A magical place to see animals
Serengeti National park (along with its northern extension Masai Mara) is one of the most beautiful places on the planet to see wildlife in their natural habitats. There are wide variety of wildlife from predators to scavengers to grazers to browsers. It is one of the very few places left on this planet to watch animals living their everyday lives from a safe distance. It has something for everyone from adults to small kids. You don't have to be an animal lover to appreciate these magnificent creatures in the wild. You may stop going to zoo after visiting this park.
It was very lovely to watch how Cheetah prepares to hunt by hiding, waiting & sneaking to get to its prey.
It was little eerie to watch a lion pride to eat a zebra and a fully grown cape buffalo.
I have seen plenty of elephants of all shapes and sizes and also lucky to see the elusive leopard on tree.
There are plenty of birds as well. The ones I really liked were the Secretary bird and Cory Bustard. I never seen them before. They are so elegant.
The park has diverse sceneries from desert like atmosphere to lush rolling hills. In September it was chilly in the morning & late evening but very warm in the afternoon. It was usually very clear in the morning and gets cloudy later in the evening but very little rain.
Serengeti national park seems well maintained and regulated with proper visitor facilities spread across the park.
There are plenty of accommodations available from cheap basic tent to luxury camping. I stayed at one of the higher end of the mid range camping (Acacia). It had all amenities of a 4-star hotel.
Though I didn't appreciate that they have a bath tub in the room, (camp is in middle of the forest where the water is scarce) the lodging had everything I needed and was super comfortable. I thought it would be irresponsible to waste water in the middle of the forest during dry season.
Food available at the lodge was also very good. Breakfast & dinner buffets had plenty of choices to fill you up and they also give a light packaged lunch. Our camp allowed us to pick the items for the packaged lunch, which was great. Usually most camp & lodges will provide prepackaged lunch and you might end up wasting lot of food.
Our driver/guide was also kind enough to collect all leftover food and gave it to the less fortunate people who work/live around the picnic areas. I think that was a great gesture and hope everyone does that instead of just throwing the food away.
It seems like pretty much every tour operator has Toyota land Cruisers, which is custom built for African safaris. These vehicles are very comfortable for all day game drives and also on highway cruising. Very spacious for 6-7 people with every one has a window seat and access to the top.
I strongly recommend anyone to visit Serengeti national park without hesitation. Make sure to choose a tour operator who is environmentally conscious, responsible, eco-friendly and also helps local community.