Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park

A cheetah tries to blend into the tall grass of Serengeti National Park.

The "endless plain" of the Serengeti.

Giraffes in the Serengeti National Park.

A typical scene (especially when spotting a cat) in Serengeti National Park.

The family in front of their tent in the middle of the Serengeti, which they all hated.

An old, solitary elephant in Serengeti National Park.

Wildebeests in Ngorongoro Crater.

Black Rhinos (typically very hard to find) cross the road in Ngorongoro Crater.

Lions try to beat the heat in Ngorongoro Crater.

Babboons in Lake Manyara

            When you think Africa, when you think of safaris, you think of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.  Connected to Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, this park is home to all the African animals: black rhinos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, baboons, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, elands, impalas, etc…

            Tourism continues to flourish at Serengeti National Park due to several reasons: the wildebeest migration, political stability (unlike Kenya), good roads, and a park connected to Ngorongoro Crater.  Most tourists come from the nearby town of Arusha, and take one of the many guides out to see the “big five:” elephants, buffaloes, cheetahs, lions, and rhinos. 

            The Serengeti is Maasai for “endless plain,” which you can tell by the pictures.  However, there are several different types of environments here aside from the classic savannah that we think of Africa.  Most of these animals flourish in the different environments that encompass the park.

            Our family spent four days in Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Lake Manyara National Park.  Enjoy the pictures.