The Eastern Serengeti is one of the park’s most magnificent areas, with highlands, valleys, and broad grassy plains punctuated with granite outcrops and sliced through by meandering rivers in the green season. It’s one of the park’s more secluded areas, making it ideal for daring travelers looking for an off-the-beaten-path safari.
Enjoy a Serengeti East Safari in October and November, when the larger herds of wildebeest migration migrate from the Masai Mara National Reserve to the Serengeti National Park‘s rich plains east of the Grumeti River, passing through Lobo and Western Loliondo and under the majestic Gol Mountains, on the northern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Cheetahs hunt half a million indigenous gazelles and impalas, including migrants, in this area, which has one of the highest populations of cheetahs in the Serengeti.
For wildlife safari, the eastern Serengeti region may be visited all year, although October to February are the best months to watch the Great Migration herds traveling through on their way to the Southern Serengeti. The plains become lush and verdant during the green season, which attracts an abundance of game. The Gol Kopjes, the most recognized landmark in the Eastern Serengeti, is home to the continent’s largest concentration of cheetah, although the area is also noted for lion and leopard sightings.
The Soit Le Motonyi region, less than two hours’ drive from the Central Serengeti and closed for two decades for cheetah conservation, is attracting people for its pristine, fully unspoiled landscapes of grassy plains and acacia trees, completely private camps, and cheetah.
In your wildlife safari to Serengeti– Tanzania, if you’re staying in the Eastern Serengeti, take a day drive outside of the park to Lake Natron, a vividly colored lake with a pinkish crust that draws millions of flamingos from June to November. You may swim in the lake and enjoy the breathtaking surroundings, which include volcanic craters, waterfalls, and gorges. The volcanic volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai (“Mountain of God” in Maasai) towers over the Rift Valley near the lake’s southern edge. The 2962-meter ascent of Ol Doinyo Lengai can be completed in three days by adventurous travelers eager for a challenge.
How to go to the Serengeti’s eastern reaches
The eastern Serengeti can be accessed by air transport after landing at Kilimanjaro international airport, using domestic flights and landing at Lobo airstrip in the Serengeti national park’s north-east sector. Again, the Seronera airport in central Serengeti is another good choice for getting to the eastern region of the Serengeti if that’s where you want to go on your safari.
Travelling tips to eastern Serengeti
The Eastern Serengeti has a limited amount of lodging, which is ideal if you prefer isolation and quiet, but it does mean that you must reserve well in advance.
If you’re staying at a camp in the Soit Le Motonyi area, the nearest airstrip is Seronera, which is about an hour and a half away by car. Due to the limited number of campgrounds in Soit Le Motonyi, reservations are required during the peak seasons of December to February and June to October.
Things to do in eastern Serengeti (Tourist activities)
Game drives and walking safaris are the most popular tourist activities in the Eastern Serengeti, as they are in other sections of the Serengeti national park. To assure your safety while participating in this spectacular tourist activity, a walking safari is organized and accompanied by an armed park officer. Your accommodation in the eastern Serengeti can also arrange a night game drive for nocturnal animal viewing.
SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS IN EASTERN SERENGETI
BEST KNOWN FOR
- A remote wilderness environment with few tourists.
- The cheetah population in this area is the highest in Africa.
- A fantastic off-the-beaten-path game viewing experience.
- Awe-inspiringly magnificent scenery
SIZE
- 3,200 square miles of land.
TOPOGRAPHY, SCENERY, LANDSCAPE
- Short Grass Plains,
- Granite Kopjes,
- Mountains,
- Valleys And Depressions
MAIN SPECIES
- Wildebeest,
- Zebra,
- Eland,
- Lion,
- Wild Dog,
- Cheetah,
- Giraffe,
- Hartebeest,
- Hyena,
- Jackal,
- Ostrich
ACCOMMODATIONS
Eastern Serengeti has a variety of safari accommodations where tourists can stay during their safari visit to the Serengeti National Park. There are mobile campsites that migrate and follow the great migration, and other campsites and lodges that are permanent. Also, the eastern Serengeti accommodations involve both budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodations to fit both safari travelers such as couples, honeymooners, families etc. The following are some of the accommodations found in the eastern Serengeti.
- Lemala Nanyukie tented lodge
- Namiri plains (asilia Africa)
- Serengeti migration camp (Elewana)
- Taasa lodge
- Klein’s camp
- Lemala Nanyukie tented lodge
- Namiri plains (asilia Africa)
- Serengeti migration camp (Elewana)
- Serengeti sojourn
- Andbeyond Klein’s camp
