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John M. Hudson
Far beyond what I'd been imagining.
One visits the Serengeti on the plain's own terms. It's an elemental place, and despite the myriad rules for safari-goers (stay in the car, don't use noises to try and turn animals' heads, be very quiet when the car is stopped, windows go up in the presence of baboons, don't toss food to them or leave any behind, wear full body armor, or is you can't then at least wear a hat and slather yourself with sunscreen, drink a lot of water,
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but never from a tap), the Serengeti is a dangerous place. Big cats and angry elephants are the obvious dangers, but what about the snakes that slither everywhere unseen? Or the stinging insects or the relentless burning sun? Or the cute little vervet monkey that might jump in your car and rip your face off.It is a dangerous place, and that's precisely why the Serengeti is such an exciting, personal place. Humans, who could so easily tame the landscape, have voluntarily agreed to leave the animals to be animals, very wild and unpredictable animals. And if one follows all the rules set up to minimize human impact, then one can suddenly be very close to animals quite indifferent to human presence as they stalk prey right there less than a stone's throw from a vehicle.
The Serengeti is a place where something exciting is promised to any safari rider who is willing to sit and wait for just a few more minutes. Like the time my car waited a good 45 minutes as a nearby cheetah seemed to be stalking a far-off flock of Thompson's gazelles. Then she suddenly changed her mind and direction and bolted 50 yards in the blink of an eye to nab a healthy -- and stunned -- African hare. So quickly did it happen that as I checked my camera I saw that I had a great shot of the cheetah leaping from a low crouch into a takeoff, followed by the cheetah standing in a cloud of dust and clutching a struggling hare in its jaws. No exposures in between. It all happened too fast. Things can take a while to unwind; nature follows its own timetable.
When one goes to the Serengeti, and leaves the wristwatch and the iPod at the lodge, the adventure is for him or her alone. There is a lot of land out there. And on the land are myriad animals always hunting or being hunted. One can see the struggle all day long. One can hear the struggle continue into the night. It is not for the squeamish. And it is very personal.
Alex B.
DK
Visited:
December 2016
Reviewed: Jul 18, 2017
Email Alex B. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
RoninRtist
US
Visited:
June 2017
Reviewed: Jul 13, 2017
Email RoninRtist | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond Words.
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Luckily, the cooler weather kept the mosquitoes and tsetse flies away. The Serengeti's scenic vistas are just mind-boggling immense. There is no IMAX screen large enough to truly render how magnificent the scenery is. The varying terrain just added to the awe. We entered from the west and came through the Rift Valley to enter Serengeti National Park, drove through the vast short grasslands and into the forested habitat as we approached our lodging in the central Serengeti at Kubu Kubu Lodge. The lodge is really nice, clean and well maintained. Staff is super nice, attentive and helpful. The views from the lodge is breathtaking complete with an outdoor shower. I stayed 3 days in the Serengeti before visiting the other parks, but could easily have spent the whole trip here. The abundance of wildlife is astounding. As an avid photographer, I was flabbergasted by the shear amount of subjects to photograph. When we caught up with the migrating herd, it was just a mass of roaming fauna. The migration herds numbered in the tens of thousands. Standing up from our Landcruisers with the top open to see the panoramic vistas of the landscape amid a massive herd of wildebeest was pure insanity. I heard the theme song to "Dances with Wolves" playing in my head while Sir David Attenborough was narrating everything to me. The videos just pale in comparison to the real thing. Interspersed were herds of zebras, ostriches, warthogs, elephants, giraffes, etc. just mere inches away! My camera had it's work cut out for it to say the least. All-in-all, a truly astounding experience. One which I will gladly wish to repeat in the near future. I highly recommend putting Serengeti National Park on your Bucket List if want to create some remarkable memories.
Candice
GB
Visited:
July 2017
Reviewed: Jul 10, 2017
Email Candice | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dirty, bumping and breathtakingly beautiful.
Our accommodation consisted of camping out of a campsite, which was catered by our college staff from Mweka. Although we did not spend too long at camp on the mornings or nights due to our safaris running day long, they were of good standard
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and tidy. At night you can often hear the sounds of Hyena in the distance, which is somewhat scary but completely surreal and amazing if you think about it. You're completely in the wild, and its the way to do it for sure.Our transportation supplied also by the college were large open top trucks, which provided us with a huge vantage point to be able to see easily across the savanna plains. They made the dirt roads easily manoeuvrable, but alas did not completely rid the journey of its bumps and of course, the dirt picked up from the road. However, if you're in a standard safari truck you should have no such issue.
Overall the Serengeti national park was a great end to my trip to Tanzania, and brought me memories I will never forget. As a biologist being able to see these animals in their natural environment is one of the greatest gifts I could have hoped for. The money tourism brings into the national parks helps to keep them protecting these amazing, beautiful animals, and I am glad I could participate in that.
Magical Wildlife Experience! Iconic Africa!
The Wildlife is plentiful and the senerery is superb! As far as African safari's go, it does not get better than this, an untamed and vast wilderness, with breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife! My only disappointment was not seeing the endangered African wild dog, which can be found in only the most remote parts of the park, I wasn't lucky enough to see one, but I will no doubt visit this park again for another try. It is a toss up between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara for my favorite park in Africa, both have unbelievable wildlife viewing, but for pure grandeur and flawless natural beauty, this park has no equal when it comes to viewing wildlife in a more iconic and beautiful African setting!
Trully unforgettable experience
We were very lucky with the weather, as it was sunny for the whole length of the safari. The accommodation was basic, but comfortable enough and personally in national
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park I would rather stay in tent than in the lodge, food was always freshly cooked for our dinners and once for our lunch as well.It was mostly thanks to our guide Frederick ( + 255 753 433 313) that our safari turned out to be such a success. He was knowledgeable, highly professional and extremely patient, he always made sure that all of us had enough time to take photos or just admire and enjoy the scenery, so we never felt rushed.
Pleasant person to be with (it’s crucial as you spend most of the day in the car with your guide) with sense of humor and good English, he should also be praised for his considerate and careful driving.
There were so many memorable moments during our safari, probably the one most engraved in my memory was a wildbeest giving a birth. The dramatic events followed: hyenas trying to attack the newborn, the wildbeests heroic defence and glorious victory.
andrea gordon
CA
Visited:
May 2017
Reviewed: Jun 6, 2017
Email andrea gordon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing adventure in Tanzania
As part of a Tanzanian safari, I spent 2 days/nights in Serengeti National Park. Our stay at Sopa Lodge Serengeti was terrific. The rooms are very large and comfortable. The staff is very accommodating.
The wildlife viewing in the park was excellent. We saw many lions, a leopard, cheetahs, zebras, wildebeests, antelopes, impala, warthogs and birds. If you have the opportunity, do take a hot air balloon ride. It was the highlight of my trip. Viewing thousands of zebras and wildebeests as well as hippos, warthogs, topi, impala from the air was a once in a lifetime experience and not to be missed.
Catherine
CN
Visited:
April 2017
Reviewed: May 7, 2017
Email Catherine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most of all animals we wanted, and the particular immigration moments...
Pavan
IN
Visited:
August 2016
Reviewed: Apr 30, 2017
Email Pavan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Do Serengeti and forget the rest !!!
Then comes Serengeti!The Wildlife doesnt hit your face like Masai Marah but there are many many cats in central serengeti.The park was crowded.We shot 9 Hunt sequences in 4 days.All failures:(One was so close-" i could have caught that Zebra" but the teenage male lion with a messy mane made a mess of it:P .In the end