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The endless plains
The Serengeti, whose Maasai name ‘Siringet' translates as ‘the endless plains', offers unparalleled ornithological opportunities and an unrivalled natural arena wherein the glory and harmony of nature can be appreciated as nowhere else on earth.
Fact File
Area: 14,760 sq kms.
Location: 200 kms west of Arusha: the park’s northern boundary abuts with the Kenya border, its western boundary reaches Lake Victoria.
Altitude: 950-1,850 m.
Vegetation: Undulating open grassland plans with an extensive block of acacia woodland savannah in the centre.
Fauna: Unrivalled herds of plains game, which migrate between seasonal water supplies, include 1.3 million wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, lion and spotted hyena. Non-migrants include hunting dog, cheetah, black rhino, elephant in the north, giraffe, buffalo, topi, eland, numerous rodetns and bats, golden and side-striped jackal, mongoose and otter.
Birds: Over 350 recorded species.
Climate: There are two distinct seasons: the dry season between June and October and the wet season, which starts in November and lasts irregularly until May.
The Serengeti National Park
The vast and sensational Serengeti, covering 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, is Tanzania’s first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends.
The million-plus wildebeest are the predominant herbivore and also the main prey of a huge cast of large carnivores, principally lion and hyena. Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.
The Serengeti Ecosystem
Life in the Serengeti National Park is a complex and dynamic ecological system in which all the animals and plants interact both with each other and with their environment. No organism is static or exists in isolation and all are dependant on the rains.
The park is made up of several different vegetation zones: in the dry south are the short and long grassland plains, where an average of only 50cm of rain falls per year. In the centre lies an area of acacia savannah whilst the western corridor marks a region of wooded highlands and ‘black cotton’ soil curving in a great swathe to the edge of Lake Victoria. To the north is wooded grassland, which concentrates along the watercourses and tributaries of the Grumeti and Mara Rivers.
The annual migration
Twice a year, propelled by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake an 800 km trek to new grazing lands. The precise timing of the migration varies but generally the herbivores congregate and move out at the end of May, sometimes over a period of weeks, sometimes over a period of as little as three or four days. They then head west on the first leg of a roughly triangular 800-km circuit that takes approximately 3-4 months and ends in the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya. When the grazing here is exhausted the tide of herbivores turns and reverses its progress returning to the short grass plains of Tanzania.
The history of the Serengeti
Approximately one hundred years ago, the warlike Maasai first arrived in the Serengeti, bringing their cattle to graze on the rich grasslands. Prior to this the region was uninhabited and visited only by the hunter-gatherer Ndorobo and Ikoma tribes. The Maasai were followed, in 1913, by the Europeans, who were so quick to assess its game-hunting potential that, by 1921, the Serengeti’s teeming herds had been almost entirely decimated. This necessitated the establishment, firstly of a Reserve and finally, in 1951, a National Park. As a result the Serengeti is an area where human habitation is prohibited.
Around and about
Olduvai Gorge, the ‘Cradle of Mankind’, where the remains of our earliest ancestors, the hominids, were found.
Wildlife highlights: wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, lion, spotted hyena, hunting dog, cheetah, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, topi, eland, jackal and otter. Birds: over 350 recorded species including 34 raptors. |
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Offering ultimate value-for-money, in addition to 2 nights in Nairobi, this tour showcases Kenya’s most famous park, the Masai Mara. Crossing into Tanzania’s mighty Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park. The safari accommodation features a fine selection of small tented safari camps and lodges. |
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'Kiboko' means 'Hippo' in Swahili
Showcasing a panoramic north-south selection of Kenya’s most famous national parks in Kenya and crossing into Tanzania’s mighty Serengeti and thereafter descending into the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, the sensational Ngorongoro Crater. Uniquely varied, this essential travel itinerary also includes stays in both traditional safari lodges and tented camps. End your tour with a game drive in the lovely evergreen Lake Manyara Park. |
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Showcasing the very essence of the Serengeti and its surrounding areas, this compact 5-day road safari begins on the shores of beautiful Lake Manyara National Park before moving into the grandeur of the Serengeti, where traditional lodge accommodation is provided for two nights. Leaving the Serengeti, the tour includes a fascinating visit to Olduvai Gorge, the legendary ‘Cradle of Mankind’, |
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‘For those who enjoy the ultimate luxury of staying on private reserves, where the wildlife and culture can be enjoyed in privileged seclusion this exclusive air safari is ideal. Commencing with a night in a ‘plantation house’ on one of Tanzania’s largest coffee estates, it features two nights luxury tented camp accommodation on a private conservation area adjacent to the undiscovered wilderness of Tarangire National Park, followed by two nights in the gracious Manor of Shangri-la Private Estate, which lies just adjacent to the Ngorongoro Crater, where a full-days guided tour is offered. Covering optimum distances in minimum time, this unusual safari also offers guided walks, night game drives, cultural tours and two nights in the unprecedented tented camp luxury of the Migration Camp, which stands amid the splendour of the magnificent Serengeti National Park. |
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A high-value road safari featuring both luxury tented camps and traditional safari lodges, this new safari offers a rich selection of both cultural activities and wildlife viewing experiences. |
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This luxury road and air safari showcase the undiscovered wilderness of Tarangire National Park, the possibility of seeing the famous tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara, the glory of the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge Palaeolithic site and the magnificent Serengeti. Covering optimum distances in minimum time, this unique safari also offers both traditional safari lodge and luxury tented camp accommodation. |
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A high-value road safari featuring both luxury tented camps and traditional safari lodges, this memorable Tanzanian safari offers a sensational two-night stay in the world-famous Serengeti National Park, and a visit to the ‘eighth wonder of the world’, the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater and end your tour with a game drive in the lovely evergreen Lake Manyara Park. |
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Located at the heart of the Serengeti National Park, the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti is set to become one of the world's dream African hideaways. This luxury lodge offers spectacular views, wildlife roaming over miles of bush, an active waterhole and the magical sunsets of the African savannah. All of its 77 luxury rooms and private safari villas are decorated with handpicked African artwork and give an irresistible feeling of freedom and comfort. |
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Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp is set in the remote reaches of the park, on a tributary of the Grumeti River, which is famed for its wildebeest crossings and enormous Nile crocodiles. Concealed within a strip of riverine forest, the Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp hosts spectacular pied colobus monkeys (found nowhere else in the Serengeti), owls and bushbabies. Every year between June and July, Africa's annual Great Migration passes through Grumeti... |
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Ikoma Bush Camp is situated on the borders of the Serengeti National Park. A simple but authentic bush camp, it offers the ideal opportunity to experience real under-canvas safari life. Located on the path of the great migration (along the western corridor and taking in Kirawira and the Grumeti River), Ikoma Bush Camp offers easy access to the park, and all the advantages of not being within a designated national park - such as guided game walks and night game drives - neither of which are permitted within the parks. |
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The most exclusive of the Serena Group's many safari venues, and a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group, Kirawira Tented Camp offers the epitome of classic ‘Out of Africa' safari camp luxury. Styled to replicate the elegant hunting camps of such legendary ‘white hunters' as Denys Finch Hatton and Baron Bror Blixen, it is located adjacent to the famous western corridor of the Serengeti National Park - arena of the ‘Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth', the annual migration of over one million wildebeest. |
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Klein''s Camp is one of the & Beyond Africa (formerly CC Africa) group of small, elegant safari lodges, set against some of the world's most awe-inspiring backdrops. Klein's Camp is deep in the heart of Maasai territory in the buffalo-rich north-eastern Serengeti in Tanzania. Built on a 10,000-hectare (24,800 acres) private wildlife concession leased from the Maasai, the surrounding wilderness is devoted to the exclusive use of the camp's 20 guests. |
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Lemala Mara Luxury Camp is the ultimate seasonal camp in Serengeti, within touching distance of the Mara River and set in a grove of large Euclea trees in the heart of the best game viewing area of the Northern Serengeti. Here, in this immense remote wilderness, almost double the size of the Masai Mara, guests can enjoy fabulous landscapes and terrific off-road game viewing with practically no crowds. |
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Perched on the edge of a permanent marsh, Lemala Ndutu Luxury Camp is the ultimate amphitheatre for the wildebeest migration between December and April. 8 luxury tents and 1 family tent of a very high specification are relocated from the Mara area of Northern Serengeti to this stunning Ndutu site between Dec and mid-April purely to capture the boundless drama that accompanies the migration. |
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The most northern lodge in the Serengeti, and one of its earliest, Lobo Wildlife Lodge is built around a huge rocky outcrop, known as kopje, and thus merges magnificently into the landscape. Overlooking the plains, Lobo Wildlife Lodge offers 76 rooms, a restaurant ringed by huge walls of granite, a rock swimming pool and bar and panoramic views over the Serengeti, venue for the annual migration of the wildebeest. |
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Mapito Tented Camp is a relatively simple, classic tented camp that is located in the Ikoma region, which is technically just outside the boundaries of the national park. Offering just 10 tents, Mapito Tented Camp is small and intimate. And, because it stands outside the park boundaries, the camp is able to offer walking safaris and night game drives, neither of which are permitted within the boundaries of the park. |
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Mbalageti Serengeti Camp lies in the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park, at Mwamyeni hill and enjoys spectacular sunsets and views over the endless plains and the Mbalageti River, after which the camp is named. Luxuriously appointed, the camp offers a high level of comfort and spectacular surroundings. Run by the Sandhu Family, it also promises a warm welcome and a high level of personal attention. Located on the banks of a river which can be subject to seasonal floods, the camp also boasts its own private swing bridge. |
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Scenically located in a glade, known as ‘the place of the klipspringer (mbuzi mawe) , and guarded by three million year-old granite towers, this luxury tented-camp is unique. Cleverly located on one of the main annual migration corridors for over one million wildebeest, half a million zebras and gazelles, and their accompanying cast of predators it is also located at the very epicentre of one of the world's most famous national parks |
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Ndutu Safari Lodge is an unassuming, yet much sought after safari destination located in the south east of the park, at the heart of the Serengeti Plains and at the head of the famous Olduvai Gorge, ‘birthplace of mankind'. Overlooking a pretty lake Ndutu, the safari lodge is set in acacia woodlands against the backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands. Established as a hunting camp by the legendary ‘white hunter' George Dove in the 1960s, Ndutu Safari Lodge offers 34 comfortable safari cottages, set unfenced in the midst of the wilderness. |
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Olakira Camp is a mobile tented safari camp that moves through the Serengeti, attempting to stay close to the patterns of the annual migration of the wildebeest. The camp is pitched in Ndutu from mid December until the end of March. This is usually the magical period during which the migration takes over the Ndutu plains to give birth to the next generation of wildebeest. A seasonal safari camp, Olakira then moves up to the central Serengeti for the months of June and July. |
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Kusini means ‘south' in Swahili, and Sanctuary Kusini Camp is located in the southern-central region of the Serengeti National Park. Perfectly situated in a cluster of kopjes, Sanctuary Kusini Camp is a permanent tented camp, blended seamlessly into the delicate environment of the predator-rich plains of the Serengeti. The surrounding short grass plains provide the setting for the most spectacular natural phenomenon in the continent of Africa |
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Sayari Camp (Sayari is Kiswahili for universe/planet) is located on the Mara River, in the northern part of the Serengeti. This is where the Migration typically stays from mid July/August until November. Outside the Migration season, however, there is also an abundance of residential wildlife. At this time, Sayari Camp is the only permanent camp on the Tanzanian side of the Mara River area. Sayari Camp is an intimate seasonal tented camp, with only nine safari tents. |
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Serengeti Acacia Camps are centrally located in the Serengeti – a hunter’s Valhalla, a photographer’s paradise, a traveller’s dream destination and the home of the Seventh Natural Wonder of the World.
The Serengeti Acacia Camps is known for its exclusive accommodations. Serengeti Acacia Camps crafts trustworthy and unforgettable safari experiences, providing the uppermost excellence of luxury and comfort. Warm and genuine Tanzania’s hospitality characterises a safari with Serengeti Acacia, where guests are indulged with a luxurious and personalised stay. |
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Richly furnished throughout, Serengeti Migration Camp provides a haven of sumptuous indulgence, offering all the benefits of a safari lodge while retaining an authentic bush atmosphere and the sense of adventure that can only be derived from sleeping under canvas. The Serengeti Migration Camp offers just twenty luxury safari tents, each of which is surrounded by a wide veranda deck with 360 degree views. |
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Serengeti Savannah Camp is a mobile tented camp, which offers all the comforts of a private safari, without the prohibitive cost. Serengeti Savannah Camp likes to say that it is like the lion prides, it blends into bush, its form follows function and it is always to be found close to the migration of the wildebeest. Each fully equipped safari camp is designed for traditional safari comfort while offering excellent service food and hospitality. |
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Set high on the saddle of a tree-clad ridge, commanding panoramic views across the Serengeti, this lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. Winner of numerous awards from the world travel press, it is perhaps the finest venue the Serengeti has to offer. Centrally located adjacent to the famous Western Corridor and Grumeti River, the lodge has been designed to blend completely into the living landscape. |
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The Serengeti Sopa Lodge is camouflaged within dense acacia woodland, on the edge of a picturesque escarpment that overlooks the wildlife-teeming plains of the south-western part of the world-famous Serengeti National Park, host to the spectacular annual migration of the wildebeest. Surrounded by the Nyarboro Hills, The Serengeti Sopa Lodge offers a spacious reception, lobby and lounge; 69 luxury rooms, 4 suites, a swimming pool, a range of dining and bar experiences and an excellent selection of safari activities. |
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The Seronera Wildlife Lodge is a typical example of a Tanzania safari lodge, which has been artfully constructed round a rocky outcrop, known in the Serengeti as a kopje. Perfectly blended into its safari surroundings, the lodge is surrounded by a number of waterholes, which attract wildlife by both day and night. Ideally located for safari game drives, balloon safaris and guided walks, the Seronera Wildlife Lodge offers 75 rooms, a central safari lounge and dining area and extensive grounds. |
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Backed by the rolling savanna of the Serengeti but bordered by the glittering waters of Lake Victoria, the largest inland lake in the world, the white-painted Speke Bay Lodge , with its traditional round or ‘rondavel' thatched buildings resembles a small village of the local Sukuma people, strung out along the shores of Lake Victoria. Though outside the borders of the Serengeti National Park, the luxury Speke Bay Lodge is only 15 minutes drive from the nearest gate, allowing guests to combine the traditional safari experience |
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'Suyan' is Maasai for 'wild dog', the spectacularly beautiful but endangered species, which traditionally hunts across the Suyan plains. A seasonal (mobile) camp, which is designed to echo the course of the annual migration of the wildebeest, Suyan Camp is located in the Piaya area December to March. Immediately beyond the boundaries of both the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Piaya area is ideally located for game drives in both of these famous safari venues. |
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