Your Handbook on the Great Migration
The Great Wildebeest Migration
Over a million animals migrate in a continuous circle across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, making the Great Migration one of the most sought-after experiences for those who love wildlife and the natural world.
In pursuit of grazing and water, the ever-moving columns of wildebeest, accompanied by numerous companions, travel a well-worn path. The animals make their way up and around the Serengeti in a clockwise direction towards the Masai Mara in Kenya after calving in the southern portion of Tanzania's Serengeti, close to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. They then make their way back towards the end of the year. There is constant high drama along the way as thousands of animals are killed by predators and thousands more are born, repopulating the population and maintaining the cycle of life.
The Great Migration: What Is It?
The world's largest animal herd movement is known as the Great Migration. The massive columns of wildebeest are actually visible from space, with up to 1,000 animals per km².
The numbers are astounding: 300,000 zebras, over 2 million wildebeest, topi, and other gazelles travel in a continuous cycle across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in pursuit of water and nutrient-rich grass. Following ancient migration routes, each wildebeest will travel 800–1,000 km on its own, guided by survival instinct. Only the strongest survive in this natural spectacle, which is also referred to as "the greatest show on Earth," thanks to hungry predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, and crocs.
The animals travel up through the Serengeti, across into the Masai Mara in Kenya, and back again from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania's southern Serengeti (though not into the Crater itself). The journey is fraught with peril: crocodiles eat their share of the stragglers, the weak and exhausted drown, the slow are brought down by prides of lion, the brave beasts break legs on steep river slopes, and young calves are snatched by predators.
The three groups of migrant grazers eat grass in different ways. The first group eats the top of the tallest grass, and the next group eats some of the medium-height grass until it is nearly gone and the herds move on. With only a slight overlap in their distributions, each group adheres to its own kind. The plains grasses are the highest in calcium and protein in the entire Serengeti.
Although it is unclear how the wildebeest determine their direction, it is generally accepted that their behaviour in response to the weather—following the rains and the growth of new grass—determines their course. Some experts think that the animals react to distant thunderstorms and lightning, but there is no scientific evidence to support this theory. It has even been proposed that wildebeest are able to detect rain over fifty kilometres away.
The Great Migration in January, February and March
The migration will be wrapping up a southward journey in January of each year, travelling into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and along the eastern edge of the Serengeti. Here the plains are rich in nutritious grass, providing the herds with the best conditions for raising their newborn calves.
It would seem reasonable to refer to the wildebeests' birthing season as the beginning of the migration, even though there is no actual beginning or end to this migratory circuit other than birth and death. The herds move into the short-grass plains that cover the lower northern slopes of the highlands of Ngorongoro Crater and the area surrounding Olduvai Gorge in late January or early February. About 8,000 new calves are born here every day, or about 400,000 calves in two to three weeks.
Because of the sheer number of wildebeest, the surrounding predators can easily hunt because there are so many vulnerable young calves. Most of the third camps we have selected will undoubtedly give you the experience you have always needed to understand the wildebeests, especially for those who are interested in seeing calving and the drama of big cats on the hunt.
The Great Migration in January, February and March
The wildebeest herds start to move northwest towards the fresher grass of the central Serengeti in April after giving birth to their young in February and March. Thousands of zebra and smaller groups of antelope accompany them. As the animals begin to gather near the Moru Kopjes, and other few camps in the Serengeti that provides migration viewing during this time of year, columns of wildebeest stretch for several kilometres by May. Male wildebeest engage in head-to-head combat during the mating season, which starts towards the end of May. The journey proceeds leisurely through "the rut," with gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest grazing along the way.
The wildebeest begin to congregate in the Western Corridor of the Serengeti as the march gradually gains momentum. The herds are traveling to cross the Grumeti River at this time of year. Along the river's pools and channels, which they must pass to continue their trek, the herds gather in enormous numbers. There are still enough wildebeest to provide the Grumeti crocs a veritable feast, even though this isn't as dramatic as the well-known Mara crossings. It's important to remember that May is low season. At this time of year, safaris are quite affordable because there aren't many visitors to the Serengeti, but the animal watching is still very good.
The Great Migration in June and July
Large numbers of wildebeest can be found in the Western Serengeti and along the southern banks of the Grumeti River in June, when the dry season begins. Crossing the crocodile-infested river is the first of many difficult and stressful river encounters that each migrating animal must endure.
Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebras continue to travel north along the park's western perimeter as June turns into July, heading toward the Mara River in the northern Serengeti, an even riskier barrier. These river crossings are undoubtedly among the world's most thrilling wildlife encounters. Though timing is entirely dependent on nature, they often start around July at the start of the peak season.
In July, the herds are usually found in the Northern Serengeti, where access is made possible by some mobile migration. Animals that have successfully crossed the Mara River will also be found in the Masai Mara later in July.
The Great Migration in August, September and October
Many of the herds are still in the northern Serengeti, but by August they have struggled to cross the Mara River and are dispersed over the northern Masai Mara. The terror and bewilderment at the crossings, coupled with waiting predators and surging currents, can result in a significant death toll during years when the river is at full flow. In addition to the lions and other large predators who guard the banks, ready to attack any wildebeest that manage to cross over, the crocs take a toll even in years when the water flows rather softly. There isn't just one crossing; at some places, there are only a few people, while in others, a large group of animals may be seen moving continuously for hours.
By September or October, the migrating columns had progressively migrated eastward and the major commotion has subsided. But as they get ready to cross the Mara River once more on their way back south, the wildebeest will have to deal with the strong floods once more.
The Great Migration in November and December
The wildebeest migrate from Kenya into the eastern boundaries of the Serengeti, passing Namiri Plains, an area renowned for exceptional cheetah sightings, following the East African brief rains in late October and early November. They are dispersed throughout the eastern and southern regions by December.
In the deep south of the Serengeti, the grasslands are thick with rain in the early months of the new year. This attracts hundreds of thousands of zebras and other plains animals, as well as herds of wildebeest. As the calving season resumes, the cycle continues.
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