The story of Serengeti National Park is as timeless as the plains themselves — a journey from ancient landscapes to one of the world’s most iconic wildlife sanctuaries.

The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai word “Siringet,” meaning “the endless plains.” For centuries, the Maasai people lived in harmony with the land, coexisting with the wildlife that roamed freely across the vast savannahs of northern Tanzania.

In the early 1900s, European explorers and naturalists began documenting the Serengeti’s incredible wildlife. Concerned about increasing hunting pressures, the British colonial government declared the first Serengeti Game Reserve in 1921 to protect the area’s lions and other species.
By 1951, the Serengeti was officially established as a national park, becoming Tanzania’s oldest and most famous protected area.

Over the years, conservation efforts expanded to include the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and neighboring reserves, creating one of the largest and most successful wildlife ecosystems on Earth. Today, the Serengeti is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a living symbol of nature’s balance and beauty.