Serengeti park natural site. National Parks: Serengeti
Serengeti National Park is located in the Great Rift of Africa. He is on the list of famous national parks peace. The park is located in Tanzania and Kenya. Savannah extends from the north of Tanzania, east of Lake Victoria, to the south of Kenya and covers an area of about 30 thousand km. square. The name comes from the Maasai word "siringet", meaning "elongated platform".
Unique climatic conditions determine the lifestyle of representatives of the local fauna. Landscape patterns vary from grasslands in the south and savannas in the center to forested hills in the north. The real forests are located in the western part of the park. Endless Plains, savannas, rivers and lakes are inhabited by more than 35 species of animals, including more than a million large mammals: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeest, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffalos, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals, baboons , big-eared foxes and many others. More than 350 species of reptiles and an endless variety of insects also represent the nature of the Serengeti. Ornithologists count about 500 species of birds in the park. The reserve is the most best place on Earth to observe the lives of lions, cheetahs and giraffes.
Tanzania is famous for its national parks. Perhaps the most famous of them is national park Serengeti. "Serenegeti" means "endless plains" in the Maasai language. Europeans first learned about these places only in 1913. Unfortunately, like all the territories of the British colonies in East Africa, the Serengeti plains quickly became a place of mass pilgrimage for hunters from Europe. In 1929, part of the Serengeti plains was declared a game reserve. In 1940 the plains became a protected area. However, due to material difficulties, the Serengeti plains remained a protected area only on paper. In 1951, the area was given national park status. However, the park received international status only in 1981. At the same time, it was recognized as a monument of world natural and cultural heritage UNESCO.
Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the world's most famous treasure trove wildlife, which has no equal in beauty and scientific value. Serengeti - the oldest and most famous park Tanzania - famous for its annual migrations: some 6 million hooves trample the plains as 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles search for fresh food along with wildebeest. But even outside the migration period, the Serengeti is the most spectacular safari in Africa: huge herds of buffalo, more small groups elephants and giraffes, thousands and thousands of elands, topis, kongonis, impalas and Grant's gazelles.
Large herds of various antelopes: Patterson's eland, klipspringer, dik-dik, impala, zebra, gazelles, water and marshbuck, bushbuck, topi, kongoni, oribi, Tanzanian duiker, black horse antelope, buffalo. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals. Small mammals: strider, porcupine, warthog, baboon, hyrax, green monkey, colobus, hussar monkey, mongoose. Large mammals: giraffe, rhinoceros, elephant and hippopotamus. Almost 500 species of birds, including: vultures, storks, flamingos, martial eagle, screech eagle, ostrich. Reptiles: crocodiles, several species of snakes and lizards.
The most interesting sight in the largest park in Tanzania is the hunting of predators. Prides of golden-maned lions feast on the expanses of lowland pastures. Solitary leopards prowl among the acacia trees growing along the Seronera River, and many cheetahs roam the southeastern plains in search of prey. Almost unique: all three species of African jackals are found here, along with spotted hyenas and a host of less noticeable small insect predators aardwolf to the red serval.
The sense of space on the Serengeti plains, stretching across the sun-scorched savannah to the shimmering golden horizon, seems endless, as is the pleasure of watching animals. But after the rainy season, this golden expanse of grass turns into a seemingly endless green carpet, with wildflowers scattered throughout. There are also hills overgrown with trees, high termite mounds, and along the banks of rivers stretch fig trees and acacia plantings, orange with dust. And despite the enormous popularity of the Serengeti, the park is so vast that you may find yourself the only spectator when a pride of lions begins the chase, relentlessly pursuing their food.
“You can’t go to the zoo,” said Gena.
- Why?
- They'll eat it! answered the crocodile.
Where are they found in large quantities crocodiles, hippos, Marty's zebras and Alexa's lions, as well as others African fauna with minimal human presence? Of course, in Madagascar, a resident of the twenty-first century, enlightened by the production of DreamWorks Pictures, will answer. And he turns out to be not so wrong, since very nearby, between Kenya and Tanzania, the Serengeti ecological region scatters its 30 thousand square kilometers, a real natural simulacrum for 4.5 million wild ungulates, 500 species of birds, a generous handful of cats and reptiles.
Of course, various documentarians and animalists could not ignore this animal diversity. The ubiquitous BBC marked itself with a series as part of the series “ Live nature», South Korea left her mark with two parts of "Wild Life of the Serengeti". And right between them is your Nordic view of hot Africa The Germans demonstrated in the full-length “Serengeti National Park”, and director Reinhard Radke meticulously rearranged the footage, releasing simultaneously with the mentioned picture the variations “In the Great Land of the Serengeti”, “Cheetah. Fatal instinct" and "Crocodile. The truth of the life of prehistoric lizards."
Without getting involved in the race of computer nanotechnologies that was doomed to failure and without pretending to be some kind of innovative approach to visualization, the Germans wisely used the available resources. technical resources and painting a treasure trove of wild nature. High-quality optical equipment guaranteed a high-quality picture without directly interfering with the circulation; the good old rapid movement and easy arrangement completed the hundred-minute sketch with a sense of recognition of natural beauty by any ossified urbanist.
But along with this gentlemanly set of genre, in “Serengeti National Park” there was an ideological core that carried the message “Herbivores eat grass, predators eat herbivores” to the essence human life. Here is a herd of wildebeest grazing peacefully, three cheetahs attack one of them. The victim is three times more massive wild cat and resists for a long time until the number of attackers turns into quality in the form of the transformation of an ungulate into a torn corpse. Literally ten steps away from what happened, a good hundred other antelopes are indifferently watching the fight. It only takes a couple of them to rush to the rescue, and mortally afraid of being injured, which is synonymous with slow death from starvation, the cheetahs will immediately rush away. But no let today you, and tomorrow I the criminal thesis has undeniable confirmation in the animal world.
Or the parent-child relationship. The fact that males (both predators, ungulates, and reptiles) are deeply violet on their young (they can also be killed for various reasons) can somehow be understood. But the emphasized cold attitude of the females towards the newly born foolish babies of others is striking. Lost in the herd my own mother, little Bambi is doomed, he will be pushed away and knocked down by his fellow tribesmen. The lioness was unable to hunt herself and several kittens - the vultures are always behind her, and they don’t care that others got the fat carcass - those who did not take part in the hunt will not be allowed to be divided. Every man for himself. You involuntarily draw parallels with human society, and despite the heap of claims against it, global and local, you understand that, in principle, reason is not a bad thing.
If you somehow evaluate the film, then, paying tribute to the professionalism of the creators, you understand that, after all, this is a common production of nature channels today. There were no special finds here, but there were no failures either. Educational and picturesque, as befits the genre. Not everyone is destined to book a safari tour or escape on a boat from their zoo animal art comes to us, for the most part, from television screens, and the work “Serengeti National Park” has fulfilled its role.
Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the most famous nature reserve living nature in the world, incomparable in terms of its natural beauty and scientific value.
Serengeti National Park is located in the Great Rift of Africa. It is included in the list of the most famous national parks in the world. The park is located in Tanzania and Kenya. Savannah extends from the north of Tanzania, east of Lake Victoria, to the south of Kenya and covers an area of about 30 thousand km. square. The name comes from the Maasai word "siringet", meaning "elongated platform".
Unique climatic conditions determine the lifestyle of representatives of the local fauna. Landscape patterns vary from grasslands in the south and savannas in the center to forested hills in the north. The real forests are located in the western part of the park. The endless plains, savannas, rivers and lakes are inhabited by more than 35 species of animals, including more than a million large mammals: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeest, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals , baboons, bat-eared foxes and many others. More than 350 species of reptiles and an endless variety of insects also represent the nature of the Serengeti. Ornithologists count about 500 species of birds in the park. The reserve is the best place on Earth to observe the life of lions, cheetahs and giraffes.
Tanzania is famous for its national parks. Perhaps the most famous of them is the Serengeti National Park. "Serenegeti" means "endless plains" in the Maasai language. Europeans first learned about these places only in 1913. Unfortunately, like all the territories of the British colonies in East Africa, the Serengeti plains quickly became a place of mass pilgrimage for hunters from Europe. In 1929, part of the Serengeti plains was declared a game reserve. In 1940 the plains became a protected area. However, due to material difficulties, the Serengeti plains remained a protected area only on paper. In 1951, the area was given national park status. However, the park received international status only in 1981. At the same time, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.
Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the world's most famous treasure trove of wildlife, unrivaled in beauty and scientific value. The Serengeti, Tanzania's oldest and most famous park, is famous for its annual migrations: some 6 million hooves trample the plains as 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles search for fresh food along with wildebeest. But even outside the migration period, the Serengeti has the most vibrant safari experience in Africa: huge herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, thousands upon thousands of elands, topis, kongonis, impalas and Grant's gazelles.
Large herds of various antelopes: Patterson's eland, klipspringer, dik-dik, impala, zebra, gazelles, water and marshbuck, bushbuck, topi, kongoni, oribi, Tanzanian duiker, black horse antelope, buffalo. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals. Small mammals: strider, porcupine, warthog, baboon, hyrax, green monkey, colobus, hussar monkey, mongoose. Large mammals: giraffe, rhinoceros, elephant and hippopotamus. Almost 500 species of birds, including: vultures, storks, flamingos, martial eagle, screech eagle, ostrich. Reptiles: crocodiles, several species of snakes and lizards. Even more such beauties await you in the selection of travel around Africa in photographs.
The most interesting sight in the largest park in Tanzania is the hunting of predators. Prides of golden-maned lions feast on the expanses of lowland pastures. Solitary leopards prowl among the acacia trees growing along the Seronera River, and many cheetahs roam the southeastern plains in search of prey. Almost unique, all three species of African jackals are found here, along with spotted hyenas and a host of less conspicuous small predators, from the insect aardwolf to the red serval.
The sense of space on the Serengeti plains, stretching across the sun-scorched savannah to the shimmering golden horizon, seems endless, as is the pleasure of watching animals. But after the rainy season, this golden expanse of grass turns into a seemingly endless green carpet, with wildflowers scattered throughout. There are also tree-covered hills, high termite mounds, and fig trees and acacia plantations, orange with dust, stretch along the river banks. And despite the enormous popularity of the Serengeti, the park is so vast that you may find yourself the only spectator when a pride of lions begins the chase, relentlessly pursuing their food.
We will tell you about the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania - the most beautiful nature reserve in with diverse unique fauna and unusual flora, which is the oldest ecosystem on the planet.
Serengeti- National natural Park in Tanzania in the southeast African continent. This park is one of the largest in the world, its total area is about 15,000 sq. km.
History of the Serengeti Park
The name of the park is translated from the language of the local Maasai tribe means "endless lands". The park's territory is a plateau at the foot of mountains and volcanoes, rising above sea level at an altitude of 900 to 1800 meters. The surface of the plateau was formed by ash particles from erupting volcanoes, which explains a small amount of trees growing here.
For a long time, the current territory of the Serengeti Park was not inhabited by people, until late XIX centuries, the nomadic Maasai tribes did not come here. The first Europeans appeared in these places in 1891. By the 20s of the 20th century, hunters from and. During the same period, a reserve was created in a small part of the park to limit hunting, which in 1951 was significantly expanded and received the status of a national park.
German zoologists made a very large contribution to the preservation and popularization of the park. Bernhard And Mikael Grzimeki. When, despite the status of a reserve, the number of animals in the park began to rapidly decrease for various reasons, they carried out a colossal amount of work to save the Serengeti, they created an institute to study local nature, a book has been written and a film has been made about the Serengeti. Thanks to this work, global community learned about the problem of the reserve, which was almost immediately given the status of a national park.
Main attractions of the park
The Serengeti is popular primarily due to to the great variety of animals and birds inhabiting its territory. Judge for yourself - the world's largest population of ungulates in the park numbers more than three million animals, and the number of bird species living here exceeds five hundred. Moreover, some species of animals and birds can only be found here; in other parts of the world you will not find them anywhere else. Special interest represents a period of animal migration westward during the dry season (October-November) and northward during the tropical rainy season (April-June), during which animals make a massive trek of up to 3000 km. For some animals - wildebeest, gazelles and zebras - migration is associated with mortal risk– Predators such as lions, cheetahs or crocodiles hunt in the park.
At the end of the twentieth century in the territory Serengeti park Remains and traces of ancient people were found near the Olduvai Gorge. This part of the park is now closed to the public to prevent uncontrolled access by tourists interfering with archaeological research.
Interesting geographical position Serengeti National Park:
- in the north it borders the Maasai Mara Park in Kenya;
- in the northwestern on the side of the park is Lake Victoria (Nyanza);
- in the north-east another national park is located - Kilimanjaro - with highest point height 5895 m;
- in the southeast The park becomes part of the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve.
Things to Do in Serengeti
Tour or trip through the park can be purchased in the village of Seronera in one of several local travel agencies or directly at the hotel where you are staying. Tours lasting from 3 to 8 days, including the cost of hotel accommodation, will cost approximately from 800 to 2000 US dollars per person.
- Classic fun in the Serengeti National Park in – jeep safari on its territory. Here tourists will be able to see the most beautiful, uniquely exotic sunrises and sunsets, picturesque landscapes African savannah, observe from close distance the fauna that lives here. The pictures of mass movements of some animal species are very impressive. Hunting during safari is strictly prohibited.
- If you are not timid, you can go to walk for hot-air balloon . Extraordinary expectations await you beautiful views bird's-eye. Such an air tour can be organized through a hotel or agency in Seronera (price - up to $500).
- Exotic lovers will love it excursion to the Maasai village, where you can see the nuances of life and everyday life of local aborigines.
The most suitable period for visiting the Serengeti Nature Reserve in Africa is traditionally considered winter - from December to March.
How to get to the Serengeti Valley, prices, opening hours
- The largest in the park aerodrome is located in the village of Seronera in the central and most visited part of the park. Flight here from Arusha – large city in the north of the country it will take a little over an hour and cost about 180 US dollars. Flights operate daily. There are also airfields in the southern (Southern Serengeti) and northern (Kogatende) parts of the park, but the flight there takes longer and will cost more (200 and 260 US dollars, respectively).
- To get to Seronera by car, you need to leave Arusha along the highway towards Lake Victoria, the distance is about 250 km.
Entrance to the park is paid: for adults - 50 US dollars, for children from 5 to 16 years old - 10 US dollars, for children under 5 years old - free. Passage is carried out through the main gate of Nabi Hill Park until 18.00; movement through the park after 19.00 is prohibited.
- You can get to Seronera and by bus message Arusha - Mwanza or Arusha - Musomu.
By the way, in the village of Seronera there is office And park research institute, and information Center for tourists (opening hours - from 8.00 to 17.00).
The park is open every day, seven days a week.
Video – Serengeti National Park
Recognized world heritage UNESCO's famous African Serengeti National Park is a completely unique natural ecosystem, until now practically unaffected by human influence. This is the site of colossal annual animal migrations, where hundreds of thousands of zebras, antelopes and other herbivores invariably move in the same circle every year. Enjoy watching!
How is Serengeti National Park protected?
Serengeti Nature Reserve included by UNESCO in 1981 to the World List natural heritage. The park is supported by income from tourism, as well as several environmental organizations from different parts peace. They're constantly being monitored here. Current state ecosystems, study populations of animal species and their level of reproduction. Many people in the world today know what the Serengeti National Park is and where it is located. They know because the popularity and grandeur of these charming places long ago crossed the borders of the African continent and spread throughout the world. It's definitely worth coming here at least once in your life. What do you think?