Annual Migration

The Migration Circle

In pursuit of food and water, over a million wildebeest and half a million zebra and antelope migrate north from the Serengeti to the adjoining Masai Mara, forming massive columns which stretch for miles. Only those herbivores which can do without surface water for long periods of time and who live on poor forage can remain during the dry season. Lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas follow closely, wile the crocodiles wait hungrily in the rivers; the journey is punctuated with drama.

Every year, the short November rains signal the beginning of the most amazing wildlife spectacles. This impressive phenomenon is determined by the availability of grazing, which in turn is dependent on rainfall.
Grasslands in the north are depleted and once the rains resume in the south, the army of animals surge back to the renewed pastures to mate and calve. Only through migration can these herds use the widespread resources of the ecosystem to build such numbers.

The migration is rarely ever the same in terms of precise timing and direction as local conditions influence grass growth however; it does follow a relatively predictable cycle.

December through March

This is the birthing season and the period when the herds start preparing the trek north, it is in the south of the Serengeti that all the action takes place. Over 8,000 calves are born, yet less than half make it to their first year.

April to May

The adults and surviving young journey towards the Serengeti’s western corridor.

June

The millions of grazers are forced to cross the Grumeti River. There is usually a waiting period of one to two weeks as the animals prepare for this life threatening crossing.

July

From here the attention shifts north as the migration enters the Grumeti Reserve with a portion splitting off and heading northeast, to the Lobo area.

August

The best time to see the migration is usually in this June to August period. In August the migration reaches the far northern area.

September

The animals cross the Sand River and head into the Masai Mara where they will remain until the short rains beckon once more.

October

The thunder clouds start to form as a sign of the impending rain. The wildebeest start moving south along the eastern region of the Serengeti in anticipation of the new season’s rains.

November

Thousands of large herds migrate to the Serengeti’s southern plains and to the Ngorongoro Highlands where the short rains have started and new grass covers the Serengeti plains

Follow the Migration

October 1, 2009 - Scattered along the north-western corridor, the Wildebeest are making their way into Kenya’s Masai Mara. Travellers in both Tanzania and Kenya are witnessing the spectacular crossing of the Mara River!

Due to Bilila Lodge Kempinski’s central location within the Serengeti National Park, it is possible to follow the migration which depending on the period of the cycle can either be a 15 minute to 4 hour drive away, throughout the year.