| Page Views: 84 Last Visit to Serengeti National Park: - | A desert of grass by maharaja_joe - last update: Mar 30, 2007 |
| North-west Serengeti. The picture says it all. |
A breathtaking view welcomed the first german explorers to the African Savannah. The local tribe that inhabited the land herded cattle, wore bright red shawls, and carried spears to fight lions. Legend has it that they asked the Maasai what the land was called. Sere Greti, said the Maasai, which means "The Great Plains." As usual, something got lost in translation, and this was mistakenly reported as Serengeti. The name stuck.
Geologists say that millions of years ago, volcanoes at the edge of the Serengeti erupted. The lava and volcanic ash that followed the eruption destroyed all flora and fauna of the land. The wind spread the ash far and wide and some of the fossils found today are of animals that no longer exist. As the centuries passed, rain water mixed with the ash to form volcanic rocks, which hardened the ground. With time, a small layer of top soil settled on the rocky plain, which allowed grass to grow, but no trees, thus forming what we now call the African Savannah. |
| Sharing the road with a troop of baboons |
Owing to its volcanic past, the soil is rich in calcium and proteins, which forms very nutritious grass. This information has not been lost on the animals. The calving season, between November and February, sees a mass migration of animals to the Savannah from the woodlands of the north. The short and long rains ensure an abundant supply of grass for the young ones. The grass is short in comparison to the northern woodlands, so the mothers can watch out for preying hyenas and lions to protect their young ones.
As the summer begins, the shallow top soil fails to support the grass, and food supply runs out. The animals move to the northern parts with the deeper top soil. This soil supports other vegetation in addition to grass, like shrubs and trees that the giraffes feed on. The grass itself is almost one meter thick, providing ample cover to the carnivores. Every year the summer, one can see the Zebras and Wildebeest migrate with the young calves from the south to the north, crossing the Grumuti river on the way. Invariably, some end up in the stomachs of the crocodiles that live in the river. |
| Maasai dance in a hamlet near Ngorongoro |
To this day, the Maasai inhabit the Serengeti. During the time of the rains, the northern woodlands are wet, which causes foot and mouth disease in the cattle. This, and the nutritious nature of the southern grasslands, makes them move the entire village to the Savannah during the rainy spell. They move back during the dry spell. We could see Maasai villages during our drive through the Savannah, especially in the southern part near the Ngorongoro volcano.
One of the problems affecting the maasai is death due to malaria and lack of opportunity for its young ones. It is tough to provide schooling and primary health care to a tribe that wants to stick to its normadic roots. The efforts made by the government has met with partial success. Some tribes have stopped being fully nomadic, and some members of the hamlet come to local meeting spots where they can buy some of the necessities of modern life. During the drive through the volcanoes at the southern end of the Serengeti, it is common to see Maasai walking around with cell phones, or wearing wrist watches, or dressed in jeans and t-shirt, their maasai roots betrayed by the facial markings. Some of them have been educated by the missionaries, have Christian names in addition to the Maasai ones, and speak flawless English. Meeting the maasai and interacting with them is truly an experience that one should not miss out on. It was clearly the highlight of my trip to the African Savannah. |
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| Pros: | "Close view of nature" | | Cons: | "Expensive, by backpacker standards" |
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