When to Catch the Serengeti Migration: How to Plan Your Trip
The Serengeti Migration is an incredible natural event that happens routinely every year. It's the largest unaltered animal migration pattern in the world. If you're going to make the long trip to go witness it, you want to ensure that you're going at the right time to see exactly what you want to see.
If you want to make sure that you can plan your trip accordingly, and you don't miss the ideal parts of the Serengeti Migration, read on.
The Serengeti Migration is the migration of wildebeest in Tanzania around the Serengeti National Park and into the Maasai Mara in Kenya. While it might seem unusual that they follow this yearly path, it actually makes a lot of sense.
The wildebeest are following the patterns of yearly rainfall and the migration ensures their survival.
Over one and a half million wildebeest follow this yearly migration, and they're not alone. If you watch, you'll also see zebras and various kinds of antelopes following this clockwise pattern in search of green places to graze.
Because the greenness and "lushness" of the land is fully dependent on rainfall, they have to follow the weather. They do this by instinct.
Technically, the migration is happening most of the year. The wildebeest are often moving. That being said, there are times that it will be easier to see the wildebeest, and times that it will be more difficult. This means that timing is still essential if you're planning your trip around seeing the wildlife.
Nature can be unpredictable, and the migration schedule often depends on the schedule of rains. Any manmade schedule is only speculative and is entirely at the whim of nature. There's still some rhythm to the migration, though. Let's break down what happens when so you can decide when the best time for your travel would be.
The animals migrate on a loop, so keep that in mind if you've already missed your ideal time for this year.
This is a period of non-migration, or rather, the wildebeest are largely staying in one place in the southern part of the Serengeti. This might sound boring to someone traveling to witness wildlife migration, but there's no shortage of things to see.
While the animals are largely staying in place, in February, thousands of baby wildebeests will be born into the Serengeti National Park. For wildlife photographers, or anyone interested in seeing a new calf, this can be the perfect time to visit.
This is also a prime-time for predators, though, so while witnessing the new babies may be special, they do come with carnivorous tagalongs.
If this is something you'd like to see, December through April (and specifically February and March) can be the perfect time for you to visit.
This Safari trip will let you see the migration in their home country and one of the most remarkable segments of the Great Migration:
Because of the unpredictability of the rain schedule, there is some natural crossover. This period can start in April or May, and last through early summer. Herds will split up, going either north or west, making this a less ideal time for your travels if your intention is to see the migration.
While the animals are moving, they won't be traveling in one pack, and they will be harder to follow.
Following the rains in May, the migration animals are in the mood for love. The annual rut (mating season) takes place between May and July, following the rainy season, when the wildebeest can feed on lush, healthy greens.
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Here, the herds are going to be crossing the Mara river all at once, and this is a sought-after viewing experience. If you want to see animals crossing the river en masse, the end of summer through early fall is the best time to view the Serengeti Migration.
For wildlife photographers and casual viewers alike, this is a fantastic time to experience nature and view one of the largest natural migrations in the world. This will be the time when viewing the migration is the most surreal, with the abundance of animals and wildlife coming together to look like a scene from a movie.
Because of the river, and the routine nature of the migration, this is also a good time to view other animals that aren't on the migratory path, like predators.
This 9 days safari tour package will take you to the best places in the northern circuit to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration, the one of a kind largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world.
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After this, the cycle begins again (depending on the weather, of course). The wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes will return back to where they started to wait out the calving season before it's time to restart the migration pattern.
This period sets the Mara River as the stage for millions of wildebeest exploding across the water in their legendary migratory crossings
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The Serengeti National Park is known worldwide for its incredible amount of wildlife and biodiversity. While the migration is definitely a sight to be seen, there's never actually a bad time to visit.
If you're planning for weather, June through October is going to give you the dry season, so it's best to plan accordingly. November through May, on the other hand, presents the rainy season, so it would be good to bring appropriate attire for wet weather and any weatherproofing attachments for technology or cameras.
No matter the season, you should always plan to have an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
There are plenty of services available to make sure that you get the most out of your Serengeti adventure, no matter what time of year you decide to visit. If you're coming to the Serengeti National Park to see the Serengeti Migration, Contact us for individualized tours and safaris to make your trip seamless.
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