Great Migration
The Great Migration: a month-by-month guide
Every year, around two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move in a great loop through the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Here is how that movement usually unfolds, and how to plan a safari around it with realistic expectations.
By Absolute Holiday Safaris · · 3 min read
What is the Great Migration?
The Great Migration is not a single event but a continuous movement. The herds follow the rain, because rain brings fresh grass, and they move across the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem in a broadly clockwise loop over the year.
Predators follow the herds: lions, cheetahs, hyenas and, at the rivers, crocodiles. That is why migration safaris can be so dramatic, and why the timing is never exactly the same two years in a row.
Where the herds usually are
These are broad patterns. Rainfall varies from year to year, and the herds can arrive earlier or later than usual.
- December to March: often on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and around Ndutu. Calving typically happens around January to March.
- April to May: the long rains. The herds begin to move north and west through the central Serengeti.
- June to July: often in the central and western Serengeti, where they may cross the Grumeti River.
- July to October: often in the northern Serengeti and across the border in the Maasai Mara, where Mara River crossings may take place.
- November: the short rains draw the herds back south through the central Serengeti.
About river crossings
Crossings of the Mara and Grumeti rivers are the moments many people imagine. They can involve hours of waiting, and on some days the herds gather at the bank and then turn away.
No operator can guarantee a crossing. The best you can do is stay several nights in the right area for the season and be patient.
Planning a migration safari
- Choose your month first, then the area: the southern Serengeti early in the year, the north and the Maasai Mara later on.
- Allow time: three or four nights in the Serengeti, or several nights in the Mara, gives the best chance.
- Remember the residents: lions, elephants and plains game are present all year, whether or not the herds are nearby.
Our 8 Days Great Migration Midrange Safari is designed around the season, with four nights in the Serengeti. Kenya & Tanzania safaris that cross between the Mara and the Serengeti also cover both ends of the ecosystem.
Questions
What is the best month to see the Great Migration?
It depends on what you want to see. Calving is often around January to March in the southern Serengeti; river crossings are more often from around July to October in the north and the Mara. Patterns vary by year.
Is the migration in Kenya or Tanzania?
Both. The herds spend most of the year in Tanzania's Serengeti and often reach Kenya's Maasai Mara in the second half of the year.
