A world famous attraction visited by millions annually, the Serengeti National Park is a national park and world heritage site, which has grabbed the attention of travellers since years. It is a phenomenal land famed for the massive migration of wild animals. According to the official website of Tanzania National Parks, nearly ‘six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing.’
Now, here is some relevant information for travellers planning to visit the Serengeti National park.
Wildlife and The Big Five
The Serengeti region is home to a wide variety of wild animals and birds. Some of them are Aardwolf, Bushbuck, Vervet Monkey, Crowned Crane, Banded Mongoose, Giraffe, Side-striped Jackal, Ostrich, and Klipspringer. When going on an African safari, people naturally look forward to ‘The Big Five’. The ‘Big Five’ refers to African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros.
The Great Migration
The great Serengeti wildebeest migration is the movement of huge numbers of wildebeest, together with Grant’s gazelle, Thompson’s gazelle, eland, impalas, and countless zebras. These move every year. The exact timing of Serengeti wildebeest migration is totally dependent upon the rainfall patterns of the year.
Plant Life
The national park features grassland, woodland, plains, kopjes, and marshes. The plants that can be found here include Strangle Fig, Wild Date Palm, Sausage tree, Candelabra Euphorbia, Balanites, and Pan Dropseed.
Best Time for Exploration
The best time to explore Serengeti National Park is from January to March or from June to October. Those who wish to witness The Great Migration should visit Southern Serengeti in winters (January to March). Summer and Fall (June to October) is the time when these herds move towards the northern area.
Accommodation
As per the website of ‘Serengeti National Park’, the national park has two accommodation variants. They are Safari Lodges and Luxury Tented Camps. To elaborate, the Safari Lodges have a wonderful design and are created to blend in with the wild landscapes of the park. They have swimming pools too! Equivalently, the Luxury Tented Camps are well-equipped with en-suite bathrooms, private verandahs, and elegant furniture.
Food and Water
Quite surprisingly, the quality and variety of food available on safari is commendable. Freshly-prepared food is served, irrespective of the kind of accommodation one puts up in, be it a lodge, a tented camp, or a mobile safari camp. Bottled water is available at all the lodges and camps.
Clothes to Wear
Visitors must wear cotton clothes with safari-like colours. During the daytime, one should put on shorts or casual lightweight trousers. At night, the temperature is low, so warm sweaters are advised. Long sleeves save one from mosquito bites.
