The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari is one of the wildlife journeys that many like to be part of. The wildebeest migration is an annual mass animal movement that takes place between Serengeti and Masai Mara National Reserve. It involves over a million wildebeests, about 200,000 zebras, and Thompson gazelles. These savanna grazers move over the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of fresh pastures.
Migrating herds attract predators like lions that take advantage of the numbers and newborns. The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari is most popular compared to the one on Masai Mara because the herds spend a lot of time in Tanzania. For an insightful understanding of this, below is a detailed explanation of Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari.
Southern Serengeti Wildebeest Migration
This is seen as the start of the wildebeest migration cycle as the herds cross back from Masai Mara and the calving period sets in. It happens between November to March. By this time the pastures would have grown. With plenty of pastures to feed on, the newly borns are only threatened by the predators and those that make it proceed with the migration.
Over 500,000 calves are born which boosts and rejuvenates the migration herds. Important to note is that this period is not stagnated in one place but over the Ndutu Conservancy and Southern Serengeti.
If you are interested in the calving period then ensure to book between December to March. It is a great time to see the major predators hunting as they are drawn by the births.
Central Serengeti Migration
By the end of March, a reasonable number of herds would have drifted from the south to Central Serengeti. April is however a wet month and the rains favor the growth of lush vegetation. This enables fresh grazing as the herds easily graze without having to move further as the situation is in the dry season.
The predators especially lions are also present in Central Serengeti with a pride of up to 20 individuals. In fact, Serengeti National Park has the highest lion population in East Africa and their survival is thanks to the abundance of prey.
Rainfall in April is unpredictable and can happen at any time of the day. With this, a number of game drive trails get muddy and impassable and the tourist numbers are usually low. When you visit in April the advantage you have is the exclusive safaris and the obvious wildlife numbers. Some lodges discount their rates and traveling then gives you an advantage.
Western Serengeti
The migrating herds get to western Serengeti in May and move over the open plains throughout June. As the seasons change, the dry season slowly starts to set in and the mating season also begins.
Since the wildebeest Migration involves millions of herders, they are evenly distributed all over the place. They move following a travel pattern guided by the weather and seasons. With this, by the end of June, a number of animals drift towards the Grumeti River. River crossings on the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari are remarkable but a battle of life and death for the migrating animals.
Rivers have deadly Nile crocodiles that feed on these herds and the migration also gives them an opportunity to hunt. The Grumeti River crossing is the first anticipated River Crossing and it is spectacular to watch.
The Northern Sector
Serengeti Wildebeest Migration gets to the north by the end of June. June to October are the busiest months and the famous Mara River crossings happen then. As the herds head to Northern Serengeti, they also get closer to Masai Mara and once they cross the Mara River they enter Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.
These months are also dry and the best times for game drives and wildlife viewing. Nature photography is also better in the dry season because of the minimum rainfall disturbances. It is also easy to rely on the natural lights and golden hours of the sunrise and sunset.
In the busy seasons, however, lodges get fully booked and it is important to book your safari in advance. The Park is also crowded as many people love to see the Mara River crossings on both sides of Serengeti and Masai Mara.
Accommodation Option
It is important to book accommodation in the right sector of Serengeti to avoid missing out. This depends on your Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari preference and the time of your visit.
Serengeti has a number of mobile camping options that follow the migration throughout the period. They include the andbeyond Serengeti Under Canvas which has mobile locations in Central, North, South & West Serengeti. The Nyasi Migrational Camp does mobile camping in the north and southern Serengeti. Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp also has mobile camping in Central, North, and South Serengeti.
There are also permanent Safari lodges and camps in the different sectors but within the proximity of the migration. Some of the notable safari lodges in southern Serengeti include Singita Sasakwa Lodge, Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Sanctuary Kusini Camp, and Serengeti Woodlands Camp among others.
Our 8-day Serengeti safari is the ultimate Discovery Journeys Adventure to fully explore the park. The 4-day Serengeti safari is short and a great option for those with limited time. Alternatively, you can combine a visit to Serengeti with other National Parks like Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater. You can also be part of our Discovery Journeys adventures to Uganda and Rwanda.
English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu