We did not have much time, so we planned just a one-day visit to the most famous Tanzanian National park. But we will never forget our first encounter with the Serengeti; it was the absurd payment for the horrible, dusty road from Ngorongoro Gate to Naabi Hill Gate, the only route to Serengeti. We paid 770,776 TZS for the round trip. And on top of that, the entrance permit cost 463,386 TZS for two, plus our car, which was 220 USD (we spent in total roughly 730 USD for two for this experience). We were supposed to pay by card at the gate, but they refused to use the credit card machine and pushed us to pay in cash to Officer Gara, who paid it for us via M-Pesa, charging us 40,000 TZS for his friendly service 😱.
From Naabi Hill Gate, the Serengeti’s grasslands stretch out like a vision of eternity, welcome to one of the most incredible wildlife-watching destinations on Earth. On the vast plains of the Serengeti, nature’s mystery, power and beauty surround you as they do in few other places. It’s here that one of Earth’s most impressive natural cycles has played itself out for aeons as hundreds of thousands of hoofed animals, driven by primaeval rhythms of survival, move constantly in search of fresh grasslands. The most famous, and numerous, are the wildebeest (of which there are some 1.5 million), and their annual migration is one of the Serengeti’s biggest draws. Besides the migrating wildebeest, there are also resident populations in the park, and you’ll see these smaller but still impressive herds year-round. In February, more than 8000 wildebeest calves are born per day, although about 40% of these die before reaching four months old. A few black rhinos in the Moru Kopjes area give you a chance to glimpse all of the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo), although the rhinos are very rarely seen.
The 14,763-sq-km national park is also renowned for its predators, especially its lions. Hunting alongside them are cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals and more. These feast on zebras, giraffes, buffalo, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, topis, elands, hartebeests, impalas, klipspringers, duikers, and so many more. Serengeti is an incredible birdwatching destination, with over 500 species.
Parking location – Mto Wa Mbu: 3.372974S 35.864212E (🚻,🅿️5,000 TZS,💦10,000 TZS)