Wildebeest Migration Safaris

Wildebeest Migration Safari Tour

Wildebeest Migration Safaris covers a huge area of the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem. The Great Wildebeest Migration Safaris in Africa – also known as the Gnu Migration, Serengeti Migration and Masai Mara Migration – is one of the last mass terrestrial wildlife movements left on the planet. Wildebeest Migration Safaris is the chief reason why so many travelers venture to Kenya and Tanzania for a Migration safari, especially around mid-year.

Every year the plains of East Africa are home to one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles, the migration of 1.4 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, tracked by Africa’s great predators. The Wildebeest Migration Safaris is often described as a set circuit that occurs between Tanzania’s Serengeti plains in the south and Kenya’s Maasai Mara in the north between May and December each year, but the reality of the migration is much more complex. The Great Wildebeest Migration Safaris in the Serengeti is the largest single movement of wild animals in the world, deservedly listed as one of its eight Natural Wonders and an exceptional inspiration for a dream nature tour of northern Tanzania. Trekking via the south-central Seronera outskirts into the Western Corridor and Grumeti River arriving during the month of April to May and residing till June, and then finally towards the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya crossing the perilous Mara River around July or August onwards with a return via the same death-defying river, this time heading to the bearing of Lobo and Loliondo in eastern Serengeti around October to November. The white bearded wildebeest journey continues back to the southern Ndutu calving grounds with arrivals starting around December with temporary residence till March.

The Migration is one of nature’s greatest paradoxes: timing is absolutely vital, but there is no way to predict the timing of the animals’ movements. We know that the wildebeest (and a smattering of zebra and antelope) will cross the Mara River – but nobody knows exactly when. We also know that rain will trigger the wildebeest to move onto fresh grazing – but nobody knows exactly when the rain will fall.

The Great Wildebeest Migration Safaris is a well-documented spectacle that you have probably heard from one source or another, but it is difficult to comprehend just how breath-taking this display is without witnessing it first-hand. Simply put, the Wildebeest migration is one of the most stunning events that you could ever wish to see. On top of this it’s not just wildebeest that you will be watching, expect to see all the diverse wildlife that Africa has to offer whilst embarking on your Wildebeest Migration safari with us.

The Wildebeest Migration Safari Tour – every year almost two million wildebeest, zebra, topi and antelope migrate from the vast Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, to the lush rolling grasslands of the Masai Mara, in Kenya. The journey is 1,800 miles and tough and arduous, with many animals falling prey to Africa’s lion, leopard and cheetah – not to mention the crocodiles which lie in wait each year for that first wildebeest to cross the Grumeti and Mara Rivers. Seeing the sheer magnitude of animals amongst the wildebeest migration, as well as the drama and action this extraordinary natural spectacle provokes, is nothing short of miraculous.

See our fantastic Specialist Wildebeest Migration Safari – a combination of the Masai Mara and the Serengeti. Each year, the patterns change, however see below for an idea of where the wildebeest migration will be at certain times of year (please note that many of our camps are mobile, so they are able to follow the migration throughout the year). Please note, not all camps are listed, although every camp in the Masai Mara (Kenya) and the Serengeti (Tanzania) will be in the center of the wildebeest migration at one point during the year.

January, February to mid-March: The wildebeest are calving in the southern Serengeti.

End of March and April: The wildebeest migration moves into the central Serengeti (this is the rainiest time of year). They are often in splinter groups.

May and June: The wildebeest move into the central and western Serengeti, including the Western Corridor and Grumeti Reserve.

Late-June to Mid-July: The wildebeest enter northern Tanzania.

Mid-July through September: The wildebeest migration moves into the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Typically, the herds will be crossing back and forth between Tanzania and Kenya, and epic river crossings can be seen if you have a bit of luck!

October and November: The migration starts to work its way back to Tanzania, but there will still be plenty to see in the southeastern Maasai Mara in Kenya and in the Northern Serengeti.