Great Wildebeest Migration in Serengeti
The great wildebeest migration in the Serengeti is one of nature’s biggest spectacles in Africa.
Booking Tanzania safari tours—When arranging a migration safari to the Serengeti, it is highly important to understand the best spot to be based at any point in time during a Serengeti safari. The wildebeest and zebra basically move in a huge anti-clockwise direction. While June is a decent time to be around the Grumeti River, July/August/September/and sometimes even October are better times to be in the Masai Mara.
What is the Great Wildebeest Migration?
Wildebeest migration is a term for the circular journey of approx. 2,000,000 untamed wildlife, like wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, and topis, who migrate from the Serengeti plains towards Kenya’s Masai Mara and back to the Serengeti because they are continually searching for new food and water.
The Great Annual Migration Pattern in Serengeti National Park
The exact timing of the Serengeti wildebeest migration is completely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year, and it’s not possible to entirely predict movements. However, an oriental wildebeest migration calendar in the Serengeti usually follows this monthly path.
December & March
Calving Season
The Southern Plains of the Serengeti are where it all begins. Here is where the wildebeest would like to call home, and it’s where, each year in late February or March, life begins for half a million wildebeest.
April & May
As the southern plains dry out and the rut begins, so the wildebeest herds begin to move, following rain. In April and May they are possible to be found flocking slowly through Moru Kopjes in the south-central Serengeti as they begin the journey north.
June & July
As the great wildebeest migration gathers steam, the herds enter the Serengeti western corridor. It’s here that the wildebeest and their newborn calves meet their first serious barrier in the form of the Grumeti River as well as hungry crocodiles waiting for animals to cross the river.
August & November
Between August and November, the great migration reaches its northern range: the grasslands on either bank of the crocodile-infested Mara River, which the herds must cross not once, but twice, as they complete their migration circle. Many animals drowned while crossing the river.
Mara River Crossing
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