Long grass plains serengeti Tanzania – These long grass plains dotted with termite mounds are the favourite place for zebras, unlike other herbivorous that mainly feed on short grass, prefer long grass, when the Great Migration returns to the South and the short grass plains of North Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, many legions of zebras stop in this area throughout the green season, where they can graze the grass they prefer, this area stretches between Seronera in Central Serengeti and the Naabi Hill in South Serengeti; the soil base here is less alkaline compared to the South plains and grass is less nutritious.
Nobody really knows why the zebra prefers this type of grass, that is disdained by wildebeest and gazelle, who only lightly graze the long grass plains in case of extreme need.
This area is also populated by cheetahs, hyenas, hartebeests, topi antelopes, aardvarks, genets, hares, mongooses, pangolins, porcupines, monitor lizards and various species of birds, including European migrants in the green season, such as the white stork.
The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was established in 1952. It is home to the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth – the great migration of wildebeest and zebra. The resident population of lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, and birds is also impressive. There’s a wide variety of accommodation available, from luxury lodges to mobile camps. The park covers 5,700 sq miles, (14,763 sq km), it’s larger than Connecticut, with at most a couple hundred vehicles driving around.
Long grass plains serengeti Tanzania – The Park can be divided into 3 sections. The popular southern/central part (Seronera Valley), is what the Maasai called the “serengit”, the land of endless plains. It’s classic savannah, dotted with acacias and filled with wildlife. The western corridor is marked by the Grumeti River, and has more forests and dense bush. The north, Lobo area, meets up with Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve, is the least visited section.
Two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established within the 30,000 km² region. It’s unique ecosystem has inspired writers from Ernest Hemingway to Peter Mattheissen, filmakers like Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root as well as numerous photographers and scientists – many of which have put their works at our disposal to create this website.
The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.
It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back.
The Wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat. Join us to explore the different forms of vegetation and landscapes of the Serengeti ecosystem and meet some of their most fascinating inhabitants.