Where Is The Serengeti National Park Located?

Where in the world is the Serengeti National Park? That’s an easy question to answer! The Serengeti National Park and Wildlife Refuge is located on the Serengeti plains in the north-central region of Tanzania. The park sits between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Kenya’s border, where the annual Great Wildebeest Migration takes place. The area is famous for its huge herds of wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras, and is the only place in Africa where large groups of land animals can freely migrate. A popular international tourist attraction, the Serengeti National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.

When you look at where the Serengeti National Park is located, you will see that it sits within a region named “The Serengeti.” The Serengeti itself is a vast geographical region in Africa that spans the Mara and Arusha regions of Tanzania, as well as a portion of Kenya. The protected area of the Serengeti plains, which includes the national park and several game reserves, encompasses 12,00 square miles of land. The Maasai tribespeople named the region “siringet,” which means “the place where the land runs on forever.” The name perfectly describes this vast region of land!

Five Fun Facts About The Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti plains are part of one of the largest – and oldest – ecosystems in the world. This vast area stretches from Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Scientists believe that this incredible tract of land has remained unchanged over millions of years.

• The Serengeti National Park is extremely popular with tourists! Every year, more than 150,000 international and 100,000 local tourists visit the park. Plan your visit through a professional tour operator like Gondwana Ecotours to ensure a trip of a lifetime!
• The Serengeti plains are the ancestral home of the Maasai people of East Africa. Scientists attribute the preservation of the region’s ecosystem to the Maasai community, which has lived side by side with their animals and the environment.
• The region hosts the largest mammal migration in the world. Each year, more than one million wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes travel in a circular migration across the Serengeti plains, following the seasonal rains in search of fresh grazing land.
• The Serengeti is home to Ol Doinyo Lengai, the only active volcanic mountain in the region. When Ol Doinyo Lengai erupts, it ejects minerals and ash that fertilize the plains during the rainy season. Herbivores flock to the areas fertilized by this volcano to feast on the plants that grow there.
• The central part of the Serengeti region is littered with big rock outcroppings called kopjes. Kopjes are made of exposed granite and gneiss shaped by temperature, wind, and rainfall over thousands of years. These rocks provide a popular resting place for sunbathing lions as well as other creatures that inhabit the Serengeti plains.

 Discovering The Serengeti’s Amazing Wildlife

Where is the Serengeti National Park located? Right in the middle of one of the most heavily populated wildlife havens in Africa! The park is inhabited by more than 500 species of birds, including secretary birds and ostriches. More than 2 million wildebeests, 300,000 gazelles, 200,000 zebras, and 100,000 buffaloes call the part home.

This incredible collection of animals remains active throughout the year. If you want to see the excitement of the Great Wildebeest Migration, the best time to visit the Serengeti National Park is between June and July, when the animals are on the move. However, the drier months between November and March are also a great time to visit. This is when tourists can experience the true wilderness of the Serengeti and catch a glimpse of the famous Big 5.

On The Hunt For Tanzania’s Big 5 In The Serengeti

Most tourists plan their Tanzanian safari around the Big 5. This group of animals includes lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffaloes. These five animals are the deadliest and most dangerous animals in Africa and are at the top of the food chain! The good news is all five of these animals can be seen in the Serengeti National Park.

While the Big 5 are indeed large, they earned this nickname because of the danger they pose to other animals (and humans) and how difficult they are to hunt. Many big game hunters sought these animals out as trophy kills in the past. Now, thanks to regulations, big game hunting has decreased on the Serengeti plains and the Big 5 is a top tourist attraction on the safari circuit.

Exploring The Enormous Landscape Of The Serengeti

Where is the Serengeti, and how is this enormous region divided? Located in the north-central region of Tanzania, the landscape can be divided into two regions defined by their vegetation. The first region is the woodland region, which sees grassy areas dotted with Acacia trees. The second region is the grasslands region, which includes riverine, plains, and derived grasslands. Altitudes in the Serengeti range from 3,020 feet to 6,070 feet, depending on the region you visit. The usually warm and dry climate is interrupted by two rainy seasons — March to May, and a shorter season in October and November. While the landscape is stunning, the area’s real attraction is its incredible wildlife! To experience the best of what Tanzania has to offer, start planning your adventure on the Serengeti plains today.