The Serengeti Plains stretch flat to the horizon, broken only by ancient granite kopjes rising from the grass - stage of the wildebeest Great Migration. Toggle the dry/wet season grass color and the migration trail marker.
Published figures: Serengeti National Park covers about 14,750 sq km; the greater Serengeti ecosystem spans roughly 30,000 sq km across Tanzania and Kenya; the Great Migration moves about 1.5 million wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle each year.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Serengeti Plains 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Serengeti Plains as an almost flat grassland broken by ancient granite kopjes rising abruptly from the grass - the stage for the wildebeest Great Migration. Toggle the grass color between the golden dry season and the green wet season, and the marker tracing the migration's roughly circular annual route.
Serengeti National Park covers about 14,750 sq km of northern Tanzania, and the greater Serengeti ecosystem it belongs to spans roughly 30,000 sq km across Tanzania and into Kenya's Maasai Mara. The plains sit at an average elevation of roughly 1,500-1,850 m. Each year about 1.5 million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, follow the rains in a large roughly circular route across the ecosystem - the Great Migration. Scattered across the grass are granite kopjes, ancient Precambrian rock outcrops among the oldest exposed rock in the region, which provide rare shade, lookout points, and shelter for wildlife on the otherwise open plains. Serengeti National Park was established in 1951 and the wider area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site (natural) since 1981.
- Toggle the season to see the grass shift between golden dry-season tones and green wet-season tones
- Toggle the migration trail marker to see the wildebeest route sweep across the plains
- Read park area, ecosystem area, migration size, and heritage figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Park area | about 14,750 sq km - Serengeti National Park |
| Ecosystem area | roughly 30,000 sq km across Tanzania and Kenya |
| Great Migration | about 1.5 million wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle |
| Elevation | plains average roughly 1,500-1,850 m |
| National park since | 1951 |
| Heritage status | UNESCO World Heritage Site (natural) since 1981 |
| Kopjes | ancient Precambrian granite outcrops, among the oldest exposed rock in the region |
For another African wildlife landscape, open the Okavango Delta 3D Explorer, or for another island wildlife stage try the Galapagos Islands 3D Explorer.
The whole scene - the rolling grass, the scattered granite kopjes, the seasonal color shift, and the migration trail - is built and drawn on your own device with WebGL through the site-vendored three.js engine. Orbit the scene to see how the kopjes break up the flat plain, and toggle the season to see the grass shift from golden dry-season tones to green wet-season tones. Nothing about your visit is uploaded to a server, and the engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is then cached.
This is an educational approximation - the plain, kopjes, grass-color seasonality, and migration trail are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Serengeti?
Serengeti National Park covers about 14,750 sq km in northern Tanzania. The wider Serengeti ecosystem it belongs to spans roughly 30,000 sq km, extending into Kenya's Maasai Mara.
What is the Great Migration?
An annual movement of about 1.5 million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, following a large roughly circular route across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem as they track seasonal rains and fresh grass.
What are the granite kopjes?
Ancient Precambrian rock outcrops that rise abruptly from the flat plains, among the oldest exposed rock in the region. They give rare shade and lookout points on the otherwise open grassland.
Why does the grass change color?
The Serengeti has a dry season and a wet season. Grass turns golden-brown in the dry season and green again once the rains return, which is what drives the wildebeest to keep moving in search of fresh grazing.
Is the Serengeti protected?
Yes. Serengeti National Park was established in 1951, and the wider area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site (natural) since 1981.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the plain, kopjes, grass-color seasonality, and migration trail are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.