Serengeti Region and Ecosystem

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is the area of land used by the Great Migration herds throughout the year. It centers on Serengeti National Park and includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa Game Reserve, the Grumeti and Ikorongo game reserves, the Loliondo area and Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. Because the wildlife moves freely across these areas, conservation depends on cooperation between parks, reserves and communities on both sides of the border.

Serengeti National Park lies within Tanzania's Mara and Simiyu administrative regions, in the north of the country. The neighboring Ngorongoro Conservation Area falls within the Arusha Region, which is also home to the city of Arusha, the main safari hub. For travelers, these administrative boundaries matter little, because safaris move smoothly between the areas, but they explain why the park is often described as part of the Lake Zone and northern Tanzania.

Several outstanding destinations lie close to the Serengeti and combine easily on a private safari. The Ngorongoro Crater sits to the south-east on the main road route from Arusha, while Lake Natron, with its flamingos and the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, lies to the north-east. Lake Eyasi offers respectful cultural visits, and Tarangire and Lake Manyara are on the way from Arusha. Lake Victoria lies to the west, and Kenya's Masai Mara continues the ecosystem to the north.

The Serengeti is roughly six to eight hours by road from Arusha, depending on your route, stops and which part of the park you are visiting. The classic drive passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with views over the crater, entering the park at Naabi Hill Gate. Scheduled light-aircraft flights from Arusha or Kilimanjaro reach Serengeti airstrips in roughly one to two hours, which suits shorter trips. Many private safaris drive in and fly out to save time.