The subsoil, made of volcanic rocks especially in the south, prevents the growth of tall trees and grasslands prevail, so the open environment fosters sightings. Here the orography, the soil composition and, consequently, the type of vegetation, allow unmatched animal sightings in Africa. The 15,000 square kilometres (9320 sq miles) of the Serengeti National Park are only the major portion of a larger ecosystem, which includes the Ngorongoro Plains (the flat region to the north east of the Ngorongoro Crater, which plays an important role in the famous migration and is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area) and the Maasai Mara (which is located further north, in Kenya). The rivers offer the perfect habitat for crocodiles and hippos there are more than 400 species of birds. The Serengeti ecosystem is home to over 1.5 million wildebeests, 400,000 zebras, 500,000 Thompson gazelles, more than 2,700 lions, 1000 leopards, 500 cheetahs, huge herds of elephants, elands, impalas, waterbucks, giraffes, ostriches, and genets. ![]() These days are dedicated to the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s most famous park and one of the most famous in the world. Predators include numerous leopards and lions the latter, annoyed by soil moisture and insects, have acquired the habit (rather rare in these big cats and found only in a few other areas) of climbing on tree branches. They range from dense forests fed by springs that emerge at the foot of the Rift Valley to savannahs and wetlands.Īmong many animal species there are large colonies of baboons, vervet monkeys and other species of monkeys, elephants, giraffes and three hundred and eighty species of birds.įrom December to March, large flocks of lesser pink flamingos can be found here which then migrate towards Lake Natron from June to October. Lake Manyara, below the Rift Valley escarpment, is home to various habitats despite its small area (330 sq km/205 sq miles), of which two hundred are occupied by the lake). ![]() you can choose between the following activities:ġ) Game drives in the lake Manyara National Park Limited accommodation means low numbers of visitors, northern Serengeti remains relatively light on traffic.ĭay 1: lake Manyara or Visit Mto wa Mbu Villageĭeparture from Kilimanjaro Airport or from Arusha town for Karatu, Ngorongoro region. In actual fact there as much of the Mara River in the Serengeti as there is in the Kenyan Maasai Mara.īut whereas on the Kenyan side there is accommodation for in excess of 5000 visitors, which translates into heavy tourist pressure, over “our side” there is just a handful of excellent small camps. The first wildebeest to arrive at the river are very reluctant to cross, but as the pressure builds from the rear they are eventually left with little choice and the spasmodic crossings begin.īy the end of Augustsome wildebeest cross into Kenya and enter the Maasai Mara, while many others stay in in Tanzania. It is a great time for the epic crossings of the Mara River, haunted by huge crocodiles. ![]() Wildebeest and zebras in the Serengeti eco-system are the actors of “ the greatest show on Earth”, they are part of the largest migratory movement of wild animals anywhere in the world, about 2,000,000 ungulates constantly moving in search of pastures and water.ĭuring this time of the year the migrant herds head north, towards the dry season grazing grounds. The Great Migration in Northern Serengeti:
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