Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari

Migration Cycle Overview

• November – December: The migration begins its journey from the Maasai Mara in the northern Serengeti region to the southern Serengeti along its eastern border formed by the Great Rift Valley escarpment to begin its calving season. Shortly after this (late November & December), the animals arrive on the short-grass plains of the Serengeti, particularly around Ndutu.
• January – March: The animals stay in the same area, with most wildebeest calves born in February. Every day for about three weeks, an estimated 8,000 foals are born.
• April – May: The animals start their great migration north in search of fresh grazing and water.
• June: The animals congregate on the south side of the Grumeti River, in the Western Corridor. The river here is normally a series of pools and channels, rather than a continuous river. The animals provide an annual feast for the Grumeti River’s large crocodiles, but these river crossings are not quite as spectacular as the crossings of the Mara River in the north.
• July – September: The migration continues moving northwards, often spreading out across a wide area. Some head through Grumeti Reserve and Ikorongo, others north through the heart of the Serengeti National Park.
• October: The herds are migrating again: all are heading south, through western Loliondo and the Serengeti National Park’s Lobo area, returning to the green shoots which follow the rains on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti.