Explore the Serengeti Migration
The Serengeti is world-renowned for its annual migration which also arguably the main highlight of a Serengeti Safari tour, this migration covers a distance of over 800km and involves over 2.5 million animals. This is the largest mammalian migration on earth and attracts safari enthusiasts from all over the world. Predators like lions, cheetahs, African hunting dogs and spotted hyenas play a vital role in this event.
River crossings are a major obstacle, especially the Grumeti in Serengeti and the Mara along the Kenya border in the north. These crossings can be scenes of true carnage, as panicked herds struggle across the raging flows in a writhing mass of bodies while crocodiles and lions pick off the weak, injured or careless animals.
The migration’s ceaseless movement is based on a seasonal search for fresh water and pasture dictated by the rains, moving in a roughly clockwise direction. The great migration concentrates in the national park from April to June when the long rains are ending. Then it goes northward towards Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve, where it reaches in August. By September and October, the migration is concentrated in Maasai Mara.
The bulk of the migration then turns back towards northern and eastern Serengeti, following the fresh grass brought by the short rains. In this period, the migration is widely spread out, and a large part of it circles through Loliondo and into Ngorongoro beyond the Serengeti’s eastern border.
From December to March, which is the best time for a Serengeti Migration safari, the migration settles in the Serengeti Plains and western Ngorongoro, where it remains until the onset of the long rains. During this time, the wildebeest give birth to half a million calves, especially from late January to mid-March. The timing of this mass birthing provides security in numbers, as predators will eat their fill. However, only one in three calves make it back next year, despite being much stronger and able to outrun their pursuers.
The exact time and location of the migration can vary annually due to the rains and other factors, so there is no guarantee of coinciding with it. As a general rule, the best months to plan your Serengeti safari with an interest in seeing the migration are from December to July, especially February and March when the wildebeest herds are dotted with newborn, or April to June when animal concentrations are at their highest.
The best time to catch the migration’s perilous crossing of the Grumeti River is in June, while the spectacular Mara River crossing is best seen in July and August, which is also the peak tourist season. The dry months of June and July and usually January are probably the most favorable months to visit for your Serengeti safari