Serengeti National Park

Another of Tanzanias highlights with some superb wildlife opportunities

An extraordinary and unforgettable experience!

When I think back to our safari through the Serengeti National Park it still amazes me how it made such an incredible impact on my life.
I never expected to see so much of wildlife, I had hoped for some elephants and lions as a highlight of our trip but to have an elephant right next to my open car window, looking into my eyes or to sit and watch 14 lion cubs playing with their mothers or to listen to the thunder of hundreds (thousands?) of wildebeest racing through a ravine, it just blew my mind and at the same time made me think about the future of these parks that have been saved so far from thoughtless destruction.
I hope that we can really do enough as humans to make sure that this beautiful nature will always be protected and be there for us and our children.
This desire was born in the parks of Tanzania and that is why I hope that more people will go to experience similar moments of awe and gratitude.
I also loved the African trees and the typical red soil in some places.The lodges were another surprise. I am still asking myself, how they can function so well in the middle of nowhere!
At the end I realized that our experience had been very well organized and prepared by the tour guides and their company. The trucks were comfortable and very safe and there was not a moment in our 12 days in Tanzania, that I did not enjoy. I will go back again, there is no doubt in my mind.

We have visited this park among several others during a honeymoon trip back in 1999. This was our first safari but we have been enjoying this so much that we still remember this as the best trip of our life and keep dreaming of getting back there.

The Serengeti is a large park and must not be missed. During the Wildebeest/Zebra migration of February and March, 2 million Wildebeest and Zebra are present. Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Hyena, Jackal are the main predators. The area boasts a wide variety of mammal and Bird species. A stay of five days in different areas is minimal. I rate this park Excellent for wildlife photography.

Serengeti is easily one of the best National Parks in Africa. Watching the Lions or other wild cats in the open is a mesmerising experience.

We had three nights in the Serengeti. We had our boxed lunch at the Naabi Hill gate. And then animals. We saw: baboons, zebras, wildebeest, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, giraffes, one lonely buffalo, a dik-dik for a very short period of time, a vulture, a Marabou crane, hartebeest, large group of elephants at a mud hole, suicidal guinea fowl continually running in front of the vehicle, and a large herd of impalas.

Best finds of the day: a pride of lions napping on the sunny rocks of a kopje, not long after we entered the park. A leopard sleeping in tree, barely visible in the pattern of the leaf shadows. A visibly cranky elephant, that raised its ears and trumpeted at us as we slowed down to watch a family near a stream (we moved on quickly!) and just before we left the park that evening, we watched two large hippos quickly exit their waterhole and move off in opposite directions in the bush. Left on its own was a smallish crocodile.

That night and the next we stayed at Ikoma Tented Camp. I loved it! At the attractive reception building we were greeted with juice and hot facecloths, and then escorted along a winding manicured path to our “tent”. This was more like a cabin with canvas walls, built on a stone platform, with a burlap and thatch roof, and a bathroom made of décor concrete, featuring shower, sink, and toilet. The beds had ample mosquito nets. Maybe the best part was our front porch with three chairs looking out into the Savannah. In fact, all the tents have a view facing the wild. In the evening, guards are stationed along the path to escort guests to the bar/restaurant, and they also patrol the camp throughout the night. Which is reassuring when you hear the hyenas!

After a good night’s sleep (except for the hyenas) we all had a hot shower, and after breakfast were off on our second day in the Serengeti.

Beside the usual elephants, zebras, giraffes and impalas, the day included ostrich, many hippos, a Monitor lizard, an African fish eagle, an adorable baby baboon, and two jackals. We had lunch at the Seronera Interpretation Centre, where we were up-close and personal with hyraxes and yellow mongoose. The big find of the day was a tree of lions – six females and one cub! We also found a leopard in a tree – this time we had a good view of his face.

After lunch we experienced our first rain shower. Big dark clouds had indicated that it was raining elsewhere, and we kept coming upon muddy roads. We got stuck briefly on our way to the Maasai kopje, but Thadei expertly extricated us with the use of the four-wheel drive. We decided to head for the camp a bit earlier than usual. I was looking forward to a beer in the dining tent. However, on the way home, the road diverged into two tracks – one deeply muddy, the other a small lake. We made the wrong choice, and ended up mired in the mud. Thadei took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs and waded into the muck, but no amount of jacking seemed to work, and there was no wood or rocks to use as traction. So he radioed his fellow drivers for help. Since we were not allowed out of the vehicle, we used the time to look calm and peruse the guide books.

One vehicle (plus passengers) turned up, but the pull cable broke and they departed. A second call for assistance was made. Two vehicles (plus passengers) turned up, but the first one got us out on its own. The whole experience took about an hour. Then we rushed back to Ikoma. Thadei turned up as we were finishing supper, and we bought him a beer, toasting his heroic efforts in the mud. Then back to the tent, hot showers all round, and another sound sleep.

Up and at em. Breakfast, and away in the car just after 8 am. This was a day for just looking, no great distances to cover. We again had lunch at the Seronera Interpretation Centre, where we again saw many hyraxes, agama lizards and a few yellow mongoose. This time we took the "understanding the great migration" tour with a guide-in-training. And now I think I have finally grasped it!

This was a big giraffe day - they were everywhere. We also saw lots of elephants, impala, and two families of warthogs, a falcon, a vulture, and many agama lizards.

Happy times: visiting the interpreted hippo pool and seeing what seemed like a hundred of them, with two young crocodiles basking on rocks in the sun. We returned to the lion tree from yesterday, and again watched them snoozing – this time two cubs were visible. And for our daily leopard, this time we saw two of them in a tree – and a dead impala tucked up there with them!

At 5 o'clock we arrived at the Seronera Wildlife Lodge. Another amazing place, maybe even more unique than the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge. It is built into and around the giant rocks of a kopje. There are intricate carvings on- well, everything. It has to be seen. The pool and the viewing platform were spectacular, overlooking the Serengeti, giraffes grazing the tree tops, a hippo pool in the near distance, monkeys in the trees, and a magnificent sunset.

Supper in a large dining room, buffet style, food was fine, not spectacular. Service was good. Yes, this lodge is a trifle run down. But I defy any modern lodge to rival this one for creative and unique design and architecture. Did I mention the bar? You have to go.

For the first time, we started off at 6 am for a game drive. No one was about, we saw the sun come up, two jackals, and several zebras crossed in front of us. A balloon safari was being launched, and we watched them float away. The early morning light gorgeous. We stopped by the lion tree and watched as two female lions and a cub started to climb it. And then the magic moment: close to the road on a fallen tree, three female lions and at least nine cubs. A lion day care! We stayed for a long time and took many pictures. Thadei sent out word and before long at least ten other vehicles arrived, including a jeep with Serengeti lion scientists. We left and went for breakfast, very happy as you can imagine. On the road by 9:30am, the first thing we came across was a group of topi. Next we saw a hippo in a field, eating, covered in mud and birds. A little way down the road we saw a hippo climb out of a pond, and wander away. We watched for some time. It was clear he wasn't going back into that pond - he headed out of sight and we went on. I was thrilled because I love hippos and it was my first good look at them on land.

The Serengeti was all my childhood experience of watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom promised, and I’m glad we spent three days there. I hope to one day see the migration!

The most incredible place I have ever been. Animals abound, and can be viewed doing all the natural things that they do: eating, sleeping, hunting, caring for young and giving birth. It is wild, exciting, and beautiful. Unreal how close the vehicles can get to the animals, and they give little notice. Kind of a magical place.

Best safari location ever!

We booked our flights from the Netherlands ourselves and traveled with a private guide, Augustin Adventures (excellent!). Serengeti was the highlight of our Holiday. You see so many animals and have a much closer feel to nature than in other parks in Africa. There is a great variety in scenery, and the quantity of animal sighting is unbelievable! If you love this kind of holiday, Serengeti is a must! Be convinced by my photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joco_knoop/sets/72157642333540703/

it had everything, not many people but lots of animals. nice weather, nice nature !!!! nice people too

Vast and never ending beauty

Scenery and weather was brilliant when I was there. It was the start of the rainy season, thus the wildlife concentration was slightly less than it will be during other parts of the year. However the variety of wildlife made up for it.