Guide to witness the Great Migration
Guide to Witness the Great Migration: Great migration the magical safari experience to witness happens from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Additionally, 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. There are four distinct seasons that can be associated with the Great Migration.
Alternatively, you may go through the Great Migration’s month-by-month breakdown below to find out more about when to travel.
There are a plethora of amazing views to behold, regardless of whether the massive herds are giving birth in the south or travelling north in pursuit of more fertile pastures, just to return south again.
The seasons of the Great Migration.
The Great Migration is seen throughout the year. Although historical movement patterns can be used to forecast the herds’ whereabouts at any given time, these are still wild animals, and the yearly rainfall that helps to promote grass growth is becoming less reliable.
March through January: The Calving Season remains
The short grass plains in the westernmost parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the southern Serengeti are where the herds gather. Around 500,000 calves are thought to be born in February within a two- to three-week period. A startling number of predators are drawn to this mass calving, ready to feed on the defenceless infants.
December/January – The wildebeest have an abundance of lush, tasty grasses to feed on throughout the Southern Plains. The herds will spend some time enjoying the plentiful grass in the vicinity of Ndutu and the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area in advance of the birth of the new calves.
February: More than 80% of fertile mother wildebeest give birth to their calves within a few weeks of one another between late January and mid-March. Predators fly in to feast on the easy prey, the over 500,000 small wildebeest that dot the grasslands.
March: As the plains dry out, the wildebeest are getting ready to migrate northward while still residing in the southern portion of the park.
April to mid-June: Season of the Trek North.
The herds begin migrating northward into the middle Serengeti when the rains finish and the land dries, where they can feed and take care of their young. They feed as they go, taking advantage of the new grass by moving slowly. When mating season arrives, male wildebeest engage in vicious combat to win a mate. The voyage continues as some herds bridge the Grumeti River and go west into the Western Corridor during the rut.
April: The wildebeest start their arduous journey north through the park’s centre. The animals travel at their own pace, stopping to graze.
May: In the park’s centre, the Moru Kopjes are flooded by magnificent columns of wildebeest that can reach lengths of several kilometres.
June’s first half In the Western Serengeti, large herds of wildebeest can be seen on the southern banks of the Grumeti River, prepared to take on their first obstacle crossing the river teeming with crocodiles.
Mid-June to November: Great Migration River Crossing Season
The animals move northward across the Serengeti. The Great Migration’s river crossings, which some people find to be its most thrilling moments, often begin in July, however the exact date is dependent on the amount of rain that falls.
The Masai Mara in Kenya and the Northern Serengeti are home to the herds. Talek and Mara rivers, which are frequently at the centre of extremely dramatic incidents, are sites of daily river crossings.
Afterwards, the herds typically return from the Mara to the Serengeti, moving towards the now-fertile southern Serengeti. The herds move quickly and cover a lot of ground in a single day. The herds return to calve in Ndutu by the beginning of December, marking the start of the entire process anew.
July: As the migration continues northward, enormous herds of wildebeest may be observed strewn along the Western Corridor. Early July will see the arrival of the first herds in the North.
August: The Great Mara River presents the wildebeest with their second trek hurdle as the dry season draws near. Although thousands of calves are born, thousands more will survive than die.
September: Although many of the herds are still in the Serengeti, they are primarily centred in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the trek’s northernmost region.
October: On their way back south, the wildebeest encounter the Mara River’s excessive waters for the second time.
November: The brief but intense rains bring the wildebeest south to the Serengeti’s revived grasslands.
December: The Start of Calving Season
The southern Serengeti and the northernmost parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are where the herds gather on the short grass plains. Around 500,000 calves are thought to be born in February within a two- to three-week period. A startling number of predators are drawn to this mass calving, ready to feed on the defenceless infants.
December/January – The wildebeest have an abundance of lush, tasty grasses to feed on throughout the Southern Plains. The herds will spend some time enjoying the plentiful grass in the vicinity of Ndutu and the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area in advance of the birth of the new calves.
The Great Migration from January to December
Learn more below about historical patterns that predict where the Great Migration is each month;
January.
Wildebeest begin to gather in the southern plains, from Moru south to Naabi, Kusini and Ndutu. The short grasses here are rich in phosphorus and magnesium due to the volcanic ash of the calcrete layer just below the plains’ shallow soil. Bring items that can withstand water as there could be strong thunderstorms in the area. You might get lucky and see a few early calvings.
February.
Peak calving month is February, and nothing compares to witnessing hundreds of thousands of newborns walk for the first time in motion amidst immobile herds. They are visible from the Kusini and Ndutu plains all the way up to the Ngorongoro Highlands. Though there are still sporadic showers throughout the rainy season, this is the driest month.
March.
The herds are mainly still in the Ndutu-Kusini area towards the end of the calving season, however some are moving even farther eastward into the Namiri Plains and even further south into Maswa (prime predator habitat, so keep your camera handy). There are strong, local thunderstorms with the birth of the final group of wildebeest calves.
April.
This is your last chance to see the enormous herds (together with the calves) moving slowly across the plains in the Naabi and Kusini regions. Before setting out on their lengthy and frequently dangerous voyage north, they will be making the most of what nutritious Digitaria, Sporobolus, Andropogon, and Cynodon grasses still remain.
May.
The wildebeest will be constantly moving from the beginning of this month, moving north via the Moru Kopjes and towards the Western Corridor. The herds will now be grazing on medium-to-tall Pennisetum and Tussocky Themeda grasses, which receive water from the dramatic thunderstorms that are still occurring and make for interesting photos. The animals are continuing to migrate north since the foliage provides a little less nourishment.
June.
With the Western Corridor and Grumeti Reserve in its path, the Great Migration is gathering speed. Peak rutting season coincides with the start of the dry season, however isolated showers persist in the north. From this point on, the growth stage of the grasses, which are anchored in nutrient-rich soil amidst the woodlands and include Digitaria, Pennisetum, Eustachys, and Themeda, will be a major determinant of the animals’ diet.
July.
The grass is truly greener on the other side that is, the Mara and Sand Rivers for the wildebeest. Natural history documentaries are formed of crossings, and staying at Sayari puts you in the ideal location to see the action. With ravenous crocodiles waiting in the water, the herd’s front end will have arrived in the Kogatende region of the northern Serengeti, prepared to traverse the Mara and Sand rivers.
August.
Generally, herds will travel north to south, attracted by the earlier rainfall that have resulted in more nutrient-rich pasture on the northern side. On the other hand, occasional crossings also happen in the other way. Go to the Nyamalumbwa Plains and Lamai Wedge for breathtaking views of the majority of the wildebeest herds, dotted with herds of antelope and dazzling zebras.
September.
September sees river traffic flowing between Kenya and Tanzania in both directions, but by the end of the month, the flow will be mostly southerly. Tens of thousands of creatures will perish trying to make this perilous journey, which is one of the most amazing and terrible spectacles in all of nature. There are still no rains in the south and only sporadic showers in the north.
October.
As thunderstorms start to develop in the north, the herd’s tail ends up crossing the river from Kenya into Tanzania. As this is going on, the majority of the animals are relocating to the Lobo Valley area and Grumeti Reserve, continuing their yearly journey back south to their calving sites.
November.
The herds are moving through the Lobo region and into the central Serengeti, marching relentlessly forward. They have mostly left the north. Here, rain is still in short supply, and the grasslands’ natural nutrition is not the best. Interestingly, the reason the wildebeest can still share grazing land with zebra is because the two animals consume different parts of individual blades of grass.
December.
These days, the Great Migration is spread out over the central Serengeti, extending from Lobo in the north to the southernmost point of Ndutu. Finally, the rains catch up with the herds that are still migrating, resulting in strong thunderstorms and isolated showers throughout the area. Now that they are back on the more nutrient-dense Pennisetum, Sporobolus, Andropogon, Cynodon, and Themeda grasses, the animals are prepared to calve in the southern hemisphere and restart the enormous cycle.
