Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park Overview

Introduction (part 1 of 10)

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The name Serengeti conjures up images of one of the last remaining wildlife spectacles on earth.

Those lucky enough to visit this wilderness area come away with memories of vast herds of antelope feeding on the plains. Columns of wildebeest, head to tail, trudging along their traditional migration routes, and prides of lions, sometimes sleeping, sometimes alert and carefully stalking their prey. The extensive grasslands are interspersed with kopjes —rocky outcrops like islands in the flat plain, each with their own wildlife communities. Rivers flow through the park, providing habitats for a variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles.

The Serengeti National Park, the largest in Tanzania, is about 14,763 sq km in area. The park's name, Serengeti, means "endless plains" and is derived from the Maasai language. The park lies in a high plateau between the Ngorongoro highlands and the Kenya/Tanzania border, and extends almost to Lake Victoria. The park encompasses the main part of the Serengeti ecosystem.

The Serengeti is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, and the commitment to its preservation shown by the government of Tanzania is important in a country faced by land shortage and a rising population.

Special thanks to Thomson Safaris and Tanzania National Parks for contributing Tanzanian information.

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Last Updated: 15 Sep 2010
Published: 28 Apr 2002
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.