Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (with Map & Photos)

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is the most famous national park in Tanzania and the second largest after Selous Park. It is located in the area of ​​the Great African Rift and is included in the list of the most famous national parks in the world. The total area of ​​this national park is 14,763 km².

Serengeti National Park 2
Serengeti National Park

To the north, Serengeti National Park is bordered by the Masai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya, which is an extension of the park. To the southeast of the park is the Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve. The name of this national park, "Serengeti" in the Masai language means "endless plains". Previously, these lands belonged to the nomadic Masai tribes.

Serengeti National Park 3
Serengeti National Park

The first European who came here was the German explorer and naturalist Dr. Oscar Bauman in 1891, in 1913 Europeans learned about the Serengeti, these places became popular among hunters and poachers. Since then, the ruthless extermination of animals began in the Serengeti National Park. Only in 1921 a protected area was organized here, in 1937 - a reserve, and in 1951 these places were declared a national park. This was achieved by the research scientists B. Grzimek and his son Michael. Their book "The Serengeti Must Not Die" and the film of the same name went around the world.

Serengeti National Park 4
Serengeti National Park

In 1981, Serengeti National Park was recognized as a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. The Serengeti Valley is one of the greatest places where the wild and untouched nature has been preserved in its original form. It is called the "Endless Plain of Africa". Savannah soils of volcanic origin. They are very fertile and are always covered with succulent grass.

Serengeti National Park 5
Serengeti National Park

There are forests and plains, savannas, rivers and lakes, more than a million large mammals live: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeest, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals, fox baboons, huge herds of buffaloes, more than 350 species of reptiles and about 500 species of birds. There is no such congestion of wild animals anywhere else in the world. The reserve is considered the best place on Earth to observe the life of lions, cheetahs and giraffes. The most interesting sight in the largest park in Tanzania is the hunting of predators.

Serengeti National Park 6
Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park is home to one of the most mysterious nomadic tribes in East Africa, the Masai. The number of Masai reaches 900 thousand people. Scientists believe they migrated after 1500 to central and southwestern Kenya from the Nile Valley in Sudan.

Serengeti National Park Map