Serengeti National Park Facts

The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word siringet, usually translated as endless plains or the place where the land runs on forever. It describes the vast, open grasslands of the southern and central park, where short grass stretches to the horizon after the rains. These plains support enormous herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle during the wet season, and they remain one of the most striking landscapes in Africa, especially at sunrise and sunset.

Serengeti National Park was established in 1951, making it the oldest national park in Tanzania. In 1981 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its outstanding ecosystems and the Great Migration. The park is managed by Tanzania National Parks, which oversees conservation, ranger patrols and visitor services. Over the decades, protection of the Serengeti has helped keep one of the most complete large-mammal systems on Earth largely intact.

The Serengeti supports some of the largest concentrations of wild animals on the planet. The Great Migration alone involves more than a million wildebeest, together with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle. The park is also home to one of Africa's largest lion populations, plus leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, elephants, buffalo, giraffes and many antelope species. Numbers shift with the seasons, so your guide focuses on the zones where wildlife is most active during your visit.

Yes, Serengeti National Park has a small, carefully protected population of black rhinos, mainly in the Moru Kopjes area of the central-southern park. Sightings are not common because the population is small and the animals are shy, so travelers keen to see rhino usually add the Ngorongoro Crater to their itinerary, where black rhinos are seen more often on the open crater floor. Combining both parks on a private safari gives you the best chance of completing the Big Five.