The greatest wildlife show on earth. Each year, between the open plains of the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara sees a staggering 1.5million hungry herbivores trekking en masse towards the distant promise of rain. From afar, it’s like spirit ink seeping slowly across the parched savannah. Up close, it’s a grueling drama, the nodding lines trudging in single file through the dust and heat. The main players are blue wildebeest and ungainly antelope with the head of an ox and the hindquarters of a gazelle. Among their ranks are knots of zebra and gazelle. Not for nothing is this movement of animals known as the greatest wildlife show on earth.

Danger is everywhere: lions, hyena and other predators pick off stragglers. The swollen water of the Mara and Grumeti rivers claim countless causalities-drowned, crushed or pulled under by crocodiles. Yet the reward outweighs the risks; the lush grazing, fuelled by fresh rain on volcanic soils, fattens a generation of youngsters. Born into this rich environment, they suckle on these life-sustaining nutrients and can run with the herd within a matter of hours. The Serengeti extends over Tanzania’s northern border into southern Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and both destinations can offer spectacular viewing. However, catching the best of the migration requires planning and good timing.
The precise timing of the Wildebeest Migration changes annually and it is a very unpredictable and spontaneous natural event. Broadly speaking, the migration follows clockwise circuit: from August to October, the herds are in Maasai Mara and northern Serengeti; November to January sees them head south through eastern Serengeti; February to April they spread out to graze the short grass plains of the south; and May to July is the time when they make their way back to the north through the western corridor.
We believe that going on safari to view and witness the Wildebeest Migration is one of the ultimate safari experiences that Africa has to offer – view our YouTube and Gallery to see the migration in action and get a taste of what awaits you.