Game Drive Safari in Serengeti national park
Game drive safaris in Serengeti national park: Established in the year 1951 as the oldest Tanzania’s national park and covering 14,763 Kilometers squared is the magnificent Serengeti national park situated with in the Northern circuit of Tanzania best known for its breathtaking and unbeatable wildlife viewing safaris in East Africa.
Serengeti national park offers both early morning game drives, Afternoon game drives, Evening game drives, full day game drives and night game drives. Serengeti National park receives two seasons throughout the year that is the wet/ rainy season and the sunny/dry season but both seasons are worth a visit to the park for wildlife viewing safaris depending what a tourists is interested in seeing. For instance the best season to Visit the park for wildebeest migration which is always the most enjoyed activity in Serengeti national park is during the rainy season between November to May when the Wildebeests are seen returning to Serengeti national park from Masai Mara for calving and preparing for their annually migration again according to the rain patterns.
Early morning game drives in Serengeti national park: An early game drive before the sunrise is such a fascinating experience that takes you in the vast savanna plains of Serengeti national park as early as 6:00am to witness the African nature where the nocturnal mammals are rushing back to their hiding places before the sunrise and the hunters as well are spotted retuning from their long night hunts while the mammals that arise very early to feed on fresh vegetation are also seen grazing and the birds singing the good melodies in the tree branches. In most cases, Morning game drive comes with bush breakfast to enable tourists stay in the wild till lunch time. However, there is also an option of returning to the lodge for breakfast and then embark on the game drive till lunch hours.
Fully day game drive in Serengeti national park: Serengeti national park is undoubtable the best destination in East Africa where tourists spend a full day excursion on a game drive safari starting from morning before the sunrise till evening as the sun goes down. The best way to spend a full day driving in Serengeti national park is by carrying a packed lunchbox which is always enjoyed under the tree shade as picnic lunch and the game drive continues. However, most tourist who need to enjoy a hot meal opts to return to the lodge for both breakfast and Lunch during the full day game drive. The full day game drive enables tourists to view both nocturnal mammals , hunters, and herbivores early in the morning then by midday, the most seen mammals are herbivores as they visit the waterbodies to quench their thirst and finally by evening the nocturnal and hunters are seen returning from their hideouts to start their night hunts. Full day game drive starts at 6:00am in the morning and ends at 5:00pm in the evening.
Evening game drives in Serengeti national park: Evening game drives are short lasting 2-3 hours but are very rewarding as tourists on an evening game drive in Serengeti national park encounter with the grazing herds of different species of mammals as the sun goes down and also view the nocturnal wildlife and hunters as they appear in the park from their hideouts while viewing the sundowner and capturing those memorial photographs of the sundowner while listening to the voices of roaring lions and other predators. Evening game drives starts at 4:00pm and ends at 6pm as tourists on a night game drive prepare for their adventurous drive.
Night game drives in Serengeti national park: The night game drives start at 7:00pm with the help of sport lights amidst tight security of armed rangers.
Best location for Game Drive Safaris in Serengeti National Park
Being a savanna national park, almost every part of the park offers is good for game viewing though some parts might be difficult to drive through but there are always various options to use during wildlife viewing safari such as using a hot air balloon, opting for walking safari among others to different species of wildlife to spot with in the endless plains of Serengeti national park.
Large herds of wildebeests, gazelles, impalas, Topis and many more are seen grazing in the savanna grassland, in the woodland filled with acacia trees exists a good number of monkeys, birds, deep inside the swamp areas exist buffaloes, Hippos, elephants and along the rivers are good spots for Hippos, Crocodiles and different aquatic birds. However, the entire park can be sectioned as below;
Southern part: the southern part of Serengeti national park comprises of Seronera valley and river. The southern part of Serengeti national park comprises of a wide open savanna grassland that runs towards Seronera valley which harbors a huge population of wildlife. This southern part of Serengeti national park has rivers that flows throughout the year, keeping the vegetation cover fresh for wildlife. Most spotted wildlife species in Seronera valley include; mammals Wildebeests, buffaloes, gazelles, Zebras, dik dik, impalas, warthogs, cheetahs, pride of lions as they take cover in the Kopjes, Leopards and plenty of bird species. Some are residents of Seronera valley while others visit in search of water during the dry months. The plains of Seronera valley can be explored during game drive, hot air balloon safari, or walking safaris.
Western part: The western part of Serengeti national park comprises of the Western corridor that stretches to Grumeti River is also a best spot for wildlife viewing safaris. However, the western corridor is mostly filled with savanna woodland but the most target for tourists who wish to view the wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park. At this point, wildebeests are seen crossing River Grumeti during the months of June and July thus booking a wildlife viewing safari to Serengeti national park enables tourists to view the most fascinating and challenging experience as the wildebeests drown in river Grumeti and others are seen being eaten by hungry crocodiles but the remaining ones persist and cross over following the fresher and greener vegetation in the opposite side of the river as they head towards northern part of the park.
The northern part of Serengeti national park is thus filled with open plains of savanna grassland that goes on towards Masai Mara national reserve. This is also a good spot for wildlife viewing with a possibility of spotting cheetahs and other different species of mammals plus bird species.
Conclusion: Serengeti national park remains the best destination for game drive safaris and other wildlife viewing safaris such as hot air balloon, walking safari, nature walks, birding among others.
