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The annual wildebeest migration of herds in
Northern Tanzania and Kenya is one of the
world's most spectacular wildlife events.
Often referred to as the ‘Greatest Show on
Earth', The Great Wildebeest Migration is a
movement of approximately 1.5 million wildebeest
and zebra throughout the Serengeti and Masai
Mara ecosystems.
Despite the wealth of maps and illustrations
showing the path of the migrating herds, as with
anything in nature, the actual day to day
pattern is unpredictable. At Agama Expeditions we
have studied and planned itineraries to fit in
with the moving herds for over ten years, but
cannot hope to say exactly where they will be
next year!
If your wish is to safari at the heart of The
Great Wildebeest Migration, it is advisable to
book a mobile tented safari that will ascertain
camping grounds close to departure date.
A general guide to the Wildebeest migration
From December to March the Wildebeest migration
congregates around Ndutu, in the far south of
the Serengeti.
From April to May, the Wildebeest migration
moves North into the plains of the central
Serengeti.
Between June and July the Wildebeest migration
splits in two; one group goes West into the
Western Corridor before crossing the Grumeti
River, the other heads directly to the North of
the Serengeti passing near Klein’s Camp.
From August to October the herd has reformed,
and meanders on the Kenya and Tanzania border ,
along the banks of the mighty Mara River.
returning south from the beginning of November.
Unpredictable Nature
The path of The Wildebeest migration is
dependant on rain. The animals move follow the
path of the rain in order to feed off the new
grass whilst also being close to a good water
supply.
Standing water may be found in different areas
each year, may even be spread across different
areas of the Serengeti. In the latter case, the
herds may split and later regroup.
Route Planning
It is worth checking your planned departure date
against the routes taken by the herds in
previous years. We have therefore written below
a number of wildebeest migration reports for the
various months, which may give you some idea of
where to aim for!
Wildebeest migration Report - January to
April
Throughout this time of year the wildebeest
migration generally stays in the same area, as
the grass is plentiful and the rains have
provided enough drinking water for the large
herds.
January, as predicted, saw the largest herds
around the Southern region of the Serengeti,
many animals having already moved out of the
bottom of the park around the Ndutu Plains.
Sporadic rain over most of the southern part of
the Serengeti ecosystem during February and
March meant that the herds were constantly on
the move in search of adequate water and
grazing.
In February, the area dried out extensively, and
the main groups moved northwards and westwards,
and soon many were to be found around Moru, (an
area just South of the Serengeti Serena) while
many more had moved deep into Maswa Game Reserve
(an area just outside the park). Large numbers
even went as far as the Musabi Plain in the
Western Corridor, just under the Grumeti River.
For much of the month, wildebeest migration
viewing for those based in the southern plains,
entailed long drives. As soon as rain fell at
the end of February however, large aggregations
immediately moved to the north west of the
woodland around Ndutu (an area below the
Southern Nabi Hill gate), where many cows had
calves.
Happily, mid March saw decent rain again in many
parts, and the resulting growth of new grass
acted as a magnet. There were excellent viewing
opportunities for significant numbers of
wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, especially on the
western part of the short grass plains. More
widespread rain in early April ensured that the
wildebeest migration remained widely distributed
across the short grass plains for some weeks.
Wildebeest migration Report - April and May
Throughout this period, during the heavy rains,
the animals have great opportunities to graze as
grass is fresh and plentiful throughout the
region. Many spread out throughout the entire
Seronera region and further South to the Moru
Kopjes.
Wildebeest migration Report - June
Early June 2005 saw brief spells of rain falling
in the central and western areas of the
Serengeti. Since there was plenty of green grass
and standing water in the area the wildebeest
were slow to move northwards. A few 'leaders'
had made their way as far as Dutwa Plains in the
Western Corridor (just South of the Grumeti
River and CCA's Grumeti River Camp) but the
majority of the wildebeest migration was to be
found around the Moru Kopjes (an area just South
of the Serengeti Serena Lodge). The game viewing
in Moru at this time was simply fantastic.
In the last week there was a noticeable change
with sizeable groups of animals starting to move
into the eastern end of the Western corridor,
with large concentrations in the Simiti, Musabi
and Serena areas. There has been no real rain
here now for a couple of weeks so the area is
drying out some wildebeest have now reached the
Grumeti area in the Western Corridor, waiting to
start the first of the river crossings.
Sizeable herds of zebra are already quite far
north and have spread themselves between the
Seronera, Lobo and Loliondo areas (ie the
Central to Northern part of the Serengeti). A
branch of the Wildebeest migration has been
heading up through Loliondo northwards but the
main bulk of the herds are still central.
Overall (as to be expected, with lots of grazing
and water) the wildebeest migration on the whole
is still very spread out.
Wildebeest migration Report - July
The wildebeest migration towards the end of June
was very spread out because of the good rains
that occurred at the beginning of the month.
Because of this, and the fact that there is
plenty of good fresh grass the wildebeest
migration is still very spread out over the
central/west to Northern parts of the Serengeti.
There are good sized herds both in the Western
Corridor, and in the Bolagonja area (western and
northern Serengeti respectively).
The beginning of July saw the last of the large
herds coming up from the south-east into the
Western Corridor, around the Musabi and Simiti
areas (the area just North of the Serengeti
Serena and just below CCA's Grumeti River Camp).
Towards the end of the month there were still
plenty of green areas in the park, but the
standing water was drying up fast. The Grumeti
River itself had stopped flowing although there
were still plenty of good pools and watering
holes along its length. Whilst the temperatures
in the evening got quite chilly, the days were
still generally very warm and pleasant.
Wildebeest migration Report - August
At the beginning of August the Kirawira area of
the Western Corridor (located on the Grumeti
River, around the CCA's Grumeti River Camp)
still has substantial groups of wildebeest
around despite the fact that the area was drying
up fast. There are still many hippo filled pools
along the Grumeti itself but the river itself
has stopped flowing and there is virtually no
water left elsewhere.
The Wildebeest migration has completely left the
Moru area just South of the Serengeti Serena,
though cats and elephant are still highlights of
the area. (Resident game in the Seronera/Central
region is superb throughout the year).
There were light rain showers at the beginning
of August right across the Northern Serengeti
which stopped a large part of the Wildebeest
migration from disappearing across the border
into the Masai Mara. It also helped the fast
regeneration of grass after the burning set by
the park authorities. The wildebeest migration
was still wide spread across the northern and
north western Serengeti. There were no huge
groups but sizeable crowds.
Towards the end of the month the animals had
reached the border and the herds were crossing
into the Mara.
September - the Wildebeest migration is in
the Mara
Wildebeest migration Report - October
After one of the longest rains on record, there
were still some large wildebeest herds on the
central and western plains of the Masai Mara
with patchier herds towards the north of the
reserve. The last two weeks were dry and hot,
forcing the animals to converge at the larger
watering holes or streams to drink during the
day. The higher concentration of wildebeest on
the central plains was largely due to the
availability of grass; unlike other areas, these
plains were not burned during the dry season,
thus sparing the grass for the hungry
herbivores.
The continuing presence of the wildebeest
migration in the Mara depended completely on the
arrival or failure of the short rains, which are
usually due in the last two weeks of the month.
The rains did not come and the animals moved
south over their border into the Serengeti in
their constant search for fresh pasture.
Wildebeest migration Report - November,
December
Sustained rain in central and western Serengeti
through November and early December meant that
the herds were well spread out in the central
woodlands and on the western part of the
Serengeti Plain. Moru Kopjes (an area just South
of the Serengeti Serena Hotel) was the place to
be, as game started to gather at the easternmost
extent of the green grass. Then, mid December
saw the first decent rainfall on the southern
plains, and soon long lines of wildebeest and
zebra were streaming out of the woodlands to
cash in on the lush new-growth grass to be had
there.
The cows depend on this highly nutritious forage
at this time of the year to see them through the
late stages of pregnancy and to meet the demands
placed on them after their calves are born.
Rainfall was heavy at times (severe flash
flooding of Olduvai Gorge caused long delays on
the Ngorongoro / Naabi Hill track which is right
in the South of the Serengeti), but evenly
distributed, and the resulting widespread
availability of quality grazing was reflected in
the way the game was scattered widely over the
plains; huge herds clustered in small areas
close to water are a more dramatic sight, but
often imply stress, as large numbers of game are
forced to compete for scarce resources of food
and water, which are, inevitably, rapidly
depleted.
December however proved different; driving
across the short grass plains, near Gol
Mountains for instance, the panoramic vistas
were endlessly dotted with wildebeest, zebra,
Thompson's & Grant's gazelle, and large herds of
eland all munching happily. This state of
affairs continued into early January, with
periodic showers replenishing the grassland, and
the herds continuing to make the most of this
windfall.
Please phone us to discuss with one of our
consultants; even better, please come and talk
to us in person. Tel +255 784 467 828 or Email
Us at
agamaexpeditions@gmail.com
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