Allow the enormous migration inside this dynamic ecology to move you

Welcome to Serengeti National Park, the only spot where you may see millions of migratory wildebeest over Acacia plains, the cradle of human existence, and the closest you can ever go to an unspoiled African wilderness. Even though thousands of animals are continuously on the go, time appears to stand still in this location. 

 

The world's most spectacular wildlife location 

It is difficult to articulate the enchantment of Serengeti National Park. You will attempt to communicate to your friends and relatives not just the sight, but also the sound of millions of wildebeest buzzing so densely in the air that it vibrates through your entire body, before realising that it is impossible. Sunset vistas of honey-lit grasslands are so breathtaking that they make the trek worthwhile. The Maasai people's sincere grins induce an instantaneous feeling of warmth within you. Or just the experience of being continually surrounded by tens of thousands of animals — no matter what season of the migration you visit the Serengeti 

 

National Park, it is always magnificent. Interminable cycle of the Great Migration 

When United Nations delegates convened in Stockholm in 1981, Serengeti National Park was one of the first locations to be designated a World Heritage Site. By the late 1950s, this region had already been recognised as a distinct ecosystem, giving several insights into how the natural world operates and demonstrating how dynamic ecosystems truly are. 

 

Today, the majority of people come for one purpose: to observe millions of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, and elands on a mass migration to quench their thirst and consume new grass. Throughout this massive cyclical migration, these ungulates roam throughout the ecosystem according to a seasonal rhythm determined by precipitation and grass nitrogen levels. Nowhere else can so enormous flocks of migrating animals be observed. The Serengeti is protected, yet unfenced, in contrast to other notable animal parks. Providing animals with sufficient room for their return voyage, which they have been undertaking for millions of years. Explore further the Great Migration. 

 

In excess of the Great Migration 

Even if, for many travellers, the migration is one of the primary reasons to visit Serengeti National Park, it is worthwhile to explore beyond this spectacular event. Nature cannot be controlled, to begin with. It is vital to have reasonable expectations regarding your likelihood of observing a river crossing or a large herd in motion. A river crossing, for example, often lasts no more than thirty minutes and may therefore be missed in the blink of an eye. However, this should not deter you from visiting the Serengeti, since there are many other reasons to go. If not for this enormous expanse of territory where you may travel forever and never get enough, it could be for the beautiful sky of dazzling colours or the primitive sensation of thrill when a deep dark grey rainstorm develops on the horizon. Or, you may hear the lion's call and travel to the Serengeti to see one of the world's greatest concentrations of predators: the herds support over 7,500 hyenas, 3,000 lions, and 250 cheetahs. What about the stoic grey giants? The elephants of the Serengeti amble over the plains and into the forests, munching on leaves and tree branches. Read more about animals in Serengeti wildlife. Tribes in the cradle of humankind 

 

Despite the fact that animals currently dominate the Serengeti plains, this region has a long history of human occupancy. This region has been inhabited by humans and their predecessors (Australopithecus afarensis) for almost 4 million years. Several indigenous tribes still reside within Serengeti National Park as now. Due to their well-preserved culture, the Maasai are one of the most well-known tribes; theirs is a distinct and well-known tradition. Despite education, civilization, and western cultural influences, the Maasai have maintained their traditional lifestyle, making them an icon of Tanzanian and Kenyan culture. Learn more about the Maasai nation. 

 

The background of Serengeti National Park 

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, explorers and missionaries described the Serengeti plains and the many creatures that lived there. Before expeditions in the late 1920s and early 1930s, only little facts were published about the enormous wildebeest migrations, and the first images of the region were taken. 

In the present-day southern and eastern Serengeti, an area of 2,286 square kilometres was designated as a wildlife reserve in 1930. They permitted sport hunting until 1937, after which they prohibited all hunting activity. In 1940, the region was designated as a protected area, and in 1951, the Serengeti National Park was created, encompassing the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro highlands. They established the park's headquarters on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater. 

 

Thus, the original Serengeti National Park, as proclaimed in 1951, contained what is now the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). In 1959, the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area were separated, and the park's boundaries were extended to the Kenyan border. The primary reason for separating the Ngorongoro region was the realisation by local Maasai that they were faced with eviction and, as a result, were not permitted to graze their livestock within the national park's limits. Protests were organised to stop this from occurring. The Maasai may reside and graze their livestock in the Ngorongoro Crater Area, but not within the confines of Serengeti National Park.

 

In 1961, the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya was established, and in 1965, the Lamai Wedge between the Mara River and the Kenyan border was added to Serengeti National Park, creating a corridor for the wildebeests to migrate from the Serengeti plains in the south to the Loita plains in the north. The Maswa Game Reserve was formed in 1962, and in 1967, a little tract north of The Grumeti River in the western corridor was added. 

The Serengeti National Park was recommended as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for the first time during the 1972 Stockholm session. It was created legally in 1981.