SAFARI IN THE SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

A very rich wild fauna. The ecosystem, which extends throughout the west of the Ngorongoro Conservation Zone, includes several thousand lions (Carré's disease, which affected them in 1994, seems to have no more victims). The lions are present around the world, but particularly appreciate the plains covered by migration, the shadow of acacias and kopjes (pronounce [kopiz]: name afrikaans). This word comes from Dutch «little head» and designates blocks of rocks, which are undoubtedly the eroded granitic summits of ancient mountains whose slopes were then covered, 3 or 4 million years ago, by the very liquid lava of the chain of the great rift volcanoes, forming the great plains. Leopards are also found along the rivers (e. g. south of Seronera) and in the kopjes, cheetahs in the middle of the plains, hyenas near their holes on the plains also, elephants not far away from rivers, buffalo in clearings not far from ponds (especially a little north of Seronera, at the bottom of the hills of Banagi), hippos in ponds, crocodiles in good rivers, and all kinds of antelopes: impalas not too far from wood, cobes and réduncas near water, Thomson, Grant, bubales, damalisques on the course of migration, kebab in the plains, baboons in kopjes, and more than 500 bird species, including ostriches, outardes and uncovered serpentaires, and many others, in kopjes.

At the southern tip of the Serengeti, not far from the Chasse hunting reserve, extends the region of Ndutu, of exceptional interest during the great migration, around the Masek and Lagarja lakes, and good starting base for safari in the southern national park. The central area of the park is that of Seronera, green and with a very rich fauna.

Only kilometres south of Seronera, the Biograd Kopjes are usually an exceptional wildlife reservoir. In one of the last two groups of kopjes to the south, left, are the Ngong Rocks, rocks that ring with metallic noise when hit, and which once allowed the Maasaï to communicate. Later, in a cave, you can see maasaï paintings dating back to the th and early th centuries.

In the southwest (ironing by Seronera, or cut to Naabi Hill if you have a good driver and a good car), the Gol and Barafu Kopjes can only be visited with a park ranger, which you will pay in addition to the driver guide for your vehicle. They often find leopards and cheetahs.

To the north, the area of Lobo, inhabited by lions, is interesting at all times, but becomes exciting when it is crossed through migration.

To the west is the Western Corridor (Western Corridor): This is the Grumeti River valley, which flows into the Emancipation Gulf, Lake Victoria, just a few kilometres from the extreme west of the park. The region, covered by bois and inhabited by many birds, by rare species and crocodiles around the rivers, is particularly exciting during the passage of migration, especially from September to November; but beware, in rainy season, it is not always accessible.