World’s greatest wildlife sparkle

The Great Migration

The great migration is the world’s biggest wildlife sparkle that involves approximately 2,000,000 animals migrating within the great Serengeti – Mara ecosystem in search of food and water.

The animals are gifted with a sense of knowing when the drought is about to come and where to find food and water which triggers the start of migration. There is virtually no start nor end to this migration as it is a continual cycle of events. It is a usually a dynamic process which defies human predictions since no two migrations are ever the same, they are just similar.

The principle players are the wildebeest, whose numbers appear to have settled at just under 1.7 million. Other animals within that migration are Thomson’s gazelle, zebra and eland.

Their path is cut several times by rivers: in the Serengeti by the Mbalangeti and the Grumeti, and in Kenya by the Mara

They cross the ranges and rivers inhabited by other resident herbivores and carnivores.

The greatest danger to the animals is paused not by other herbivores but the carnivores such as lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs and crocodiles.

Migration Timetable

December and April the wildebeest are on the short grass plains in the Ndutu area in the southern Serengeti .

February, wildebeest mothers give birth to more than 500,000 calves in a 2-3 week period. Within 10 minutes of birth wildebeest calves are on their feet.

April and May, the rains stop and the plains in the south and east of the Serengeti dry out. This shift causes the herds start to moving to the north and west where there is more grass and more dependable water.

July and August the wildebeest move into Kenya's Maasai Mara crossing the Mara River in large numbers.

If you are lucky enough to catch a river crossing it’s guaranteed to be the unforgettable experiences as a herd which has stood at the water's edge suddenly crosses in a panicked mass, struggling to get to the other side of a crocodile filled river.

October and November many will move south within the Serengeti to the breeding and calving grounds where they spend December through March.

Should you wish to visit East Africa, there are plenty of hotels and tour travel service providers with various prices and you can't fail to get a place within your budget.

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