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Treat yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime Great Migration safari holiday. Our Wildebeest Migration Safaris itineraries start with Nairobi in Kenya or Arusha Tanzania but are completely customizable to your preferred length of stay and travel needs.
From mid-June to November, grab yourself front-row seats to the drama and action of Wildebeest Migration River crossing season, while also enjoying serene sunset moments in the vast open landscapes of Africa.
On your Great Migration Kenya itinerary, you’ll begin in Tsavo West National Park combined with the majestic land of elephants Amboseli National Park or Samburu National Reserve Combined with Lake Nakuru National Park before visiting the iconic Masai Mara.
Alternatively, go on a Wildebeest Migration safari for 10 nights in Tanzania’s world-famous Serengeti National Park, where you’ll enjoy the comforts of the best migrations camps in Serengeti, or book an entire week in Masai Mara National in a river-facing wildebeest migration safari camp as you wait for the magical crossings.
Whether you’re ready to travel now or are considering a wildebeest migration safari in the future, enquire with us and our friendly expert safari consultants will be happy to advise you, confirm availability, and provide you with a quote.
There is no single time of year to see the Great Migration since it is an eternal annual cycle from place to place, year in and year out. However, depending on either the aspect of the Great Migration you want to witness (such as river crossings) or the time of year that you prefer to travel, your safari can be tailored to give you the best chance of seeing what you desire.
It is believed that the wildebeest life starts in Ndutu Conservation Area and Serengeti South, where more than 8000 Wildebeest Calves are born daily and later migrate up North to Serengeti North and later Masai Mara in Kenya. The Great Migration can be summarised in this way as having these four seasons.
Alternatively, you can learn more about when to travel via this month-by-month breakdown of the Great Migration. Whether the great herds are calving in the south or on the move north in search of greener pastures – and then back again – there is a huge variety of astounding scenes unfolding before you.
Most people think that the Wildebeest Migration only takes place between July and October, but it’s actually an ever-moving, circular migration with various but equally exciting events that occur year-round. The popular river crossings usually coincide with safari’s high season (June to October), hence the perception that this is the only time of the year that the wildebeest are on the move or can be seen.
With climate change, the long and short rainy seasons in Kenya and Tanzania are no longer as regular or predictable as they once were. The rains can be late or early, which will throw the whole wildebeest calendar out of synch.
This is, once again, why it’s important to plan for as much time on safari as possible. You cannot fly in for two nights, see a river crossing and fly out again – nature simply doesn’t work that way. It’s unpredictable, and you can wait for so many days before an event happens.
This is a very general guideline for where the herds are during the year – bearing in mind that the entire Gnu Migration is triggered by rain, which can be early, late, or on time:
The herds are in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, moving south from the northeast region of the park and into the area near Lake Ndutu Conservation Area and the southern region of Serengeti. The Serengeti is not fenced, so the herds are free to move where they can find green grounds and water available for calving.
Remember that although up to two million wildebeest, zebra, and antelope form the Serengeti Migration, they are not all in a single herd. The animals break up into mega-herds of thousands or hundreds of individuals at a time.
It is the calving season (over 8,000 wildebeest calves are born each day!) so prepare yourself for lots of bubbly calves… and lots of heartbreak as the big predators hunt them down. The Serengeti’s big cats take the big share, but hit-and-run jackals, packs of wild dogs, and hyena clans add to the spectacle making it a thrilling experience. It’s a bittersweet experience; the circle of life drama is played out as a documentary on Natgeo, live on the ground.
If the short rainy season (Nov–Dec) produces good grazing and plenty of vegetation, the herds feed with no hurry and remain in the Serengeti’s southern plains until they slowly start moving west in March.
It’s the start of the long rains in the Serengeti (Apr–May) and the herds generally move in a north-westerly direction towards the Moru and Simba Kopjes. The action-packed rutting (breeding) season is in full swing, featuring testosterone-fuelled jousts between males competing for the right to mate with receptive females.
The Wagons herd roll towards the north! The massed herds are on the go, huge columns of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) in length can sometimes be seen as the wildebeest funnel up into the central Serengeti. Everyone’s moving a little quicker now that the calves are stronger. Also due to rain and water, the herds seem to move faster north as the rain falls around the northern region.
The wildebeest are usually in the central Serengeti and getting ready for the toughest part of their odyssey. The herds may have split up, with some already crossing the Grumeti River.
The Great Migration has reached the Grumeti region and northern parts of the Serengeti and is peering closely at the infested waters of the Mara River they have to cross into Kenya. Why? Huge Nile crocodiles, waiting for them, that’s why!
As mentioned, it is impossible to accurately predict wildebeest river crossings in either Serengeti or Masai Mara, they depend entirely on the rains and the often unpredictable wildebeest themselves. But the main and vital thing that makes them migrate is their biological clock. From July to October, they come to Masai Mara to mate due to the favorable climate conditions, and in Jan and March, they give birth.
It’s vital to book your Wildebeest Migration safari in Africa up to a year in advance to get a camp or lodge on or as close to the river as possible – this cuts down on travel time to lookout/crossing points.
The wildebeest do have historical crossing areas and you may spend days staked out in the hope of seeing the crossings. We recommend choosing a mobile safari camp that moves with the Migration to ensure you’re in the right place at the right time to witness this major world wonder.
August is generally considered the best time to witness the dramatic wildebeest river crossings from the northern Serengeti into the Masai Mara through the Mara River. You’ll need a passport to cross into Kenya; the wildebeest are exempted. The Masai Mara National Reserve is open to members of the public so for a more exclusive safari experience, book camps and or lodges inside the reserve or within the reserve.
The wildebeest herds break up into smaller groups, as not all the wildebeest migrate into Kenya. Less than half of the animals remain in the northern Serengeti, the rest are swapping war stories in the Masai Mara. So you could still see wildebeest in the Serengeti (just not the mega-herds) but as a general rule of thumb, the Masai Mara is the best place to witness the Migration in September.
Your best bet is still the Masai Mara, but bear in mind it is a far smaller reserve than the Serengeti and there may be a lot of other visitors. The wildebeest herds graze widely in the reserve and fill the entire reserve and neighboring conservancies. Some groups move down to Northern Serengeti from Masai Mara.
In a ‘normal year,’ the short rains have begun, propelling the wildebeest to leave the now-denuded grasslands of the Masai Mara and head back into the rejuvenated Serengeti. Bear in mind that the rain can be late or early, which is also unpredictable.
The herds are generally on the move but can be seen around the north-eastern parts of the Serengeti where they may split into smaller groups for their journey southward.
December
Fresh grazing sees the wildebeest move south, covering the northern and eastern Serengeti to feast and prepare for yet another death-defying, 1000-km odyssey.
There is no single time of year to see the Great Migration since it is an eternal annual cycle from place to place, year in and year out. However, depending on either the aspect of the Great Migration you want to witness (such as river crossings) or the time of year that you prefer to travel, your safari can be tailored to give you the best chance of seeing what you desire.
It is believed that the wildebeest life starts in Ndutu Conservation Area and Serengeti South, where more than 8000 Wildebeest Calves are born daily and later migrate up North to Serengeti North and later Masai Mara in Kenya. The Great Migration can be summarised in this way as having these four seasons.
Alternatively, you can learn more about when to travel via this month-by-month breakdown of the Great Migration. Whether the great herds are calving in the south or on the move north in search of greener pastures – and then back again – there is a huge variety of astounding scenes unfolding before you.
Most people think that the Wildebeest Migration only takes place between July and October, but it’s actually an ever-moving, circular migration with various but equally exciting events that occur year-round. The popular river crossings usually coincide with safari’s high season (June to October), hence the perception that this is the only time of the year that the wildebeest are on the move or can be seen.
There is no single time of year to see the Great Migration since it is an eternal annual cycle from place to place, year in and year out. However, depending on either the aspect of the Great Migration you want to witness (such as river crossings) or the time of year that you prefer to travel, your safari can be tailored to give you the best chance of seeing what you desire.
It is believed that the wildebeest life starts in Ndutu Conservation Area and Serengeti South, where more than 8000 Wildebeest Calves are born daily and later migrate up North to Serengeti North and later Masai Mara in Kenya. The Great Migration can be summarised in this way as having these four seasons.
Alternatively, you can learn more about when to travel via this month-by-month breakdown of the Great Migration. Whether the great herds are calving in the south or on the move north in search of greener pastures – and then back again – there is a huge variety of astounding scenes unfolding before you.
Most people think that the Wildebeest Migration only takes place between July and October, but it’s actually an ever-moving, circular migration with various but equally exciting events that occur year-round. The popular river crossings usually coincide with safari’s high season (June to October), hence the perception that this is the only time of the year that the wildebeest are on the move or can be seen.
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We endeavor to keep you up to date with our wildebeest migration updates and to offer you credible information to help you plan your safari with ease.
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