The Great Wildebeest Migration

The migration is driven by rainfall and grass. The herds follow a predictable seasonal circuit: calving season in the southern Serengeti's Ndutu region (January–March) produces approximately 500,000 calves in a six-week window — the greatest concentration of newborn mammals anywhere on Earth. Predators converge from all directions. Lion prides, cheetah mothers, and spotted hyenas make January and February among the most dramatic wildlife months in Africa.

By April and May the herds move north through the central Serengeti's long-grass plains. The Grumeti River crossing in June and July is the first of the famous river crossings — smaller than the Mara crossings but equally dramatic, with the Grumeti's resident crocodiles among the largest and most aggressive on the continent.

The Mara River crossings (July–October) are what most people picture when they imagine the Migration. Vast columns of wildebeest pile up on the Tanzania-Kenya border, working up the courage to enter water patrolled by Nile crocodiles. A crossing can last thirty seconds or three hours. Some days nothing happens; other days tens of thousands cross at once. It is profoundly unpredictable and profoundly compelling.

By November the short rains arrive and the herds begin moving south again through the eastern Serengeti — completing the circuit. We position guests strategically based on the actual movement of the herds in real time, using our network of guides and camp managers across the ecosystem to give you the best possible sighting, whatever the month.