When you’re planning a safari to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania – Africa, one important safety concern is not mainly the people or the city itself, instead, it’s the wildlife animals you may be worried about.
So in this article, I’m going to share with you 7 reasons why a Safari to the Serengeti National Park is very safe and a couple of tips to help you, your family or friends remain safe throughout your visit to the park.
So, is Serengeti Safari Safe? With the most experienced park managers trained on how to deal with any kind of wildlife situation on the park, safe wildlife viewing, and the presence of army patrol men all around the park, your Safari to the Serengeti National Park will be very safe.
To learn more about other important reasons and factors that make a Safari to the Serengeti National Park a safe one, read on!
1. Very Safe Wildlife Viewing
The wildlife viewing at the Serengeti National Park is one of the main attractions of the park. The Serengeti national Park houses more than 300 mammal species, over 500 bird species, and reptiles etc.
And with such volumes of animals all concentrated in “one place”, I know some might be thinking, isn’t it a death trap? No, wildlife viewing in the Serengeti is very safe.
The park has been around since the 1950s and so the systems put in place for the successful viewing of wildlife has seen a lot of refinement. And because of this, the Serengeti National Park is one of the safest animal parks in the world.
The wildlife viewing at the Serengeti is usually well organized following both national and park safety rules. The guides at the Serengeti are very experienced and will have every kind of situation with the animals under control as long as you follow their rules.
So you’re always guaranteed of the best and safe Safari experiences in the Serengeti National Park.
2. The Structure Of The Park
Another important factor that plays a role in how safe a Serengeti Safari is the overall structure of the park.
The Serengeti is a magnificent ecosystem and covers over 12,000 square miles (30,000 square kilometers), according to NASA. This is why it has the name Serengeti which is a Maasai language meaning “endless plains.”
With such huge plains all the animals inhibiting the Serengeti can have territories with enough prey without having to turn their attention to visitors.
These wildlife territorial animals will be able to mark their territories as big as they want and live in herds of hundreds, thousands, and in some cares millions.
The vast plains of the Serengeti makes it possible for the park managers to observe and properly demarcate places visitors can freely go-by and rest without any dangerous encounters with the wildlife animals.
3. Experienced Park Managers and Guides
The Serengeti national park is owned and managed by the governments of Tanzania and Kenya. These government bodies maintain and protect everything in the park.
And because of this, only the best and experienced are employed to run the park. These men and women who manage the day-to-day activities of this park are experienced in both knowledge and in practice.
In the Serengeti National Park, the danger will be primarily with the wild animals but all of the staff and guides who will be allocated to your camp will be extremely vigilant would’ve had the most extensive training for all possible situations.
Also, you will find that some of these park workers come from a very long line of guides with a lot of the park knowledge passed down to them by the generation before them.
The park operators and guides are also held accountable for all they do. Because of this, the park workers and managers operate within the confines of the law and strict standards laid down by the stakeholders.
So when you visit the Serengeti National Park you are assured of high professional conduct.
4. Weather At The Serengeti
The weather at the Serengeti is very conducive.
It’s very moderate and very pleasant all year round. If there’s a question most of my friends have always asked about when it comes to their trips to Africa is how the weather is like over here with a presumptive prejudice for extremely hot weather.
The opposite is true. At the Serengeti National Park it never gets very hot, but it’s usually consistently cool.
You will particularly experience a bit of cold weather at night and during the early mornings but nothing extreme that will cause your arthritis to return suddenly or so hot you’re going to collapse to heat stroke.
There are 3 main types of weather you would have to know: The Serengeti Dry season which is from June to October and the two Wet seasons that is the short rains from November to December, and the extended rains from March to May.
So no matter where you’re from, you will find the weather at the Serengeti National Park to be very favorable and pleasant.
5. Safe Accommodations
There are numerous accommodation alternatives guaranteed to satisfy your accommodation needs.
So whether your preference is a plush lodge or a tented camp, you’re going to feel safe and enjoy the night’s wildlife sounds around the park.
You will be able to enjoy nature’s sounds from your tent such as the rustling of the vegetation, roars from lion prides, grunts of hippos, and a whole bunch of other wildlife sounds.
What’s fascinating is how the sounds of these bush noises will sound so near yet very far away. And while some of these sounds will actually be far away, there’s a good chance some of these sounds will be right outside your camp tent.
What’s even more exhilarating is you hearing the sounds of elephants walking through your camp, or warthogs grazing near your tent. When this happens, don’t allow fear to spoil the fun, Just stay calm.
Regardless, you can be rest assured that you’re going to be safe and sound in your tent, lodge, or whatever it may be.
Your safety is the safari camps’ top priority so in all cases, guides will stay up throughout the night on look out.
You will also be escorted in the evening to and from your safari tent to the main area where dinner is served,
6. Safe Organic Food
Another major source of worry for most travelers to the African continent is what to eat? How safe is the food? Where to eat? And where the food is sourced?
Africa has one of the largest green lands in the entire world with the majority of its food being rich and organic – void of chemicals.
The Serengeti National Park is no exception to this phenomenal richness in soil.
There are 4 types of soils found in the Serengeti National Park. These soils include the black cotton, granitic, lateric, alluvial soils.
The soil of the Serengeti is influenced by the ash deposits of the volcanoes on the Ngorongoro Highlands. As a result of these ash deposits, the soil over there contains many types of salts, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium.
During the wet seasons, the salts are swept down into the soil where they dissociate and accumulate less than a meter below the surface.
The ash left behind by these ancient volcanoes makes the soil at the Serengeti fertile for crops even around places just outside of the conservation area and for the savanna grasslands or plains that help to feed so many wildlife animals.
So if you visit the Serengeti plains, you’re guaranteed of some good organic food no matter the dish you go for.
7. Armed Patrol At the Park
The people of Tanzania are generally known for their hospitality. Your safari at the Serengeti National Park will be met by beautiful loving people who will be ready to assist you and offer educational commentary wherever you find yourself in the Park.
In the worse case scenario, If you get involved in any criminal activity it will usually involve petty stealing like purse snatching, theft at your hotel room or lodge, etc.
All you really have to do just like you would in any other country is to exercise normal safety precautions such as:
- Not walking about at night without an approved escort.
- Taking a taxi.
- Following people you don’t know at the park.
- Having financial transactions with people who you’re not familiar with. and a few more basic stuff.
Also there’s the heavy presence of armed patrols primarily assigned to protect the game park. This in turn helps to provide additional protection for tourists in the park.
Anyone one with bad intentions will have to avoid these armed troops and rangers, who actively patrol the park day and night seeking unauthorised entry to the parks and game poachers.
What makes these armed patrols even more sophisticating is the fact that you may probably never see them, but are there.
Conclusion
A Serengeti Safari is indeed safe. In this article, I shared 7 important reasons; more like factors that make the Serengeti National Park a safe place to be with your family and friends.
You’re rest assured your trip to the Serengeti will be fun and filled with wonderful memorable experiences.
Come one, come all to the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania.