AREA: 14763 Sq. Kilometers
ALTITUDE: 1400 Meters
The Serengeti National Park is as big as Northern Ireland. And the most visited wildlife sanctuary in the world. It has been a protected area since the 1940’s. And was accorded National Park status in 1951. 1981 the Serengeti was inscribed into the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The park is fantastic in its natural beauty and unequalled in its scientific value. This vast expanse of land is known to contain about 4 million different types of animals. The endless plains of the Serengeti (siring it means endless plains in Masai language) are mainly crystalline rocks overlain by volcanic ash and populated by numerous graniticrock outcrops (kopjes). In the north and along the western corridor are mountain ranges of mainly volcanic origin. Two rivers flowing west usually contain water and there are a number of lakes, marshes, and water holes. Large herds of antelope can be observed here, such as: Patterson’s eland, klipspringer.Dikdik, impala, zebra, gazelles, water, bush and reed buck, topic Kongoni. Cotton’s orbit, Greybush duiker. Roan antelope buffalo and wildebeest. Carnivores also abound: lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena, bat eared fox, hunting dog and jackal. Smaller mammals include: spring hare, porcupine, warthog, hyraxes, baboon, and velvet Monkey, Columbus monkey, pates monkey, and mongooses. Larger mammals include: giraffe, rhino, elephant, and hippopotamus.
Nearly 500 species of birds may be seen here, including vultures, storks, flamingos ,Martialand fish eagles and ostriches. Reptiles: large Nile crocodiles, and a vast variety of species of snakes and lizards. It is estimated that the Serengeti contains: 700,000 Thompson gazelles, 65,000 Topi,50,000 Grant gazelles,1,500,000 wildebeest, 200,000 zebras, 2,000 lions, 800 leopards, 4,000 hyenas, 200 wild Dogs, 500 cheetahs, 500 species of birds, more than 30 species of large herbivores.