Serengeti Migration Safari

Over a million wildebeests also called the Gnu, zebras and gazelles spend the first month of the year in the plains of Serengeti National Park feeding on the short grass and preparing for migration.

The majority of wildebeest calves have just been born in February with around half a million new calves in that month, as the Southern plains become picked over, the herds begin to spread west and prepare for their migration north in the Spring.

This makes for an incredible sight during game drives, expect to see newborn calves and you if you are lucky, you might witness a birth and also see plenty of predator action.

The wildebeest encourage their newborns to get on their feet immediately and join the herds where their safety is guaranteed. Predators like lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and rare wild dogs wait in the surrounding areas ready to prey the weak and vulnerable members of the herd.

An easy kill isn’t always guaranteed as the female wildebeest instinctively head to the short grass plains so that they can see predators approaching and they form a barricade around birthing mothers to protect them and their young ones thus ensuring the majority of the newborn calves survive.

Towards the end of the short dry season (usually the end of March), the short – grass plains in the Southern Serengeti begin to dry out and the wildebeest and zebras start to head towards the western woodlands

Usually April brings the first signs of migration with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest beginning their arduous journey across the western plains and finally north.

The herds move through the Ndoha and Dutwa plains adjacent to the Mbalagweti River, they may begin to pile up near the Mbalagweti and Grumeti Rivers awaiting the crossing, a dangerous obstacle for animals.

Usually the rutting season starts in June and you expect to see fierce fighting between competitive males as they vie for the attention of females and it’s around this time that the dry season starts with large concentrations of wildebeest in the Western Serengeti and on the southern banks of the Grumeti River. Each migrating animal must face the challenge of crossing the crocodile-infested river and this dramatic river crossing is one of the most exciting events of the Great Migration

In early July, the hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra continue to head north along the western edge of the park toward an even riskier barrier, the Mara River in northern Serengeti and this river crossing is a memorable and exciting wildlife encounter on Earth. The Crossings usually start in July but the precise timing depends on the rains.

The migration herds will typically be found in the Northern Serengeti during the month of July and a small portion will have successfully made it to the Masai Mara with continuous daily river crossings being seen at the Mara and Talek rivers.

At the start of August, the migration herds have encountered the challenge of crossing the Mara River and are spread across the Northern part the Masai Mara Reserve with many remaining in the northern part of the Serengeti National Park. One should note that there is no single crossing. At some spots, there are just a few individuals while others have a mass of animals moving without break for hours.

Later in early October, the migration herds are all Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve in search for fresh grass to gaze. This is also a wonderful time to have your safari in Masai Mara national reserve.

As the long rains begin in October, the herds begin their long journey south back to the Serengeti following the new grass but this does not mean that life becomes easy as there is always danger lurking around in form of hunting prides of lions and packs of hyenas.