Safari in the Serengeti

tanzaniatourism.com

It might not be every kid's dream to go on a safari, but it was certainly one of mine!  To see wild animals in their natural habitat always amazed me... and the older I get, the more I want to go.  But there's a reason you have to fly all the way to Africa for the experience, and weather has a bit of a role to play... especially when it comes to "The Great Migration" of wildebeest herds.

Before we talk about the animals, let's talk about the people who have made the Serengeti home.  LiveScience says the native Maasai tribes named the Serengeti after their word for "endless plains."  The Serengeti spans about 12,000 square miles in northern Tanzania, half of which make up Serengeti National Park.  The miles of grasslands are interrupted by one active volcano.  For most of the year, the weather is warm and dry.  Two rainy seasons return moisture to the area (and play a big role in animal life).

Courtesy of Cayla Ann Photography

Because of this, the Maasai people live a semi-nomadic life, much like the Bedouin of the Middle East (see my previous blog post).  Their lives revolve in large part around livestock, which have to move with the water.  What's unique to the Serengeti is the threat of lions.  The Maasai Association describes handmade fences made of acacia thorns for protection.  Women build the houses, and men defend them - facing lions that get too close to the cattle.

Can you imagine living with a handmade fence between you and a lion?  Not likely.  But to watch them from the relative safety of a tourist convoy is a more realistic dream.  You can go on safaris in a few African countries: Botswana, Kenya, and South Africa to name a few.  CNN Travel ranked the top 8 from a safarbookings poll which put Tanzania at the top - partly thanks to the Serengeti wildebeest migration.  To find the animals, you'll have to plan your trip around the weather and time of year.

According to U.S. News & World Report, here's how it works: In November, brief rain showers signal the "Great Migration" for animals to return to their breeding grounds in the southern grasslands.  That's where they stay for much of the winter, making the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in southeastern Serengeti a prime destination for that time of year - filled with wildebeest, zebras, and wildcats (oh my!).

Courtesy of Cayla Ann Photography

Then the spring comes with heavier and prolonged rains that last through April and May.  In June, the Great Migration makes its way back north.  The plains are covered in a batch of freshly watered flowers - a gorgeous setting.  Animals graze in the park's Western Corridor in the early summer, and then move north to Lobo and Bologonja Springs for July through October.  That's where you can see wildebeest and zebras hanging out with elephants and giraffes, like something out of "The Lion King."

This is a more direct instance of climate affecting animals than people.  But with safaris becoming such a big tourist attraction, it's also a reminder of how beautiful the natural cycle can be.  Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest making their way across the Serengeti because the weather told them it was time?  The tour companies can count me in.