Tanzania is Africa’s ultimate safari destination. With roughly a quarter of its area protected in a network of parks that includes the world-famous Serengeti, Tanzania is home to almost half the world’s remaining wild lions, and around one-fifth of Africa’s surviving elephants. Then there are the two million wildebeest and zebra that migrate annually through the Serengeti ecosystem, embarking on the dramatic mass calvings and chaotic river crossings that make it one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles.

The Serengeti alone would be sufficient to place Tanzania near the top of most travellers’ bucket lists. But Tanzania is home to several other world-class attractions. These include snow-capped Kilimanjaro (the world’s highest freestanding mountain), as well as the magical ‘spice island’ of Zanzibar, situated 25km offshore in the heart of the Indian Ocean, and parts of the three largest and most biodiverse lakes on the African continent.

Other prime wildlife sanctuaries include the Edenesque Ngorongoro Crater bordering the Serengeti, the vast sprawl of the Selous Game Reserve (a wildlife sanctuary larger than Switzerland), and the lovely Lake Manyara, set spectacularly at the base of the Great Rift Valley. Meanwhile, further west, on the remote shore of the world’s longest freshwater lake, Gombe Stream – the former stamping ground of Jane Goodall – and Mahale Mountains vie with each other as the top chimp tracking destinations in Africa. 

It’s the only place where you can witness millions of migrating wildebeest over the Acacia plains, it’s the cradle of human life, and probably the closest to an untouched African wilderness you will ever get…welcome to Serengeti National Park. Where time seems to stand still, despite the thousands of animals constantly on the move.

The greatest wildlife destination on earth

The magic of Serengeti National Park is not easy to describe in words. Not only seeing but also hearing the buzz of millions of wildebeest so thick in the air that it vibrates through your entire body is something you will try to describe to friends and family, before realising it’s impossible. Vistas of honey-lit plains at sunset so beautiful, it’s worth the trip just to witness this. The genuine smiles of the Maasai people, giving you an immediate warming glow inside. Or just the feeling of constantly being amongst thousands of animals – it doesn’t matter what season of the migration you visit the Serengeti National Park, it’s magical all year round.

The never-ending circle of the Great Migration

Serengeti National Park was one of the first sites listed as a World Heritage Site when United Nations delegates met in Stockholm in 1981. Already by the late 1950s, this area had been recognised as a unique ecosystem, providing us with many insights into how the natural world functions and showing us, how dynamic ecosystems really are.

Today, most visitors come here with one aim alone: to witness millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and elands on a mass trek to quench their thirst for water and eat fresh grass. During this great cyclical movement, these ungulates move around the ecosystem in a seasonal pattern, defined by rainfall and grass nutrients. These large herds of animals on the move can’t be witnessed anywhere else. Whereas other famous wildlife parks are fenced, the Serengeti is protected, but unfenced. Giving animals enough space to make their return journey, one that they’ve been doing for millions of years.

Beyond the Great Migration

Even though, for many travellers, the migration is one of the main reasons to visit Serengeti National Park, it’s worth looking beyond this immense spectacle. First of all, nature can’t be directed. Having realistic expectations of your chances to witness a river crossing, or a large herd on the move, is crucial. A river crossing for example often only lasts thirty minutes, so can be missed in the blink of an eye. But don’t let this discourage you: there are plenty of other reasons to visit the Serengeti. If it’s not for this vast stretch of land where you can drive forever and never get enough, it might be for the incredible skies of dazzling colours, or the primal feeling of excitement when a deep dark-grey thunderstorm appears on the broad horizon. Or you might answer the lion’s call, and come to the Serengeti for one of the largest concentrations of predators in the world: the herds support about 7,500 hyenas, 3,000 lions and 250 cheetahs. And how about the silent grey giants? Elephants in the Serengeti amble over the plains into the woodlands, feasting on leaves and tree branches.

Tribes in the cradle of human life

Even though animals still rule the plains of the Serengeti, this area has an incredibly long history of human occupation. Not only humans, but also human ancestors (Australopithecus afarensi) lived in this area for almost 4 million years. Today, Serengeti National Park is still home to several indigenous tribes. One of the most famous tribes is the Maasai: this tribe is unique and popular due to their long-preserved culture. Despite education, civilization and western cultural influences, the Maasai people have clung to their traditional way of life, making them a symbol of Tanzanian and Kenyan culture.

Vibrancy, variety and vastness

You will soon realise that amazement doesn’t have boundaries in this world-renowned National Park of Tanzania. Serengeti is a transition area, with distinct changeovers going from rich flat soils to poor hilly soils in the north, attracting a wide variety of vegetation and animals. Whether you are looking for big cats, birds or even smaller creatures: Serengeti National Park delivers. Even to understand and experience just a small part of this ecosystem, will change your vision on our world and the environment.

After being overwhelmed by the vibrancy, variety and vastness of this land, this place of transition will leave you changed forever.

History of Serengeti National Park

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, explorers and missionaries described the Serengeti plains and the massive numbers of animals found there. Only minor details are all that were reported before explorations in the late 1920s and early 1930s supply the first references to the great wildebeest migrations, and the first photographs of the region.

An area of 2,286 square kilometres was established in 1930 as a game reserve in what is now southern and eastern Serengeti. They allowed sport hunting activities until 1937, after which it stopped all hunting activities. In 1940 Protected Area Status was conferred to the area and the National Park itself was established in 1951, then covering southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro highlands. They based the park headquarters on the rim of Ngorongoro crater.

So, the original Serengeti National Park, as it was gazetted in 1951, also included what now is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). In 1959, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was split off from the Serengeti National Park and they extended the boundaries of the park to the Kenya border. The key reason for splitting off the Ngorongoro area was that local Maasai residents realized that they were threatened with eviction and consequently not allow to graze their cattle within the national park boundaries. To counter this from happening, protests were staged. A compromise was reached wherein the Ngorongoro Crater Area was split off from the national park: the Maasai may live and graze their cattle in the Ngorongoro Crater area but not within Serengeti National Park boundaries.

In 1961 the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya was established and in 1965 the Lamai Wedge between the Mara River and Kenya border was added to Serengeti National Park, thus creating a permanent corridor allowing the wildebeests to migrate from the Serengeti plains in the south to the Loita Plains in the north. The Maswa Game Reserve was established in 1962 and a small area north of The Grumeti River in the western corridor was added in 1967.

The Serengeti National Park was among the first places to be proposed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO at 1972 Stockholm conference. It was formally established in 1981.

Olduvai Gorge (also referred to as Oldupai Gorge) is a fascinating paleoanthropological site in Tanzania and it’s one of the most important of its kind in the world. This red dusty ochre of the Gorge stretches to about 48km long and 90 meters deep and is located in the Great Rift Valley in Northern Tanzania. It is situated between the Eastern Serengeti plains and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area at a distance of about 150km from the town of Arusha.

This National Historic site of Tanzania was recognized as a UNESCO’s World Heritage site in 1979 due to the fact that it preserves the oldest history of mankind evolution and this has attracted the attention of many scientists for more than half a century. It is in this place that Human evolution happened from Australopithecus to Homo hence the nickname the cradle of mankind.

The Olduvai Gorge was formed roughly about 30,000 years ago by erosion of an incised valley draining water from the Ndutu Lake into the Olbalbal depression at the foot of Ngorongoro cutting through several layers of the soil forming 4 independent beds. The name Oldupai Gorge comes from a Maasai word Oldupai which means the place of wild sisal, a species of flower plants that were largely spread in this area.

This Gorge was made famous in 1935 by the paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey when they discovered the fossils of ancient hominines and the hominins including the famous Zinjanthropus skull and the Homo habilis who are assumed to be the makers of the early stone tools that were found in this area after about 30 years of excavation. However, it was first stumbled upon by a German entomologist professor Kattwinkel in 1911.

Despite Olduvai Gorge being the most famous paleoanthropological site in Tanzania, other excavation sites in this country include the Laetoli Hills which are located 45km south of the Olduvai Gorge and are renowned for the discovery of the Hominina footprints, which are preserved as Volcanic ash.

The Olduvai Gorge can be visited at any time of the year, however it’s advised that one hires an official guide when visiting these excavations for a better insight into the destination. Since it’s located between Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park, it’s a good stop for a visit to both these protected areas for a much fulfilling safari experience.

The breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater is a natural wonder of unparalleled beauty and ecological significance. As the world’s largest inactive and unfilled volcanic caldera, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including Africa’s iconic Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros – alongside herds of wildebeest, zebras, and a host of other species.

Formed millions of years ago by a volcanic eruption, the Crater today shelters over 30,000 animals within its verdant plains, lakes, and forests. This unique ecosystem is a microcosm of Africa’s wilderness, making Ngorongoro one of the continent’s most coveted safari destinations.

The name “Ngorongoro” comes from the Maasai people, the original stewards of this land, and is thought to mean “The Gift of Life.” This name aptly reflects the Crater’s life-sustaining presence in the landscape. With its stunning vistas and rich history, the Ngorongoro Crater stands as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

The Ngorongoro Crater is more than just a geological marvel; it is a thriving habitat, hosting an incredible concentration of wildlife. It’s natural to use superlatives when discussing popular travel destinations. Still, in the case of the Ngorongoro Crater, we’re truly talking about one of Earth’s greatest areas for wildlife!

Covering approximately 100 square miles, the Crater’s floor is a mosaic of grasslands, swamps, and acacia woodlands, providing perfect habitats for an array of fantastic species. The Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros – are commonly spotted here, making it one of the best places in Africa to see these iconic animals in their natural environment. (Note: Leopards are the hardest to spot of the Big Five. They are not found on the crater floor but in the highlands around the crater rim. This means, unfortunately, they’re not commonly spotted on game drives. That being said, it’s all the more magical if you do catch a glimpse of them!)

Beyond the Big Five, the Crater supports large populations of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles, which attract predators like cheetahs and hyenas. Birdlife is equally impressive, with over 500 species recorded, including flamingos that flock to the Crater’s central soda lake, Lake Magadi. This concentration of wildlife within a relatively confined area offers visitors unparalleled opportunities for game viewing.

While the Crater is the crown jewel, the entire Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) offers a dizzying mosaic of contrasting landscapes and experiences. Spanning nearly 3,200 square miles, the NCA encompasses highland plains, savannas, and forests, all interspersed with Maasai pastoral lands. This unique coexistence of humans and wildlife is central to the area’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the most significant sites within the NCA is the Olduvai Gorge, often called the “Cradle of Mankind.” Here, some of the earliest evidence of human evolution has been uncovered, making it a must-visit for those interested in archaeology, anthropology, and the captivating early story of humankind.

In addition to Olduvai, the NCA is home to lesser known but equally stunning features like the Empakaai and Olmoti Craters, which offer exceptional hiking opportunities away from the crowds.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is not only known for its geological wonders but also plays a vital role in the annual wildebeest migration. From late December through March, large herds move into the Ndutu region, which is located at the southern edge of the NCA and directly borders the Serengeti. This time of year is particularly remarkable as it coincides with calving season in February. During this time, thousands of wildebeest give birth, transforming the plains into a vibrant nursery for young animals. The migration and calving season in Ndutu offer a unique spectacle of life and survival.

The Maasai have resided in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for centuries, living in harmony with the wildlife in a symbiotic relationship. Their traditional way of life revolves around cattle herding, which they consider as their primary source of livelihood and status. The Maasai people adhere to ancient customs, wearing distinct red clothing and participating in ceremonial dances.

Tourists can experience Maasai culture firsthand by visiting a local village, where you can learn about their way of life, beliefs, and traditional crafts. The Maasai play a crucial role in conservation efforts, preserving the environment and cultural heritage.