Serengeti National Park

Between the Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Victoria and Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya stretches one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges, the Serengeti. The name comes from the Maasai word siringet, meaning “endless plains”. The Serengeti’s 14,763 square kilometres contains about three million large animals, most taking part in seasonal migrations, which remain unparalleled in nature.

Twice a year, triggered by the rains, 1.4 million wildebeest, 300,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle gather to undertake the long trek to their new grazing lands. The migration of the herbivores roughly defines the boundaries of Serengeti National Park, which is the central zone of the Serengeti ecosystem.This ecosystem also includes Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Maswa Game Reserve to the west. Within these 25,900 square kilometres of varied landscape live thirty-five species of plains game and 500 species of bird. The endless plains of the Serengeti lie 330 kilometres northwest of Arusha.