SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

More than six million hooves pound the legendary Serengeti, whose very name means endless plains. Every year triggered by the rains, more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle gather to undertake their long trek to new grazing lands. The rutting season is a frenzied three week long bout of territorial conquests and mating, followed by survival of the fittest as the 40 kilometers long columns plunge through crocodile infested waters on the annual exodus north. Replenishing the species is the brief population explosion that produces more than 8000 calves a day before the 1000 kilometers pilgrimage begins again.
            Tanzania’s first and most famous park, the Serengeti, is reknown for its wealth of leopard and lion. The vast reaches of the park help black rhino to fight extinction and provide a protected breeding ground for the vulnerable cheetah, alongside the Serengeti thousands of other diverse species, from the 500 varieties of bird to 100 different types of dung beetle.
            After the rains, the Serengeti magical golden horizon is transformed into an endless green carpet, freckled with wildflowers,. The famous plains are intercepted with wooded hills, towering termite mounds and monumental rocky kopjes, and rivers lined with elegant acacia trees.
            To search for the sometimes elusive wildebeest migration, visit the Serengeti from December to July. To see predators, June to October are the best months. For the best chance of finding the migration, allow a minimum of three days, longer if possible.