Serengeti National Park
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 40 kilometers (25 miles) 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 kilometers (600 miles) pilgrimage begins again.
Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti, is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles join the wildebeests' 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.
However, 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 characterizes the Serengeti Plains, stretching across the 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.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The famous Ngorongoro Crater is a World Heritage Site situated at the eastern edge of the Serengeti in northern Tanzania. The crater is the largest unbroken ancient caldera in the world. Nearly three million years old, the once-volcanic Ngorongoro is now considered “Africa’ s Garden of Eden”, a haven for thousands of wild game, including lions, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, rhinos, Thomson’s gazelles, and buffaloes.
- World Heritage Site since 1979
- Largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world
- Phenomenal game viewing
- Sparkling soda lake
- Considered by some as the Eighth Natural Wonder of the World
The crater is ringed with steep walls and shelters forests, grasslands, fresh springs, and a large soda lake at its center. The Ngorongoro volcano, before it exploded and collapsed two million years ago, was one of the world’s tallest mountains. The crater measures about 19 kilometers (12 miles) across and the rim are 600 meters (2,000 feet) above the crater floor.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is inhabited by 30,000 animals, all protected within the confines of the crater walls. Resident zebras, wildebeests, Grant's and Thomson’s gazelles are a predator's dream. Tanzania’s few remaining black rhinos are protected and regularly sighted in the crater, as are large herds of buffalo. Huge tusked elephants, black-maned lions, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas are also found, as well as thousands of lesser and greater flamingos in the soda lake.
The Maasai people live in the conservation area around the crater. Known as nomadic herders and warriors, a visit to these traditional, temporary villages “rankings” is a highlight for all visitors to the area. Get a glimpse of their fascinating culture, see them in their bright red robes, watch as they create ornate beadwork and how they live off the land by utilizing cattle. The nomadic Maasai have grazing rights of the Ngorongoro Crater and treat cattle as a sign of wealth.
