Each year around 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras migrate around the Serengeti National Park in search of pastures green. About the Author Our Marketing Manager is responsible for our online presence and bookings. Best places to stay: Grumeti River Camp, Faru Faru, Sasakwa, Sabora, Mbalageti Lodge and Kirawira, Singita Grumeti all offer excellent game viewing in June. The Mara crossing is responsible for thousands of wildebeest deaths each year through crocodile predation, drowning, falling off the high banks, or being trampled or crushed by the volume of the herd. Aside from predator action (which happens year round), these aspects tend to be one: river crossings, huge herds stretching to the horizon or calving. Don’t miss out this on your Africa safari. The ‘long rains’ are still happening daily, and as the calves gain strength the herds can move faster and cover more ground. This natural phenomenon attracts thousands of local and international visitors. What do you think of this article on the Great Wildebeest Migration – any information you’d like to see that we’re missing? Our experts predict how the wildebeest migration will move based on previous years migratory patterns and real time updates received from pilots, rangers and safari guides in the Serengeti. In addition, a number of private conservancies have been established in recent decades which border the unfenced national parks and reserves and are rewilding areas previously used as grazing land for Maasai cattle. The herds are stretched now, with front-runners near Mbalageti River and the stragglers close to Lake Magadi. This means they don’t all stick together all the time, but often form splinter groups that move in different directions in search of the best grazing. The Wildebeest Migration, is one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World” and also known as The World Cup of Wildlife. The wildebeest herds have no leaders, rather they have an instinctive, herd mentality. Tanzania & Zanzibar Honeymoon. Rather than having a start or end point, the Great Migration moves rhythmically in a clockwise direction, making herd tracking unpredicatable. The Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem is a region of Eastern African equatorial savannah, situated in northern Tanzania and south-western Kenya and totalling approximately 30,00 km sq. Tiny ‘Tuna Crabs’ Swarm California Beaches Beyond ‘Normal’ Range. Jump to a section: The Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem | Great Wildebeest Migration facts | Migration by season | Map | Tips | Resources. And yet, one, or two, or maybe a few hundred wildebeest sense something in the air. A secluded and romantic African honeymoon adventure. There is a lion population of over 3,000 in the Serengeti ecosystem that follow the herds around the reserve. If you want to find the wildebeest in January, Naabi Hill and Lobo are the places to look. Each year an estimated 140,000 tourists visit the Serengeti ecosystem to witness the migration, which is a double-edged sword. This natural occurrence keeps happening every year and wildebeests keep taking the same route. The best part of the Great Migration in Kenya occurs in July when massive herds of wildebeests are crossing the Mara River to pour across the plains. Best places to stay: Asilia’s Dunia Camp is a great option at this time, as are any of the central Serengeti hotels such as the Serena or Sopa. Every year, millions of wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, elands, and impalas move through a fairly predictable clockwise movement around the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem in search for better grazing and fresh water. The ‘short rains’ trigger a continuation of the cycle with the herds leaving Kenya, moving south to western Loliondo and the Lobo area in Serengeti National Park. One group makes the Grumeti crossing and header through the Singita Grumeti Reserve, whilst another group heads directly to the north of the Serengeti, passing through Seronera. Nor is there a month when the lions and wildebeest call a truce. If there is a safari you should go on, this has to be it. The Maasai Mara and the Serengeti National Park together form what no other reserve or park in Africa can! FEBRUARY: Every year half a million wildebeest are born on the Serengeti plains, and February i… They begin to move west towards the woodlands with babies in tow, where the short afternoon rains are beginning. Click to read more! It’s generally accepted that the wildebeests’ route is driven by the weather, as they follow the rains and the growth of new grass. Wildebeest Migration. View migration map and monthly prediction, Free safari planning advice from destination experts, 2nd floor Tygervalley Chambers One October is a relatively relaxed time, with the chaotic river crossing complete for another year, and the giant herd together enjoying the rewards of fresh grazing lands around Northern Serengeti and the Maasai. Below we run through where the herds are usually found in each month: The rain-plump grasses in the deep south of the Serengeti National Park feed the huge milling herds, not only of wildebeest but hundreds of thousands gazelle, zebra and other antelopes. They need a lot of area to move in. A wildebeest calf feeds before the long journey ahead. Rainfall drives the event, so tracking the herds is not an exact science, but the same general pattern plays out each year. There are lots of resources out there on the Great Wildebeest Migration. You can see the Great Migration in Tanzania year round, whilst the best months to see action in Kenya tend to be September and October. The crocodiles found in the Mara River can lunge out of the water by more than half of their own body length to catch a wildebeest in their jaws. It’s the main reason why so many travellers venture to Kenya and Tanzania for a Migration safari, especially around mid-year. Best places to stay: Kusini and Ndutu Lodge. Still travelling in separate groups, the herds are found mainly around the Grumeti Reserve, west of the Serengeti. For some reason, a few animals decide to start moving. JANUARY: It is the first rains in the southern Serengeti plains that beckon the herds to the Ndutu area. The Great Wildebeest Migration is without doubt one of the planet’s most incredible wildlife spectacles. ... Watch Thousands of Cranes Take Flight in One of Earth's Last Great Migrations. The wildebeest migrate all year, moving in a circular pattern which encompasses the greater Serengeti/Mara eco system. Until now, scientists haven’t come up with a generally accepted, definitive answer, though there are some theories: There’s a case that the grazing migrators are motivated by the evolving chemistry of the grass through the year as it responds to rainfall. This article gives you all the info you need to know before you go, and will help you plan your time watching the great migration. Bear in mind though that this great event is a natural phenomenon, and as such exact timings and locations are unpredictable. Wildebeests were colored with the habit of staying and moving together in monumental groups. The great wildebeest migration is one of the wonders of the world that takes place in Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya and Serengeti National Park Tanzania. Once across the river the herds begin to mass again, and follow local rainfall in the Northern Serengeti and the Maasai. What is the Great Migration? This epic journey from north to south spans almost 3000 kilometres and is virtually endless. Whilst the straight-line distance of annual migration is around 600 km, researchers have found that individual animals cover almost 2,000 km each year, at distances of up to 40 km in a single day. The journey for the key players in the Great Migration, the roughly two million wildebeest, starts in the south of the Serengeti, with the birth of half a million calves between January and March. The Great Migration refers to the continuous movement of vast numbers of wildebeest accompanied by large numbers of zebras and gazelles searching for food and water between Tanzania and Kenya. The herds finish their calving as the short grass plains of the southernmost Serengeti begin to dry out. The wildebeest and zebra have a symbiotic relationship, in that wildebeest only feed on the shorter parts of the grass, once the grazing zebra have acted as lawnmowers, cropping the grass down and making it to the wildebeest’s liking. More than 1.5 million wildebeest migrate in an enormous loop every year. In calving season (Jan-Mar) around half a million wildebeest are born each year in the Serengeti. Great Migration Camps Mobile follows the wildebeest migration on a micro scale, guaranteeing migration sightings and experiences. July to October every year is the season for Great Wildebeest Migration. With some help from Tanzania safari specialists Sababu Safaris, discover 10 incredible facts about The Great Wildebeest Migration. Many people think that the great wildebeest migration only happens once a year, but the migration is in fact an all-year-round event -- with each time of year offering a unique widlife experience. The great Serengeti wildebeest migration is the movement of vast numbers of the Serengeti's wildebeest, accompanied by large numbers of zebra, and smaller numbers of Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, eland and impala. This probably is the largest number of wildlife sighted a wildlife safari in Tanzania or Kenya wildlife safari. This great spectacle of nature is an iconic safari option for avid travellers, nature lovers and those who want a little more from their African experience. This is the stage on which the greatest wildlife show on earth and plays out, as it is by far the greatest mass movement of land mammals on the entire globe. Wildebeest migration is a term for circular journey of approx. Please let us know in the comments below. April is rainy season proper in Tanzania, with late afternoons and evenings the wettest time of day (4×4 transportation is the order of the day at this time of year). Females are heavily pregnant and this is the start of calving season, Huge herd of wildebeest congregating in Ndutu. The great wildebeest migration involves an estimate of 1.5million wildebeest, 500,000 Thompson’s gazelle, 200,000 zebras and 18,000 elands. The login page will open in a new tab. There is fossil evidence across the Serengeti that suggests wildebeest have been roaming the East African plains for over one million years. As the migration is in a circular motion around the Serengeti/Maasai ecosystem it’s essentially an ongoing event. After the rain the plains grasses have higher levels of calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen, meaning the wildebeest could be following their taste. For most of their lives, wildebeest graze in the grassy savanna s and open woodlands of the plains, which straddle the nations of Tanzania and Kenya. GMC mobile camp moves location as the wildebeest move, with the ability to move camp in a day. Densely-packed wildebeest cross the Mara River – which separates Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti ©Frank Gabriel Each year around millions of wildebeest make the perilous journey between the Serengeti plains in north Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The dense herds graze on the short grass plains around Lakes Maek and Ndutu as the females give birth to their young. Just like that: the largest terrestrial mammal movement of animals on earth has begun; the great wildebeest migration. Tanzania & Kenya. This treacherous odessey is dictated by the seasons and where the rains are, the wildebeest are not far behind. At this point in the migration the herds split into smaller family groups to get their fill of food as they make for the fertile lands of the Ndutu plains where the rains will have rejuvenated the grasses since the herds were last there. From £5,500 PP. Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of green pasture, in a regular pattern. Witness the dramatic scenes of the Great Migration in the Serengeti. Known as the Great Wildebeest Migration, this phenomenal event was named one of the seven wonders of … The Great Wildebeest Migration The Great Migration through Tanzania and Kenya each year is the largest overland wildlife migration in the world. The annual Great Migration of wildebeest and other herbivores across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world. Huge herds totaling up to 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move in an 800 km circuit clockwise through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystem in search of the best pastures and access to water. The wildebeest (/ ˈ w ɪ l d ɪ b iː s t / WIL-dib-eest, / ˈ v ɪ l-/ VIL-, /-d ə b-/, plural wildebeest or wildebeests), also called the gnu (/ nj uː / NEW or / n uː / NOO), is an antelope in the genus Connochaetes.It belongs to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. Find out where the herd will be, and what to expect each month of the year, using our migration map with monthly predictions. The area comprises the adjoining Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, along with a number of bordering Tanzanian conservation areas and game reserves including the Maswa Game Reserve,  the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, the Grumeti Reserve and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. South Africa, Tanzania - medium budget, maximum game viewing, Primates and wildlife of Uganda and Rwanda, Spectacular July to September Wildebeest River Crossings (10 days), Green Season Wildebeest Migration Safari (11 days), Affordable Green Season Safari in Tanzania (8 days), August Migration Safari with HerdTracker (10 days), July Wildbeest Migration Safari with HerdTracker (10 days), World Cup of Wildlife Migration Safari with HerdTracker (9 days), June to July Wildebeest Migration Safari in Tanzania with Herdtracker (9 days), Affordable Ngorongoro and Serengeti Safari (6 days), Epic Grumeti River Crossing Migration Safari (10 days). read more. Great Wildebeest Migration. Select a month below to find out what each month offers in terms of weather, wildlife, migratory movements, predator interactions, river crossings and where the best place to stay is, to get the most out of your trip to see the great wildebeest migration. 2,000,000 untamed wildlife like wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, 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. It is an annual event that involves millions of wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, and other hoofed mammals migrating from the … A captivating and dramatic movement of about half a million wildebeests from the drier lands in Tanzania to the Masai Mara. This would make the migration an innate instinct, coded into the animals’ DNA over thousands of generations. Best places to stay: With only a fraction of the visitor numbers that descend on the Mara, Kogatende is a good alternative to watch the herds cross the Mara River. This treacherous odessey is dictated by the seasons and where the rains are, the wildebeest are not far behind. Whilst the majority of wildebeest in Africa are non-migratory, why does the Serengeti ecosystem see such an epic migration of 2 million animals? The wildebeest herd moves forward to the fresh, green pastures of Kenya’s Masai Mara. Choose from our existing safari packages or tailor-make your own journey according to your budget. We're offering our guests the chance to explore two world-famous destinations in under a week, Join HerdTracker on a wildebeest migration safari in the Serengeti National Park's Grumeti region, With the help of our Migration & East Africa expert, we answer 18 frequently asked questions about the migration. 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