK) and from the airport, you can fly or be driven to Serengeti national park.

Visit Tanzania and enjoy amazing wildlife viewing during a safari to Serengeti national park.