The animal kingdom is in its golden age at Serengeti National Park, which is the center of Tanzania's ecological universe on account of its wide range of African wilderness and annual wildebeest migration. A large conservation area in northern Tanzania, Serengeti has the planet's highest concentration of large animals including cheetahs, lions, leopards, hippopotamuses, elephants and zebras. Safari (or journey in Swahili) is the de rigueur at Serengeti, which means "endless plains" in the native Maasai tongue. One of the oldest ecosystems on earth, Serengeti's climate, fauna and vegetation have hardly changed in the past one million years. In fact, the remains of one of the earliest men who appeared about two million years ago have been found in the park's Olduvai Gorge.
Although considered as the most expensive park in the land, over ninety thousand tourists are seen every year riding four-by-four vehicles around the park, eager to take photos of the game reserve's highlights such as its Biosphere Reserves, two World Heritage Sites, and the Great Migration or influx of over a million wildebeest and zebras every October and November.
In Lobo, campers around Bolognia Springs or on the shores of Lake Victoria indulge in drinking watermelon juice and eating roasted cashews while watching elephants and over 500 bird species. Further west is The Corridor, with its big herds of giraffes, buffalos and zebras marching beside exotic animals like eland, topis and kongonis. A special attraction is the crocodiles of Grumeti River and the calm pools around them.
At the heart of Serengeti are the species of Moru, which have adapted themselves to the living conditions on rocky cliffs. In nearby Seronera, rare leopards and cheetahs can be spotted, walking in the forests and around water holes. When traveling cross-country to Serengeti's Kenyan part, one should not miss Lake Lagarja for a peek at honey-badgers, wild cats and porcupines.