Activities to do in serengeti National Park
Activities to do in Serengeti National Park are what attract many visitors to Tanzania each year. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most popular national park in the country. It lies in the northeast of Tanzania and occupies some 30,000 square kilometers of land. To its north lies the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to its west are the Ikorongo and Grumeti Game Reserves, and finally to its southwest is the Maswa Game Reserve. “Serengeti” translates to “Endless Plains” from the Maasai language.
The park was established in 1952; it originally comprised Ngorongoro. It is renowned for its extensive open grasslands, rocky outcrops known as kopjes, rivers, and Acacia trees. Animal life is abundant in this landscape and consists of many species of the Big Five: elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, and lions, in addition to wildebeests, zebras, hyenas, giraffes, wild dogs, hippos, crocodiles, and more than 450 birds species
Things to Do in Serengeti National Park
Morning Game Drive
One of the most common activities in Serengeti is a morning game drive. This is the recommended option for viewing the Big Five as well as other animals. They are most active in the early morning and late afternoon. The morning game drive starts at sunrise and continues till about 11 a.m. It provides an opportunity to watch animals returning to their hiding places after a night on the move or going out to feed. This is also an excellent opportunity to see lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and hippos as they wake up.
Night game drive
Game drive by night. Another thrilling option is a night game drive, during which you hear and see animals of the darkness. But night drives are normally not permitted. Serengeti National Park itself has a handful of neighboring reserves and private conservancies that offer this. While on your night game drive safari, you may expect to see civets, aardvarks, bush babies and nightjars, to name just a few. You may also see zebras, hyenas, impalas, giraffes, jackals and foxes, and predators including lions, hyenas and leopards.
Watching the Great Migration
Viewing the Great Migration is one of the most awesome experiences you can have in this park. Every year, between June and October, more than 1.5 million wildebeests, together with many zebras, migrate between the south of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater and back to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. February and March are the best months to experience this aspect of wildlife in the park since many calves are born in the south of the park. Other predators such as hyenas, cheetahs, and lions are also on the hunt for the migrating animals.
Guided nature walks
Guided nature walks are the best way to explore the Serengeti apart from the daily game drives. Guided nature walks can be somewhat unpredictable, and you’ll never be on any sort of predetermined agenda. Along the way, you may be able to get some glimpses of reptiles, birds, insects, and endemic plants that you may never get to otherwise. Guided nature walks are basically organized around the lodge or the accommodation that you’ve planned.
Hot air balloon safari
For a distinctive view of the Serengeti, a hot air balloon safari is a must if your wallet can take the hit. From high above the land, you’ll enjoy a stunning aerial view of the plains and the animals running wild. This is a favorite activity when doing the wildebeest migration, where thousands can be seen in the sky. The safaris are usually morning affairs, finishing with a champagne breakfast in the wild. They hold 12 to 16 people per balloon.
Bird Watching
Serengeti National Park boasts 542 species of birds that have been recorded. 100 of these are considered resident and 11 are endemic to the Serengeti. There are also migratory birds that make their way to the park from November through to April. From all that way, they really come all the way from Europe and North Africa. While on your birdwatching tour, you’ll have the chance to spot a variety of different bird species, such as ostriches and vultures, Black-headed Herons, D’Arnaud’s barbets, Dark Chanting Goshawks, Decken-Toko Tockus, Grey-breasted spurfowls, Grey-headed sparrows, Purple Grenadiers, Red-backed scrubs, Rufous-tailed weavers, Secretary birds, Kori bustards, Variable Sunbirds, White-bellied go-away birds, White-crowned shrike and Yellow-throated sandgrouse.
Meals in the bush
If you are traveling in pairs or on honeymoon in the Serengeti, you can dine in the midst of the African jungles. There are many good hotels that can provide you with a nighttime dining experience and tables laid out beautifully.
Visit Bologonja Springs
The Bologonja Springs are located in the northeast corner of the park and are known for some of the best views in the Serengeti. They are the sources of water that maintain vegetation year-round. Vegetation supports small primates, birds, animals that migrate, different species of giraffes, elephants, steenbok, mountain reedbucks, and many herbivorous species of animals. In this location, you are less likely to encounter large crowds that are present in the central part of Serengeti.
Visit the Serengeti Visitor Center
If you are interested in learning more about it, you can head on over to the Serengeti Visitor Center. They have displays and facts about the park and its history. Then you can go to the gift shop or coffee shop or just hang out at the picnic area.
Visit the Lobo Valley
Lobo Valley is an ideal place for the observation of lions and leopards. Lobo Valley is full of prey and watering holes that never run dry. And you will be able to watch the passage of baboons, elephants, and giraffes too. From July to November, it is one of the favorite locations of the Great Migration. Zebras, wildebeests, and gazelles graze on the lush green pastures.
Visit the Moru Kopjes
Think Lion King—those are Kopjes. Kopjes are rocky outcrops scattered around the Serengeti that are topped off with vegetation, little watering holes, and shade. This is where lions and other predators like to lounge around, keeping an eye out for potential prey. The Moru Kopjes are the most well-known and spectacular Kopjes and house some well-preserved Maasai rock art on their sides. From this spot, you can scan the horizon for animals in the plains below via binoculars. Another good spot for black rhinos.
The Olduvai Gorge
The Olduvai Gorge, “Cradle of Mankind,” is another name for Olduvai Gorge because it is at this location that the first human fossils were discovered by the Leakey family. It is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, in the vicinity of the East African Rift Valley. It was at this location that the Leakeys had their research camp, and fossils and tools dating back over 2 million years were discovered. Visitors can view them at a small museum nearby.
Visit the Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater is no longer in Serengeti but is instead located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro houses more than 30,000 large animals and can be considered the “garden of Eden” for animals. Ngorongoro was created when a volcanic mountain erupted and collapsed. Animals in this place do not migrate, and you can view them at any time of the year. Maasai pastoralists are given permission to graze their cattle in this place, and you can view them while you are on the hunt for Africa’s Big Five.
Visit the Maasai
The Maasai live in sparse villages as semi-nomadic herders primarily in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are, if not the most widely recognized tribe in east Africa. They are fairly tall and dress in brightly colored clothing. The Maasai have resided close to the plains of the Serengeti for the last 300 years, coming from Sudan. Many of their traditional asking and avenues of faith for life. A trip to a Maasai village or boma is your opportunity to discover their culture. They are friendly and may take you on hunts, show you how they milk their cattle, prepare traditional food, and so much more. Visit a village, school or market.
Camping
Camping in the wild is another popular camping safari in Tanzania – Serengeti. Organized camps are normally provided, including camping equipment, a cook, and protection in the form of guards. It can be much more fun when you are in a group.
Retina Hippo Pool
This is not a swimming pool, and it is actually an area in which hippos like to rest and wallow. Visitors are attracted to this pool in their hundreds because it is located at Seronera, and it houses hippos in large numbers. Even hippos and buffalo can be dangerous animals, but this pool allows visitors to get closer for photography.
Best Time to Visit
The Serengeti is open all year round. To see the great migration of animals, it’s best to go during specific times. The migration is most pronounced between May and June and December and March. And you can catch wildebeest near the River Grumeti in May to June. Best views: Southern Plains 12 Dec – 14 Mar. For the northern sectors of the park—Kogatende, Lobo, and Loliondo —July through October is spectacular when the wildebeest cross the Mara River into Kenya.
