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A million wildebeest... each one
driven by the same ancient rhythm, fulfilling its instinctive
role in the inescapable cycle of
life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests and
mating; survival of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long columns
plunge through crocodile-infested waters on the annual exodus
north; replenishing the species in a brief population explosion
that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km
(600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.
Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti
is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves
pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000
Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing.
Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers
arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa
great
herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and
thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and
Grant’s gazelle.
The
spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest
park. Golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain
grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the
Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the
southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal
species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of
more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous
aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat.
But
there is more to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama
lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the
park’s isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung
beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species,
ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of
the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly
above the Lobo Hills.
As
enduring as the game-viewing is the liberating sense of space
that characterises the Serengeti Plains, stretching across
sunburnt savannah to a shimmering golden horizon at the end of
the earth. Yet, after the rains, this golden expanse of grass is
transformed into an endless green carpet flecked with
wildflowers. And there are also wooded hills and towering
termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and acacia woodland
stained orange by dust.
Popular
the Serengeti might be, but it remains so vast that you may be
the only human audience when a pride of lions masterminds a
siege, focussed unswervingly on its next meal.
NOTE:-
The route and timing of the wildebeest migration is
unpredictable. Allow at least three days to be assured of seeing
them on your visit - longer if you want to see the main
predators as well.
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