Safari Blog

What is so special about Serengeti National Park?

The Serengeti (/ˌsɛrənˈɡɛti/ SERR-ən-GHET-ee) ecosystem is a geological region in Africa, spanning the northern part of Tanzania. This protected area within the region includes approximately 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) of land, including the Serengeti park and a variety of other game reserves.

The Serengeti hosts the second largest continental mammal migration on the planet, which helps secure it together with the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and together of the ten natural travel wonders of the planet.

The Serengeti is additionally renowned for its large lion population and is one of the simplest places to watch pride in its natural environment. Approximation of about 70 large kinds of mammals and 500 bird species are found there.

This high diversity could also be a function of diverse habitats, including riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands, and woodlands. Blue wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, and buffalos are a variety of commonly found large mammals within the region.

Serengeti National Park was meager uninhabited as species of African wildlife roamed freely across the vast rolling plains. However, this all changed when migratory pastoralists of the Maasai began to migrate to the world within the early 20th century.

They were hurt by drought and disease. Thousands died within the 1880s from a cholera epidemic that was followed in 1892 by the appearance of smallpox. A bovine viral disease(Rinderpest) then wiped out their possessions. The Tanzanian government later in the 20th century re-settled the Maasai around the Ngorongoro Crater.

Poaching and therefore the absence of fires, which had been the results of the act, set the stage for the event of dense woodlands and thickets over the subsequent 30–50 years.

By the mid-1970s, wildebeest and therefore the Cape buffalo populations had recovered and were increasingly cropping the grass, reducing the quantity of fuel available for fires. The reduced intensity of fires has allowed acacia to once again become established.

Is Serengeti National Park in Kenya?

Serengeti National Park is in Tanzania but borders Kenya Maasai Mara on the Southern side. The expansiveness of the Serengeti is interrupted by Ol Doinyo Lengai, the sole active volcano within the area and therefore the only volcano that also ejects carbonatite lavas that turn white when exposed to air.

When it rains, the ash turns into a calcium-rich material that’s as hard as cement.
The southeastern area lies within the shadow of the Ngorongoro highlands and consists of shortgrass treeless plains, as this area does get rain. Some 43 miles (70 km) west, acacia forests rise suddenly and extend west to Lake Victoria and north to the Loita Plains.

The landscape is dotted with a variety of granite and gneiss outcroppings referred to as kopjes, which are large rocky formations that are the result of volcanic activity. The Simba Kopje (Lion Kopje) may be a popular tourist stop.

What is the best time to visit Serengeti?

The best times to go to Serengeti park are from January to February or from June through September, although you ought to plan your trip around the movement of the good Migration.

For example, winter is the best time to ascertain the herd in Southern Serengeti, while the Western Corridor and Northern Serengeti are the simplest places to spend the summer and autumn months.

Our safari operators will have an honest idea of where the animals are headed and when, and most will adjust their itineraries to support the herd’s movement. Temperatures remain relatively constant with daytime highs resting in the 80 Fahrenheit.

You’ll find cooler weather within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area thanks to its higher elevation. April should see the foremost rainfall, and lots of lodges and camps close for this slower season.

How to book a safari in Tanzania with Wild Excursions & Safaris. Many travellers would ask themselves if they have never traveled to Africa. Well, there is no fixed formula for booking a safari to Tanzania but here is a guideline for booking a safari with Wild Excursions & Safaris. Our policy is to simplify your safari planning.

4 Steps on how to book a Safari in Tanzania

Step 01 – Choosing on what to do in Tanzania.

It is good to first come up with what you and your travel partners wish to do in Tanzania. Just as you might have seen on our website Tanzania has a lot to offer. A wildlife safari only, A safari combined with Mountain climbing, just hiking, beach extension, cultural encounters? Such questions should be answered within your mind before sending your inquiry because that makes it even easier to come up with a once for all programs.

Step 2 – Deciding your Safari cost.

Safaris by Wild Excursions & Safaris vary in prices and it is good to ask yourself first what you wish to spend on safari. What determines the price of a safari is a question many do not have an answer to. Well; how many persons are traveling with you is one attribute.

How many adults, how many children, the ages of the children, and how do you wish to share the rooms. Staying in Single rooms the higher the cost, but if you share double/twin rooms or triple rooms then the lower the cost of a safari. The biggest attribute to the cost of the safari is however the category/standard of accommodation. Do you want to stay in a budget or Midrange,  Luxury, or even super Luxury lodges and tented camps?.

Please note that safari tented camps are as costly as the lodges. By tented camps, we mean the Tented rooms with en suite flush toilets and shower bathrooms with the same amenities as the lodges. Do you want to stay at public campsites?

The season of travel is also a major attribute to the cost of a safari. Basically in Tanzania, we have:

Peak Seasons; December – March, June – October

High Season (Shoulder Season); November

Low Season(Green); April and May.

Step 3 – Send an email or fill in our inquiry form

If you have some of the answers to the questions and have the idea above please send an email to us or fill in our inquiry form. If you have shed some enough light on what you need we shall get back to you as soon as possible with a program and price.

If you are not satisfied with the program you are advised to request amendments until you are satisfied. Once you are satisfied, we shall send you our booking form/ book a safari form which you will fill in and send back to us. We shall send your invoice.

Step 4 – Paying for a Tanzania Safari.

Once you have received your invoice, you will be required to send by money transfer a deposit worth 30% of the total amount. This amount we use to secure the reservations of the accommodation, flights, and any other services booked by us.

The balance can then be paid the same way at least 14 days before your arrival or if you wish; you can still pay cash on arrival if you do not mind traveling with money in your pockets. This is the general procedure though a different arrangement can be agreed upon by the traveler and Wild Excursions & Safaris.

In case you have any other questions or need any further information about Safari booking you should not hesitate to contact us by email or do call us.

The above are the 4 simple and basic steps of how to book a safari in Tanzania.

So, book a safari with us to enjoy the best life you have always wished for.

Africa at its most wild and unexplored. There is the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the sun-kissed beaches of Zanzibar, and the vast herds of game grazing on the Serengeti plains.

We support sustainable development in Africa. For every tour booked with us, we plant 10 trees in Tanzania. Read more about the sustainability project here.

THE TANZANIA & ZANZIBAR TOUR IN SHORT

The most striking thing about a safari in Tanzania is the sheer number and variety of animals you see. It’s almost impossible to imagine how many animals there are. It’s as far as the eye can see, you may most likely see the animals you recognise from the nature programmes on TV. This is where they live, and you may be able to visit them.

On this tour, you’ll visit 4 of Tanzania’s iconic national parks, each with its own distinctive features.

Tarangire offers majestic baobab and acacia trees and large herds of elephants. The diverse wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater in a relatively small area takes most people’s breath away, while the opposite is almost the case with Serengeti. It’s impossible to imagine how big it is – and how many animals are there. Safari at Lake Manyara, is where you can enjoy the lush nature and profusion of birds without forgetting the iconic tree climbing lions.

You’ll mainly be staying in tent camps, so you’re as close to nature as possible, but you get to sleep in proper beds, and the tents have electricity, their own showers and toilets with running water.

Following an unforgettable safari experience, you head to the wonderful Zanzibar, where you can relax on the white sandy beaches, explore the historic Stone Town, savor the island’s spices and exotic fruits, take a boat trip in a traditional dhow or explore Jozani Chwaka Bay, National Park.

WHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

• Feel the adrenaline rush when lions, elephants, and giraffes walk right past the Landcruiser and see the huge herds of wildebeest and zebras on the savannah
• With visits to no fewer than 4 national parks, you’re in with a really good chance of seeing the “Big 5” on this tour
• The time you have there is really used to the full with as much safari as possible in both Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater
• Look forward to rounding off the tour with a 4 star beach holiday in tropical Zanzibar, half board inclusive.

What is the best African Safari?

Tanzania safari holidays are the perfect example of the best African safari – combining Big 5 game viewing with epic landscapes, including the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro, the largest free-standing mountain in the world.

You can choose between safari tours of the Northern Circuit, covering the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks, or the South and West Parks, including the expansive Selous Game Reserve.

Tanzania is also extremely popular for safari and beach holidays. Beach options are varied and include stunning Zanzibar, a short flight from both the north and south.

What is the best month to go on an African Safari?

The best time for an African safari is usually from July through October, when the animals are easy to seek out and in substantial numbers. Deciding when to travel on safari depends on what country you’d wish to visit and once you can plan your trip. Seasons differ in East and Southern Africa so you’ll plan a superb safari for nearly monthly of the year if you’re flexible about where you would like to go to. But choosing Tanzania would be the best choice you would have made in your entire life.

If you would like to ascertain the good Migration unfold, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro in Tanzania Northern circuit is then the  best time to witness the migration is February through March when the wildebeest and zebra have their young. Not only are you able to enjoy seeing baby animals, but the predators are at the very best number too. Because the herds also concentrate within the south of the Serengeti, it is easy to plan your wildlife viewing therein area.

June to November is Tanzania’s season and is that the best time to go to all the parks. Tanzania’s Southern Parks are perfect to go to during this point since the animals tend to congregate around permanent water and it is not so hot and humid.

All of Tanzania’s parks suffer from the rains which generally fall from March to May within the North, and from November to May within the South and West. Roads get washed out and given the sheer size of Tanzania’s parks, the animals tend to opened up , and this makes wildlife viewing less satisfying (if you are looking for sheer numbers of animals).

December through March can get quite hot and humid, especially in Western and Southern Tanzania which makes it a touch adventurous to spend tons of your time within the bush.

We can put together your perfect tailor-made Tanzania safari, whether you’re looking for a luxury tour, a honeymoon safari, or a family holiday. Take a look at our sample itineraries for ideas.