The Great Migration: Best Time, Budget Safari Experiences, Facts, and Guide
A huge migration of over a million animals, including zebras, antelope, wildebeests, and big predators like lions, takes place from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara during the Great Migration, also called the Wildebeest Migration.
A massive migration of over a million animals, including zebras, antelope, wildebeests, and big predators like lions, takes place from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara during the Great Migration, also called the Wildebeest Migration. The annual reverse migration crosses the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania. It is controlled by several variables, including the weather, the availability of food, and the cycles of mating and birthing. The Great Wildebeest Migration, which takes place every year from the Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara reserve, is one of the world’s most enthralling natural spectacles. Weather patterns and the need for greener pastures drive wildebeests to migrate.
The annual Wildebeest Migration is a round-trip journey with erratic river crossings. The migration in Tanzania’s Serengeti often lasts nine months. During August, September, and October, it is most active in Kenya’s Masai Mara. If you would like to go on a migration safari, your options are Tanzania and Kenya.
The Great Migration starts on the Serengeti Plain, which stretches along Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya. Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is one of the best places to see the Great Migration, as large herds of Zebra and Wildebeest start to gather. The animals have to gather the courage to cross the fearsome Grumeti River.
Annually, almost a million of these gentle animals, along with tens of thousands of zebras and other herbivores, migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Masai Mara. This event is known as the wildebeest migration. The herds stay in the southern Serengeti between January and March, when the thick, wide plains of newly sprung grass provide them with food, before heading north. Around June, after significant rains in the Serengeti’s central regions, the herds arrive in the remote northern town of Grumeti. The herds cross rivers as they go northward into Kenya.
Hot-air balloon flight | Great Migration | Serengeti National Park | Masai Mara game reserve
The most well-known reserve in Kenya, the Masai Mara, is surrounded by rivers, rolling grasslands, and hilly landscapes that provide a scenic backdrop for the migration. Game drives are offered at Masai Mara in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with an open roof hatch or a minibus. To properly experience the thrilling beauty of this natural wonder, you will need to plan for game viewing with pop-up tents, as walking is not allowed in Serengeti National Park. Another way to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti and Maasai Mara is by taking a hot-air balloon flight over it.
Every year, wildebeest and other herbivores travel nearly 1,000 kilometers in a rotational circuit in response to the rains. Thus, a key factor influencing this annual regional trajectory is the quantity of nutrients present in the ecosystem’s young grass.
Because of its excellent climate and large number of permanent species, the Masai Mara National Reserve is regarded as a year-round safari destination that offers exceptional wildlife viewing. The dry season, which in Kenya lasts from late June to October, is the greatest time to watch animals. This is also when the beautiful wildebeest migration takes place.
Wildebeests are supposed to follow the aroma of rain on the arid Serengeti grasslands to reach greener pastures, according to biologists. Certain animals can sense the magnetic field that exists on Earth and use it to direct their migrations, even though humans cannot see it without a compass.
Experiencing the Serengeti calving season calls for some preparation ahead of time. Even though it’s the off-season, hotels book up quickly. January, February, and March are the best months to visit; if you have a certain date in mind, we suggest making reservations as far in advance as possible, particularly in February when the calving season peaks.
You can visit at any time of year to see this natural wonder in all its glory because the migration is still going on. Try to think about how vital it is to visit during the busiest travel season, which runs from July to October when there are fewer cars on the road. April and May can have long rains, which makes it challenging to see the herds in motion. When the herds have to cross the Mara River in search of new grass, which happens between July and October, is the optimum time to see a river crossing. The peak travel season to the Masai Mara National Reserve is in July when the Great Migration crosses the major Mara River.
