Migration of the Wildebeest
when and where ...
The endless plains of East Africa are the setting for the world's greatest wildlife
spectacle - the annual wildebeest migration.
From the vast Serengeti plains to the champagne-coloured hills of Kenya's Masai
Mara over 1.4 million wildebeest, zebra and buck, relentlessly tracked by Africa's
'Big Five', migrate over 1,800 miles each year in search of lush feeding ground.
*Note - the migration is a natural event and the timing varies month by month;
year by year.
The Migratory Path:
| December,
January, February, March The Serengeti National Park / Ngorongoro Conservation Area is arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. During the months December through March the seemingly unending plains of the southern Serengeti and the Conservation Area are inhabited by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. Calving season is late January to mid March when the herds concentrate at the Ndutu and Salei plains (Southern Serengeti / Ngorongoro Conservation Area) attracting the attention of predators like lion, cheetah and hyena. April, May During the months of April and May the depleted plains are unable to sustain the huge herds. The migration, sweeping west and north, moves from the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti / Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the long grass plains and woodland of the Serengeti’s Western Corridor, almost to Lake Victoria. This period, during the long rains, is considered off-season for wildlife viewing in east Africa as roads are often impassable. June By the end of May the wildebeest have exhausted the Western Corridor’s best pastures so the herds must move further north. July, August, September, October By July the countless herds have amassed along the swollen Mara River - the final barrier to the Masai Mara. Between July and October the wildebeest reside in the Mara. November The arrival of the short rains call the migration southward. As November ends the migration is making its way back to the southern Serengeti. *Note - the migration is a natural event and the timing varies month by month; year by year. |
