The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration

The Serengeti migration of thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebra can be very hard to predict, which is why we keep tabs each week on their movements. The wildebeest migration can be particularly unpredictable – you never know if it will just turn around due to unprecedented rain in an area it shouldn’t be – this can often leave clients very disappointed when they arrive at their Serengeti safari camp and find the migration has gone elsewhere. Our excellent private guides usually manage to make sure every guest on one of our luxury safaris does see the wildebeest migration, even if it’s not in the exact area of the camp.

From December to March you are able to guarantee the location of the mega herd of wildebeest, and this is probably the only time you can truly guarantee it’s location. They move down onto the stunning southern plains of the Serengeti (Ndutu and the Gol Mountains) and give birth there sometime between January and March (they all do this together, which provides amazing game viewing). Here there are a number of luxury mobile tented camps which offer a fantastic chance to be in the thick of the migration – Serengeti Under Canvas and Serengeti Safari Camp are the two best luxury mobile camps that follow the Wildebeest Migration. There is also Kusini Camp which is permanent and very luxurious, and has excellent game viewing all year round, but especially when the migration is in the area.

From April to June everything can be a little unpredictable when it comes to the Serengeti Migration – they are meant to be travelling up the Western corridor but can often change direction or speed up depending on the location of the rains (and hence fresh grass). There are some exceptional camps in the Western corridor, including the Singita Grumeti Reserves which offer some of Tanzania’s most luxurious safari camps and lodges. Although we cannot guarantee the wildebeest migration should be where it classically should at this time of year, it is a very special part of the Serengeti and the Western Corridor is always worth a visit.

From July to October things start to get easier again for us luxury safari operators trying to make sure the clients have the best game viewing possible. The wildebeest start to move towards Kenya’s Masai Mara and hang around the Northern Serengeti, and the Southern Mara. Here you have a plethora of luxury camps and lodges with our favourites being Singita Mara River and Lamai Nomad. In the Masai Mara camps like Cottars and Richards Camp offer the best migration experience thanks to their locations and their exceptional guides.

However for instance, at the moment the Serengeti migration is still in full swing thanks to late rains in the Western Serengeti – so it has only just arrived in the Northern Serengeti, this means that it is late to the Masai Mara this year when for the last two years it has been early. As with any miracle of nature the Serengeti migration is just as unpredictable as anything, and we do like to warn clients that it can be very hard to see a river crossing, and very hard to see hunts – but our amazing guides will certainly give you the best possible chance of doing so.