The Great Migration Explained: When and Where to See It
More than a million wildebeest, alongside hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, move in a continuous, roughly circular pattern between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara every year, chasing rain and fresh grazing. It’s the largest overland animal migration on Earth, and timing your trip to the right stage of the cycle makes an enormous difference to what you will see.
The Migration Is a Year-Round Cycle, Not an Event
There is no single Migration season; the herds are always somewhere in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, moving constantly. What changes throughout the year is exactly where they are and what they are doing, which is why the same trip name (migration safari) can mean very different experiences depending on the month.
December to March: Calving Season, Southern Serengeti
The herds gather on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu area, where up to 8,000 wildebeest calves are born each day at the peak. It’s also peak predator season; lions, cheetahs, and hyenas take full advantage of so many vulnerable newborns.
April to May: The Long Rains, Central & Western Serengeti
As the plains dry out, the herds begin moving north and west in enormous columns. This is a quieter, greener season with fewer other travellers, and the sheer scale of the moving herds is still a remarkable sight.
June to July: Grumeti River Crossings
The herds reach the Grumeti River in the western corridor, smaller, less crowded crossings than the famous Mara River ones, but dramatic in their own right, with large Nile crocodiles waiting.
August to October: Mara River Crossings
This is the iconic imagery most people picture: wildebeest plunging steep banks into the crocodile-filled Mara River to cross into Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Crossings can happen at almost any time of day and are never fully predictable, but this three-month window offers the best odds.
November: Return South
Tips for Seeing It Well
- No crossing is guaranteed on any single-day plan, at least 2 full days in the right area for good odds
- Base yourself on the correct side of the ecosystem for your travel month. We track herd movement reports before finalising your camp location
- Book camps 6 months ahead for peak crossing season, as the best-located properties sell out early
Plan Your Migration Safari
Tell us your travel month, and we will recommend exactly where the herds are likely to be.