Dreaming about wildlife, the most spectacular scenario that comes to our mind is the sensational Serengeti, Tanzania’s largest wildlife park. Covering an area of 14,763 square kilometers, it is also one of the oldest ecosystems on Earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in t he past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in the nearby Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

Its vast open spaces honour the meaning of its name, a word of Maasai origin: Seregenget or Siringitu is “the place where the land moves on forever”.

The Serengeti ecosystem comprises different forms of vegetation and landscapes, plus endless species of fauna. The so called Big Five – lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant - inhabit in big numbers there, as part of the puzzle in constant movement that keeps the perfect balance of this amazing spectacle of wilderness. Other important large mammals that inhabit the Serengeti are large herds of antelope, giraffe, hippopotamus, impala, zebra, gazelles, wildebeest, cheetah, hyena, hunting dog and jackal; among the smaller mammals, there are counter numbers of spreing hare, porcupine, warthog, hyraxes, baboon and mongooses. There are also nearly 500 species of birds, including flamingos, eagles and ostriches. Reptiles play also a key role in the match to ensure the ecosystem balance and the struggle for life; among them, there are crocodriles (including the 14 – feet – long crocodiles of the Seronera River) and different species of snakes and lizards.

But no doubt is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous: each year, around May and June, the wildebeest and zebra migrate to the adjoining Maasai Mara in Kenya, and back again in November – December. From December to June, the wildebeest spend the rainy season in the volcanic open plains below the Ngorongoro Crater, where the grass growth is most productive. When the monsoon rains stop in June, the plains dry out and the wildebeest move west towards Lake Victoria in search of pasture and rains. The plains become dry and wildebeest could no survive in them; only through migration can the wildebeest and zebra use the resources of the ecosystem. Therefore, following the rainfalls the migration moves to the north, into the Maasai Mara. With the onset of the monsoon rains in December the wildebeest move back to the Serengeti plains.

The vision of huge herds of mixed zebra and wildebeest swimming for their lives across the Grumeti and Mara Rivers, with the giant crocodiles lie waiting for the feast is a breathtaking experience of kill sightings and mind blowing game.

Serengeti National Park is divided in four main areas – the plains, Seronera in the center, the western corridor and the north -, each of them offering different landscapes and concentration of different species of flora and fauna. The north of the Park, where Lobo Wildlife Lodge is located, is dominated by rolling hills. Owing to the undulating nature of the landscape, it is an ideal area to view animals from a distance, specially around Lobo Kopjes; kopjes are eroded granite hills that were created millions of years ago when volcanic bubbles broached the surface and solidified; they were then eroded by rains, creating singularly beautiful forms. These higher grounds provide fantastic views of the migration in the grasslands to the east. The waterholes spread all over the area attract a variety of wildlife such as elephant, zebra, buffalo and gazelle.

Within the area of Serengeti National Park it is also possible to find one of the most important archaeological sites on Earth: early man made an appearance in the nearby Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago; the rock strata on either side of this steep-sided, 48 - kilometer-long ravine have exposed the fossilized remains of animals and over fifty hominids, being the Gorge therefore so called the cradle of mankind.

As for today, human habitation in the Serengeti is prohibited in order to protect the precarious ecological balance. Over one century ago, small nomadic hunter – gatherer groups frequently visited the plains; after them, Serengeti saw the aristocratic Maasai walking long distances with their beloved cattle. But, afterwards, hundred years ago, Europeans discovered this hunting sanctuary, and their action endangered the ecological balance to a dramatic extent. To avoid further damages, in 1951 the Serengeti was declared a National Park; as a result of this, human habitation was prohibited.