Serengeti Park: A place where the earth is endless. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa

National park Serengeti located in the area of the Great African Rift, in the north of Tanzania. It is quite simple to find it on the map of Africa: it is located between the largest African lake Victoria and the highest peak of the mainland - the Kilimanjaro volcano. In the west, the park forms a narrow corridor 8 km long, which almost reaches the shores of Lake Victoria, and in the north it extends to the border with Kenya.

Serengeti - a unique world reserve

The Serengeti is a pearl among the national parks of Tanzania (14% of the territory of this country is protected). It is included in the list of the most famous national parks in the world. The abundance of animal species (the whole “African Big Five” is represented here: lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe and elephant), as well as their total number and the annual migrations of thousands of ungulates make the Serengeti one of the unique places on Earth.

In 1929, a part of the Serengeti plains was declared a hunting reserve - here the shooting of wild animals was limited. Since 1940, the Serengeti plains have become a protected area. However, the protection status gave this land very little - there were no means of protection from violators, no transport, no uniforms for employees. Status national park the territory received in 1951. Initially, the border ran east and south of the present and included the Ngorongoro Upland.

In 1954, the territory of the park was divided into a single part: the current Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Protected Area. The functions of the national park included the protection of fauna and other resources of the territory and tourism, and the access of people to the Serengeti was strictly limited. But even after that, the Serengeti was still more of a park on paper. The number of animals continues to decline. It became apparent that with this state of affairs, paradise in East Africa would soon cease to exist.

Extraordinary measures were required to protect the Serengeti. They were suggested by a German zoologist Bernhard Grzimek... Grzimek hoped to be able to attract international interest and an influx of funds to East Africa to the park. Travels of a father with his son, their book " Serengeti Shouldn't Die», Their films, the tragic death of Michael Grzimek in a plane crash on January 10, 1939 made the Serengeti famous all over the world.

However, the territory received international conservation status more than 20 years later, in 1981. Then, along with the adjacent and located in Kenya reserve Ngorongoro, as well as the Masaua reserve in Tanzania, the national park entered the list of participants in the program "Man and the Biosphere" and in the same year was recognized as a monument

Serengeti National Park landscape

In the open eastern savannahs, hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and zebras gather during the rainy season from November to May. It is from here that the annual migration of the Serengeti starts. At the end of May, when the grasses become dry and stunted, the wildebeest hit the road to the never-ending water sources in the north of the park. A huge avalanche of rushing animals, moving like the sea, raises clouds of red dust and leaves behind heaps of grass. Thin-legged antelopes rush to the full support along the hilly plains and hillocks "across the expanses of the low-grass savanna, overcoming rivers and streams on their way. This huge roaring flock of frightened blue wildebeests is one of the most magnificent sightings to be seen in the wild, called the Great Animal Migration. Zebras follow the antelopes. Predators run after them. In November, when the long northern trek ends, the pastures in the south turn green again and the herds start their way back. ”

In the central part of the park, the landscape is more varied. In addition to savannahs, there are woodlands here, where long slender acacias coexist with the curved trunks of the commiphores. It is in this part that the town of Seronera is located, which houses the headquarters of the park and the Serengeti Research Institute.

In the northern part of the park, the landscape becomes hilly and wooded. Marks on tree trunks indicate the appearance of elephants here. There are almost no antelopes, giraffes and zebras. On the way to the west, in the forests of the Grumeti river valley, there are many black and white colobus monkeys; Nile crocodiles jump out of the water.

Problems of the Serengeti National Park

Although the main source of income for indigenous people is Agriculture, they are attracted to the park by wild animals, due to which the growing demand for meat, as well as the possibility of earning money associated with tourism, are satisfied. If earlier poaching was rather isolated, then at the end of the 20th century it became large-scale and turned into a business. About 200 thousand animals are annually destroyed in the Serengeti region, which leads to a significant reduction in the number of some species.

A whole range of other problems arose as well. In the Serengeti, the number of elephants that have abandoned their original habitats due to human intervention has increased. This entailed damage to the park's vegetation: elephants damage tree trunks and large branches, trample down grasses. The canine plague epidemic in 1994 caused the deaths of about a third of all Serengeti lions, and the widespread distribution of domestic dogs sparked an epidemic of rabies. As a result, wild dogs disappeared.

Since the late 1980s, the concept of a protected area has undergone significant changes. If earlier local residents were excluded from the development and management of the park, now the need to develop the population of the territory is also taken into account when protecting resources. Wildlife has been officially recognized as an important economic resource for local residents in the vicinity of the park. It is expected that the adoption of such schemes, under which the local population is recognized as legal rights to the use of resources wildlife and direct non-proximity to the place of residence, will reduce today's high level poaching in the park. Currently, the areas in the vicinity of the park are an intermediate (buffer) zone where the local population can use the resources of the park, and the village wildlife committees oversee nature conservation activities.

History of the Serengeti National Park

The history of the creation of a national park on the Serengeti plains is dramatic and triumphant at the same time. For the first time, Europeans and Americans learned about these places in 1913. Spaces of Africa were then still unknown to the white man. However, the lands of the British colonies in East Africa have already turned into places of mass pilgrimage for hunters from the United States and European countries. Lions, leopards, elephants and other animals became hunting trophies, stuffed animals in museums. One of these hunters, Stuart Edward White, went south with guides from Nairobi. After several days of travel, he wrote in his diary: “We moved further and further south along the savannah scorched by the sun. Then I saw the green trees by the river, walked another two miles and ended up in paradise. ”So he found the Serengeti.

The colonialists learned about this land at the beginning of the 20th century, and the indigenous people - the Masai tribes for thousands of years grazed cattle and hunted on the plains. It was they who called the land Siringitu. which in translation means "a place where the earth is endless."

Ivory and rhino horn hunters, just safari lovers, began to come to the Serengeti and nearby places from all over the world.

Bernhard Grzimek founded the Serengeti Research Institute with a base in a park where scientists studied the local nature. Grzimek believed "Africa belongs to those who believe that there are still wild animals and virgin territories on Earth." His television series has been seen by 35 million Europeans, which has helped raise large sums of money for the institute and international conservation organizations. The zoologist who has done so much to preserve the nature of East Africa is buried near the Serengeti, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area under a small pyramid of stone.

Fauna of the Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti surpasses other parks in Africa in terms of the number of species and the total number of animals inhabiting it. Huge herds of migrating ungulates - more than 1.3 million wildebeest, 900 thousand Thomson's gazelles, 300 thousand zebras - constantly move within the park. In addition to these most numerous inhabitants, 7 thousand eland antelopes, 70 thousand buffaloes, 4 thousand giraffes, 15 thousand warthogs, 1.5 thousand elephants, 500 hippos, 200 black rhinos, more than ten species of antelopes and seven species of primates live in the park. Richest fauna ungulates provide food for at least five species of predators, including 3 thousand lions, 1 thousand leopards, 225 cheetahs, 3.5 thousand hyenas. There are at least 17 species of smaller predators in the park, including jackals and foxes. Among the 350 registered bird species, there are 34 species of carnivores, six species of vultures, lesser flamingos, and weavers. In these places live a secretary bird, a red buzzard, a black-winged kite that feeds on small predators and birds, a buffoon eagle and a Cape Owl, as well as a crested eagle, vultures, ostriches.

The nature of the Serengeti is one of the most ancient on Earth. It has changed little over the last million years, having survived from the Pleistocene - a period that lasted 150 thousand years on the planet and ended about 8 thousand years ago. This was the era of the absolute domination of mammals, including herbivores.

Often, herds of wildebeests stretch across the savanna for tens of kilometers. The ground hums, shuddering under the blows of millions of hooves.

The path to the north is not easy - ungulates have to overcome rivers, where they can be carried away by the current, or they risk being eaten by crocodiles. Moving forward, wildebeests enter the territory of lion prides, and they are already waiting for them in ambush. Leopards, cheetahs and hyenas attack animals that have strayed from the herd. Vultures flock to the remains. They quarrel and fight over prey, so that in the end, only bones remain of the carcass, whitening in the savannah in the hot African sun.

The park has been a center of scientific research for several decades. The main research topics include long-term observations of the state of ecosystems, behavioral ecology of lion, leopard, ungulates, population dynamics and reproduction of mongooses, ecology of scarabs and termites.

About 30 thousand feral domestic dogs now live in the Serengeti. These animals are the source of the spread of diseases among wild predators. Since 1996, mass vaccinations of domestic dogs have been carried out at the borders of the park to create a buffer zone around the park free from diseases.

Serengeti National Park climate

The climate in Serengeti National Park is usually dry and hot. Average annual temperature is about +21 С, but it changes during the year from +15 to +25 С. 2 mm. It would seem that a rather impressive value, but at high temperatures evaporation is much faster. In addition, the amount of rain varies from year to year: dry years give way to wet ones, and vice versa. During the year, it also rains irregularly from May - June to October - November, there are almost no rains, the soil dries up, and the plants wither. Peak rains are in December and March - April

In such a variable-humid climate, savannas become the main type of vegetation. There are a lot of herbs in them, which dry up in the dry season and make the savannah look like a desert. In the wet season, on the contrary, everything turns green, the grasses reach their usual height - in the west, closer to Lake Victoria, 3 - 4 m. Although there are few plant species in the savannas, they are very productive. For a year, per 1 hectare, they produce almost as much organic matter as forests. The abundance of feed determines the diversity of ungulates, and therefore a large number of predators. Thus, the grasses form the bottom link of the pyramid of life in the savannahs.

Safari in Serengeti National Park

The huge variety of animals attracts crowds of tourists to the Serengeti - at least 40 thousand people come annually to take part in the safari. From the Swahili language, the word "safari" is translated as "travel". However, in English language where this word migrated, it means not just a journey, but also an adventure related to observing wild animals in the African savannah. This is the meaning of "safari" in other languages. At the beginning of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill and other famous hunting enthusiasts came to East Africa on safari.

On modern safaris, hunting is strictly prohibited, animals are only allowed to be observed and photographed. Serengeti is a great place for a safari. The park is so huge that nature lovers do not collide with each other, you can travel either by jeep or on foot, accompanied by a guide. Comfortable hotel houses were built for tourists in Seronera and Lobo, in the north of the park. There are also campgrounds with very primitive amenities.

There is no permanent population on the territory of the park, but the Masai live on its eastern borders, and the lands to the west of it are densely populated. Population growth in these areas in recent decades is very high and reaches 4% per year. Due to the growing population of wild animals and livestock, there is not enough land for grazing, especially since pastures are quickly turning into arable lands.

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For many years, the wide territories of the Serengeti were practically not inhabited, but a hundred years ago the nomadic Masai tribes arrived from the north, and with them their livestock. In 1891, the first European came here. It was the German naturalist and explorer Dr. Oskar Bauman. In 1913, the first professional hunters from Europe came to the Serengeti.

In 1921, a partial reserve was created in Sarengeti, the area of which was 3.2 km². A complete reserve here was formed in 1929, it also served as the basis for the organization of the National Park. As awareness and the need to protect wildlife grew, the reserve expanded and in 1951 it was transformed into a national park.

The area of which is equal to 8288 km², was allocated from the Serengeti in 1959. Currently Serengeti National Park belongs to the most famous parks in Tanzania and is the second largest, after Selous Park.

In 2009 Serengeti park celebrated the 50th anniversary of its own existence. For scientists, the anniversary served as an occasion to discuss the park's need for protection from the increasing flow of tourists, as well as from incompetent development.

Recently, in the eastern part of the park, in the Olduvai gorge (the so-called "Cradle of humanity") traces were found ancient man... According to archaeologists, free access to the excavation site can seriously harm the research. In this regard, it was decided to close the investigated part of the park to tourists for an indefinite period.

General information, climate and relief of the Serengeti National Park

total area is 14 763 km². The park is located in Tanzania, in the Serengeti region.
In the north, protected areas border nature reserve Masai Mara, which is located in Kenya and is a continuation of the park. In the south-east of the Serengeti Park there is biosphere reserve Ngorongoro.

In the territory Serengeti National Park located at an altitude of 910-1890 meters above sea level, a tropical climate prevails. Daytime temperatures range from 25 to 30 ° C.

Serengeti National Park and its flora

Most of the protected area is occupied by forests, which mainly consist of ficuses and acacias, and ebony can also be observed quite often there. The park also features granite outlier mountains "mine"... They resemble stone islands that rise among the endless sea of grass. Small mounds of stone, up to 3 million years old, often surround the lands where camps, loggias and park hotels are located.

Serengeti National Park and its fauna

gained great fame thanks to the richest animal world. About 500 bird species and three million animals inhabit the plains of the park.

Animal migration can be called one of the features of the Serengeti National Park. Every year, during a drought period (October-November), about 220 thousand zebras and over a million wildebeest.

The rainy season comes in April-June and wild animals move north and west. Animals cannot be stopped either by predators (for example, crocodiles) that live in rivers, or by drought - their instinct is so strong. During this long annual journey, the animals travel a distance of 3000 km. Scientists estimate that all this huge biomass requires about 4,000 tons of grass every day. Many animals die along the way, but about a quarter of a million cubs are born at the same time.

In 2005 on the territory Serengeti park discovered the world's largest flock of lions. Zoologists call her LION'pride... It includes 41 lions. Three adult males lead the pride, which also includes nine two-year-old lionesses and eight four-year-olds. Also, thirteen little lions from four months to one year live in the flock. There has never been such a large flock in Africa before as this - "pride of Seronera"... Typical prides include 15 to 20 lions.

The Big Five Leopard in the Serengeti National Park

In the territory Serengeti National Park you can see almost all types of African animals. This park surpasses all other African national parks in the number of species (lowland animals - 35).

The protected area is inhabited by the so-called "Big five" − lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard... On the plains, you can also find hyenas, jackals, baboons, giraffes, crocodiles, hippos, as well as herbivorous antelopes, waterbirds, bubals, Grant's and Thompson's gazelles.

It is a nesting and resting place for more than five hundred species of birds: secretary birds, bustards, ostriches and many small birds.

We will tell you about the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania - the most beautiful nature reserve with varied unique fauna and unusual flora, which is the oldest ecosystem on the planet.

Serengeti- National nature Park in Tanzania in the southeast of the African continent. This park is one of the largest in the world, its total area is about 15,000 sq. km.

The history of the Serengeti park

The name of the park is translated from the language of the local Maasai tribe means "endless lands"... The territory of the park is a plateau at the foot of mountains and volcanoes, rising above sea level at an altitude of 900 to 1800 meters. The surface of the plateau was formed by ash particles from erupting volcanoes, which explains the small number of trees growing here.

For a long time, the present territory of the Serengeti Park was not inhabited by people, until at the end of the 19th century the tribes of the Masai nomads came here. The first Europeans appeared in these places in 1891. By the 20s of the XX century, hunters from and began to come here en masse. In the same period, a nature reserve was created on a small part of the park in order to limit hunting, which in 1951 was significantly expanded and received the status of a national park.

German zoologists have made a great contribution to the preservation and popularization of the park. Bernhard and Mikael Grzimeki... When, despite the status of a reserve, the number of animals in the park began to decline rapidly for various reasons, they carried out a colossal amount of work to save the Serengeti, they created an institute for the study of local nature, wrote a book and made a film about the Serengeti. Thanks to this work, global community learned about the problem of the reserve, which almost immediately received the status of a national park.

The main attractions of the park

The Serengeti is popular primarily due to a great number of animals and birds inhabiting its territory... Judge for yourself - the world's largest population of hoofed animals in the park has more than three million heads, and the number of bird species living here exceeds five hundred. Moreover, some species of animals and birds can be found only here, in other parts of the world you will not find them anywhere else. Of particular interest is the period of migration of animals to the west during the drought period (October-November) and to the north during the tropical rainy season (April-June), during which animals make a massive transition of up to 3000 km. For some animals - wildebeest, gazelles and zebras - migration is associated with a deadly risk - predators like lions, cheetahs or crocodiles hunt in the park.

At the end of the twentieth century on the territory Serengeti park remains and traces of the vital activity of ancient people were found near the Olduvai gorge. This part of the park is now closed to the public in order to avoid uncontrolled access of tourists interfering with the research of archaeologists.

Interesting geographical position Serengeti National Park:

in the north it borders the Masai Mara Park in Kenya;
in the northwest the side of the park is Lake Victoria (Nyanza);
in the north-east there is another national park - Kilimanjaro - with the highest point at 5895 m;
in the southeast the park becomes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Things to do in Serengeti

Tour or ride in the park can be purchased in Seronera Village in one of several local travel agencies or directly at the hotel where you are staying. Tours lasting from 3 to 8 days, taking into account the cost of hotel accommodation, will cost approximately from 800 to 2000 US dollars per person.

Classic fun in the Serengeti National Park - jeep safari on its territory. Here tourists will be able to see the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, unique in their exoticism, picturesque landscapes of the African savannah, and observe the wildlife living here from a close distance. Pictures of mass movements of some species of animals are very impressive. Hunting on a safari is strictly prohibited.
If you are not timid, you can go to hot air balloon ride... You are expected to be unusually beautiful views bird's-eye. This air tour can be arranged through a hotel or agency in Seronera (up to $ 500).
Exotic lovers will love excursion to the settlement of the Masai tribe where you can see the nuances of life and life of local aborigines.

The most suitable period for visiting the Serengeti Reserve in Africa is traditionally winter - from December to March.

How to get to the Serengeti Valley, prices, opening hours

The largest in the park aerodrome is located in the village of Seronera in the central and most visited part of the park. A flight here from Arusha, a large city in the north of the country, will take just over an hour and cost about $ 180. Flights are operated daily. There are also airfields in the southern (South Serengeti) and northern (Kogatende) parts of the park, but the flight there is longer and will cost more (200 and 260 US dollars, respectively).
To get to Seronera by car, you need to leave Arusha along the highway in the direction of Lake Victoria, the distance is about 250 km.

Entrance to the park is paid: for adults - 50 US dollars, for children from 5 to 16 years old - 10 US dollars, for children under 5 years old - free of charge. The admission is carried out through the main gates of the Nabi Hill park until 18.00, movement in the park after 19.00 is prohibited.

You can get to Seronera and by bus message Arusha - Mwanzu or Arusha - Musomu.

By the way, in the village of Seronera there is office and park research institute, as well as an information center for tourists (opening hours - from 8.00 to 17.00).

The park is open every day, seven days a week.

Video - Serengeti National Park

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the famous African Serengeti National Park is a completely unique natural ecosystem, until now practically unaffected by human influence. This is the site of colossal annual animal migrations, where hundreds of thousands of zebras, antelopes and other herbivores invariably move in the same circle every year. Happy viewing!

How the Serengeti National Park is protected

Serengeti reserve included by UNESCO in 1981 on the List of World Natural Heritage. The park is supported by tourism revenues and several conservation organizations from different parts of the world. Here, the current state of the ecosystem is constantly monitored, the populations of animal species and the level of their reproduction are studied. Many people in the world today know what it is and where the Serengeti National Park is located. They know because the popularity and grandeur of these fascinating places have long crossed the borders of the African continent and spread throughout the world. It is definitely worth coming here at least once in your life. What do you think?

Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the most famous nature reserve wildlife in the world, incomparable in terms of its natural beauty and scientific value.

Serengeti National Park is located in the area of the Great African Rift. It is included in the list of the most famous national parks in the world. The park is located in Tanzania and Kenya. Savannah stretches from the north of Tanzania, east of Lake Victoria, to the south of Kenya and covers an area of about 30 thousand km. square. The name comes from the Masai word "siringet", meaning "stretched area".

Unique climatic conditions determine the lifestyle of the representatives of the local fauna. Landscapes vary from grasslands in the south and savannas in the center to forested hills in the north. Real forests are located in the western part of the park. Endless plains, savannas, rivers and lakes are inhabited by more than 35 species of animals, including more than a million large mammals: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeests, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals , baboons, big-eared foxes and many others. More than 350 species of reptiles, an endless variety of insects also represent the nature of the Serengeti. Bird watchers count about 500 bird species in the park. The reserve is the best place on Earth to observe the life of lions, cheetahs and giraffes.

Tanzania is famous for its national parks. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Serengeti National Park. "Serenegeti" in the Masai language means "endless plains". For the first time, Europeans learned about these places only in 1913. Unfortunately, like all the territories of the British colonies in East Africa, the Serengeti Plains quickly became a place of mass pilgrimage for hunters from Europe. In 1929, part of the Serengeti plains was declared a hunting reserve. In 1940, the plains became a protected area. However, due to material difficulties, the Serengeti plains remained a protected area only on paper. In 1951, the territory was given the status of a national park. However, the park received international status only in 1981. At the same time, he was recognized as a monument of the world natural and cultural heritage UNESCO.

The Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the most famous treasure of wildlife in the world, unmatched in beauty and scientific value. The Serengeti, Tanzania's oldest and most famous park, is known for its annual migrations, with some 6 million hooves trampling the plain as Thomson's 200,000 zebras and 300,000 gazelles seek fresh food with the wildebeest. But even outside the migration period, the Serengeti is the brightest safari in Africa: huge herds of buffaloes, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, thousands and thousands of eland, swamps, kongoni, impala and Grant's gazelles.

Large herds of various antelopes: elanda Patterson, klipspringer, dik-dik, impala, zebra, gazelles, water and marsh goat, bushback, marsh, congoni, oribi, Tanzanian duiker, black horse antelope, buffalo. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, hyena dogs, jackals. Small mammals: strider, porcupine, warthog, baboon, hyrax, green monkey, colobus, hussar monkey, mongoose. Large mammals: giraffe, rhino, elephant and hippo. Almost 500 species of birds, including: vultures, storks, flamingos, war eagle, screamer eagle, ostrich era. Reptiles: crocodiles, several types of snakes and lizards. Even more such beauties await you in our collection of travels across Africa in photographs.

The most interesting sight in the largest park in Tanzania is the hunting of predators. Prides of golden-maned lions feast on the vast plains pastures. Among the acacias that grow along the Seronera River, single leopards roam, and many cheetahs roam the southeastern plains in search of prey. An almost unique case: all three species of African jackals are found here, along with spotted hyenas and a host of less visible small predators, from the aardwolf insects to the red serval.

Endless, like the pleasure of watching the animals, the sensation of space in the Serengeti plains, stretching across the sun-scorched savannah to the shimmering golden horizon, seems endless. But after the rainy season, this golden grassy expanse transforms into a seemingly endless green carpet, on which wildflowers are scattered. There are also wooded hills, tall termite mounds, and along the river banks there are fig trees and acacia plantings, orange with dust. And, despite all the immense popularity of the Serengeti, the park is so vast that you may be the only spectator when the pride of lions starts chasing their prey, relentlessly chasing their food.

The unique climatic conditions determine the way of life of the representatives of the local fauna. Landscapes vary from grasslands in the south and savannas in the center to forested hills in the north. Real forests are located in the western part of the park. Endless plains, savannas, rivers and lakes are inhabited by more than 35 species of animals, including more than a million large mammals: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeests, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals , baboons, big-eared foxes and many others. More than 350 species of reptiles, an endless variety of insects also represent the nature of the Serengeti. Bird watchers count about 500 bird species in the park. The reserve is the best place on Earth to observe the life of lions, cheetahs and giraffes.

Tanzania is famous for its national parks. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Serengeti National Park. "Serenegeti" in the Masai language means "endless plains". For the first time, Europeans learned about these places only in 1913. Unfortunately, like all the territories of the British colonies in East Africa, the Serengeti Plains quickly became a place of mass pilgrimage for hunters from Europe. In 1929, part of the Serengeti plains was declared a hunting reserve. In 1940, the plains became a protected area. However, due to material difficulties, the Serengeti plains remained a protected area only on paper. In 1951, the territory was given the status of a national park. However, the park received international status only in 1981. At the same time, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.

The Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the most famous treasure of wildlife in the world, unmatched in beauty and scientific value. The Serengeti, Tanzania's oldest and most famous park, is known for its annual migrations, with some 6 million hooves trampling the plain as Thomson's 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles seek fresh food with the wildebeest. But even outside the migration period, the Serengeti is the brightest safari in Africa: huge herds of buffaloes, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, thousands and thousands of eland, swamps, kongoni, impala and Grant's gazelles.