Right from 1913, when explorer Stewart Edward White called it heaven, Serengeti’s natural ambience like fine wine has only gotten better with age. The Lion King – a Disney animated movie, was inspired by it. Located in Northern Tanzania, Serengeti extends over the Maswa Game Reserve, Lake Natron and Ngorongoro Conservation area. It is seperated from Kenya’s Maasai Mara by the Mara River. Tanzania vacation lovers will not be disappointed with Serengeti National Park.
With two biosphere reserves, it’s been described by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The vast 30,000km2 ecosystem teams with panoramic landscape, rich history and wildlife and cultural Maasai influence. It has the oldest ecosystem on earth. Yearly, well over 90,000 tourists, visiting the modern day Africa’s Eden are spoilt for choices; they include scientists’, archaeologists, hikers, writers and honeymooners.
Serengeti was derived from Maasai word ‘Siringit’ that means ‘the place where the land runs forever’ true to its meaning; a safari to the Serengeti is infinite, as its vastness. Visitors can delight walking safaris, game drives, hot air balloon safaris with possibilities of bush lunches and dinners. Holidaymakers can also go on bird watching safaris and see birds like the ibis, yellow wagtails, white storks, saddle bail storks, and ruff.
Nicknamed the high noble arc of the cloudless African sky, Serengeti’s sunset has given many photographers gems of timeless photos. The tranquil plain blue skyline provides the ideal setting for hot air balloon expeditions. The bird’s eye view provided by the hot air balloons, means tourists can look on as predators stalk their prey in the grassy plains or spectate the riotous wildebeest migration spectacle.
The migration commences in the early April when wildebeests and other browsers resist odds and cross the crocodile infested Mara River to the Maasai Mara for green grass. This heavily awesome show has been described the seventh world’s wonder.
Vacationers can also visit the active Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano that ejects carbonatite lava which on exposure to air changes its color from black to white, much like washing soda. When rained on, this thick layer of ash toughens as cement and tree roots can’t get through it. This has resulted in treeless plains at some parts of Serengeti. This volcanic activity has led to granite outcroppings called Koppes that provide a micro habitat for non plains wildlife like the Simba Koppe.
The Ngorongoro Crater, which has the biggest animal concentration around the world all year, is a favorite with adventuresome tourists. Its caldera volcano is the biggest of its kind in the world and is home to the Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey archaeologists found a 1.8 million year old skeleton. It’s consequently believed to be the origins of humanity.
regular and chartered flights can land at the Seronera Airstrip in the Serengeti. Fly 540 offers regular flights from the Kilimanjaro International Airport. From Lake Manyara, Mwanza and Arusha there are charter airlines that fly there.
In regards to hotels and lodges in Tanzania, there are several hotels and lodges that operate in Serengeti are the Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Serena Lodge, Crater Lodge and Simba and Klein’s Campsite. The architecture of these hotels and lodges captures the feel of the Serengeti. The interiors are adorned with Maasai artifacts and other decorations that describe the activities there like active volcano, wildebeest migration and sunset among others. When preparing to go for safari to Tanzania, those that inclined towards camping can choose Tanzania’s cheap, camping safari packages.
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