Over ninety percent of the animals in the great migrations are wildebeest with estimates putting the numbers at 1.5 million. The other migrating animals are thousands of zebras and gazelle, including Thompson’s gazelle, eland, and impala all pounding their hooves across the savanna in search of new pastures. The herds migrate in a clockwise fashion over 1,800 miles each year in search of rain-ripened grass while being relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators: the lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild African dogs hard on the heels of this abundance of prey.
Each year in late November/early December, after the early rains have nourished the earth, herds of wildebeest arrive on the short-grass plains of the Serengeti. The beginnings of the migration emerge from the grasslands south and east of Seronera, around Ndutu, and including the northern Ngorongoro. Dispersed across these plains, wildebeest and zebra are everywhere, feeding on the fresh grasses. This is also the time when safari camps flourish as visitors flock to watch the spectacle on a daily game drive.
While searching for new food sources, these animals also find time for the annual rut, and an estimated 400,000 wildebeest calves are born during a six-week period at the beginning of each year, usually between late January and mid-March. Sometime around April the herds start to move north, and, by May, the area around Moru Kopjes is hectic, with series of shifting columns, often containing hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, marching north. Around June, the wildebeest migration halts at the Grumeti River whose channels impede their progress. Wildebeest then congregate here in the western corridor until overwhelming density pushes them into the river. In the river, enormous Nile crocodiles snap at the chance for a meal resulting in a dramatic life or death struggle to get to the other side.
September finds the herds spread out across the northern Serengeti where the Mara River provides the migration with its most serious obstacle. It is common to see herds cross the Mara River north on one day and then crossing back south a few days later. By October the herds are migrating again, this time with more cohesion, through western Loliondo and the Serengeti’s Lobo area, returning to the renewed fields of the southern Serengeti by November.
- Bashay Rift Lodge
- Beho Beho Camp
- Chada Katavi
- Chaka Camp
- Chem Chem Lodge
- Dunia Camp
- Entamanu Ngorongoro
- Entamanu Private
- Esirai Camp
- Ewanjan Tented Camp
- Faru Faru Lodge
- Forest Chem Chem
- Fumba Beach Lodge
- Fundu Lagoon
- Gibb’s Farm
- Greystoke Mahale
- Grumeti Hills
- Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
- Ikuka Safari Camp
- Jabali Ridge
- Jongomero
- Kaskaz Mara Camp
- Kiba Point Selous
- Kichaka
- Kichakani Serengeti Camp
- Kichuguu Camp
- Kigelia Ruaha
- Kiota Camp
- Kisima Ngeda Camp
- Klein’s Camp
- Kokoko Camp
- Kuria Hills Tented Lodge
- Kuro Tarangire
- Kusini
- Kusini Kopjes Kambi
- Kwihala Camp
- Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
- Lamai Serengeti
- Little Chem Chem
- Little Oliver’s Camp
- Manyara Ranch Conservancy
- Mara River Post
- Mara River Tented Camp
- Mara Tented Camp
- Maweninga Camp
- Melia Ngorongoro
- Mkombe’s House
- Mnemba Island
- Mpingo Ridge Lodge
- Mwiba Lodge
- Namiri Plains
- Naona Moru Camp
- Nasikia Mobile Camp
- Ndutu Safari Lodge
- Ndutu Tented Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
- Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
- Ngorongoro Tented Camp
- Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp
- Olaado Camp
- Olakira Migration Camp
- Olduvai Camp
- Olduvai Ndogo
- Oliver’s Camp
- Olkeri Camp
- Olmara Camp
- Roho ya Selous
- Ronjo Camp
- Rubondo Island Camp
- Sabora Tented Camp
- Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp
- Sand Rivers Selous
- Sasakwa Lodge
- Sayari Camp
- Selous Serena Camp
- Serena Mivumo River Lodge
- Serengeti Bushtops
- Serengeti House
- Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
- Serengeti Migration Camp
- Serengeti Pioneer Camp
- Serengeti Safari Camp
- Serengeti Under Canvas
- Serian’s Serengeti
- Serian’s Serengeti Mobile
- Singita Explore
- Singita Kilima
- Singita Milele
- Siwandu
- Swala
- Taasa Lodge
- Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge
- Tarangire Safari Lodge
- Tarangire Sopa Lodge
- Tarangire Treetops
- The Highlands
- The Manor at Ngorongoro
- Ubuntu Migration Camp
- Usangu Expedition Camp
- Usawa Serengeti
- Arumeru Lodge
- Arusha Coffee Lodge
- Baraza Resort & Spa
- Breezes Beach Club & Spa
- Chole Mjini
- Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
- Hamerkop House
- Katambuga House
- Kilindi Zanzibar
- Lake Duluti Lodge
- Legendary Lodge
- Matemwe Beach House
- Matemwe Lodge
- Matemwe Retreat
- Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge
- Oyster Bay Hotel
- Plantation Lodge
- Rivertrees Country Inn
- The Palms
- Zanzibar Serena Hotel
- Zawadi Hotel
- Zuri Zanzibar
Coming soon!
- Bashay Rift Lodge
- Beho Beho Camp
- Chada Katavi
- Chaka Camp
- Chem Chem Lodge
- Dunia Camp
- Entamanu Ngorongoro
- Entamanu Private
- Esirai Camp
- Ewanjan Tented Camp
- Faru Faru Lodge
- Forest Chem Chem
- Fumba Beach Lodge
- Fundu Lagoon
- Gibb’s Farm
- Greystoke Mahale
- Grumeti Hills
- Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
- Ikuka Safari Camp
- Jabali Ridge
- Jongomero
- Kaskaz Mara Camp
- Kiba Point Selous
- Kichaka
- Kichakani Serengeti Camp
- Kichuguu Camp
- Kigelia Ruaha
- Kiota Camp
- Kisima Ngeda Camp
- Klein’s Camp
- Kokoko Camp
- Kuria Hills Tented Lodge
- Kuro Tarangire
- Kusini
- Kusini Kopjes Kambi
- Kwihala Camp
- Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
- Lamai Serengeti
- Little Chem Chem
- Little Oliver’s Camp
- Manyara Ranch Conservancy
- Mara River Post
- Mara River Tented Camp
- Mara Tented Camp
- Maweninga Camp
- Melia Ngorongoro
- Mkombe’s House
- Mnemba Island
- Mpingo Ridge Lodge
- Mwiba Lodge
- Namiri Plains
- Naona Moru Camp
- Nasikia Mobile Camp
- Ndutu Safari Lodge
- Ndutu Tented Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
- Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
- Ngorongoro Tented Camp
- Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp
- Olaado Camp
- Olakira Migration Camp
- Olduvai Camp
- Olduvai Ndogo
- Oliver’s Camp
- Olkeri Camp
- Olmara Camp
- Roho ya Selous
- Ronjo Camp
- Rubondo Island Camp
- Sabora Tented Camp
- Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp
- Sand Rivers Selous
- Sasakwa Lodge
- Sayari Camp
- Selous Serena Camp
- Serena Mivumo River Lodge
- Serengeti Bushtops
- Serengeti House
- Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
- Serengeti Migration Camp
- Serengeti Pioneer Camp
- Serengeti Safari Camp
- Serengeti Under Canvas
- Serian’s Serengeti
- Serian’s Serengeti Mobile
- Singita Explore
- Singita Kilima
- Singita Milele
- Siwandu
- Swala
- Taasa Lodge
- Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge
- Tarangire Safari Lodge
- Tarangire Sopa Lodge
- Tarangire Treetops
- The Highlands
- The Manor at Ngorongoro
- Ubuntu Migration Camp
- Usangu Expedition Camp
- Usawa Serengeti
- Arumeru Lodge
- Arusha Coffee Lodge
- Baraza Resort & Spa
- Breezes Beach Club & Spa
- Chole Mjini
- Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
- Hamerkop House
- Katambuga House
- Kilindi Zanzibar
- Lake Duluti Lodge
- Legendary Lodge
- Matemwe Beach House
- Matemwe Lodge
- Matemwe Retreat
- Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge
- Oyster Bay Hotel
- Plantation Lodge
- Rivertrees Country Inn
- The Palms
- Zanzibar Serena Hotel
- Zawadi Hotel
- Zuri Zanzibar
Coming soon!
Over ninety percent of the animals in the great migrations are wildebeest with estimates putting the numbers at 1.5 million. The other migrating animals are thousands of zebras and gazelle, including Thompson’s gazelle, eland, and impala all pounding their hooves across the savanna in search of new pastures. The herds migrate in a clockwise fashion over 1,800 miles each year in search of rain-ripened grass while being relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators: the lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild African dogs hard on the heels of this abundance of prey.
Each year in late November/early December, after the early rains have nourished the earth, herds of wildebeest arrive on the short-grass plains of the Serengeti. The beginnings of the migration emerge from the grasslands south and east of Seronera, around Ndutu, and including the northern Ngorongoro. Dispersed across these plains, wildebeest and zebra are everywhere, feeding on the fresh grasses. This is also the time when safari camps flourish as visitors flock to watch the spectacle on a daily game drive.
While searching for new food sources, these animals also find time for the annual rut, and an estimated 400,000 wildebeest calves are born during a six-week period at the beginning of each year, usually between late January and mid-March. Sometime around April the herds start to move north, and, by May, the area around Moru Kopjes is hectic, with series of shifting columns, often containing hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, marching north. Around June, the wildebeest migration halts at the Grumeti River whose channels impede their progress. Wildebeest then congregate here in the western corridor until overwhelming density pushes them into the river. In the river, enormous Nile crocodiles snap at the chance for a meal resulting in a dramatic life or death struggle to get to the other side.
September finds the herds spread out across the northern Serengeti where the Mara River provides the migration with its most serious obstacle. It is common to see herds cross the Mara River north on one day and then crossing back south a few days later. By October the herds are migrating again, this time with more cohesion, through western Loliondo and the Serengeti’s Lobo area, returning to the renewed fields of the southern Serengeti by November.
- Bashay Rift Lodge
- Beho Beho Camp
- Chada Katavi
- Chaka Camp
- Chem Chem Lodge
- Dunia Camp
- Entamanu Ngorongoro
- Entamanu Private
- Esirai Camp
- Ewanjan Tented Camp
- Faru Faru Lodge
- Forest Chem Chem
- Fumba Beach Lodge
- Fundu Lagoon
- Gibb’s Farm
- Greystoke Mahale
- Grumeti Hills
- Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
- Ikuka Safari Camp
- Jabali Ridge
- Jongomero
- Kaskaz Mara Camp
- Kiba Point Selous
- Kichaka
- Kichakani Serengeti Camp
- Kichuguu Camp
- Kigelia Ruaha
- Kiota Camp
- Kisima Ngeda Camp
- Klein’s Camp
- Kokoko Camp
- Kuria Hills Tented Lodge
- Kuro Tarangire
- Kusini
- Kusini Kopjes Kambi
- Kwihala Camp
- Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
- Lamai Serengeti
- Little Chem Chem
- Little Oliver’s Camp
- Manyara Ranch Conservancy
- Mara River Post
- Mara River Tented Camp
- Mara Tented Camp
- Maweninga Camp
- Melia Ngorongoro
- Mkombe’s House
- Mnemba Island
- Mpingo Ridge Lodge
- Mwiba Lodge
- Namiri Plains
- Naona Moru Camp
- Nasikia Mobile Camp
- Ndutu Safari Lodge
- Ndutu Tented Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
- Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
- Ngorongoro Tented Camp
- Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp
- Olaado Camp
- Olakira Migration Camp
- Olduvai Camp
- Olduvai Ndogo
- Oliver’s Camp
- Olkeri Camp
- Olmara Camp
- Roho ya Selous
- Ronjo Camp
- Rubondo Island Camp
- Sabora Tented Camp
- Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp
- Sand Rivers Selous
- Sasakwa Lodge
- Sayari Camp
- Selous Serena Camp
- Serena Mivumo River Lodge
- Serengeti Bushtops
- Serengeti House
- Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
- Serengeti Migration Camp
- Serengeti Pioneer Camp
- Serengeti Safari Camp
- Serengeti Under Canvas
- Serian’s Serengeti
- Serian’s Serengeti Mobile
- Singita Explore
- Singita Kilima
- Singita Milele
- Siwandu
- Swala
- Taasa Lodge
- Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge
- Tarangire Safari Lodge
- Tarangire Sopa Lodge
- Tarangire Treetops
- The Highlands
- The Manor at Ngorongoro
- Ubuntu Migration Camp
- Usangu Expedition Camp
- Usawa Serengeti
- Arumeru Lodge
- Arusha Coffee Lodge
- Baraza Resort & Spa
- Breezes Beach Club & Spa
- Chole Mjini
- Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
- Hamerkop House
- Katambuga House
- Kilindi Zanzibar
- Lake Duluti Lodge
- Legendary Lodge
- Matemwe Beach House
- Matemwe Lodge
- Matemwe Retreat
- Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge
- Oyster Bay Hotel
- Plantation Lodge
- Rivertrees Country Inn
- The Palms
- Zanzibar Serena Hotel
- Zawadi Hotel
- Zuri Zanzibar
Coming soon!
- Bashay Rift Lodge
- Beho Beho Camp
- Chada Katavi
- Chaka Camp
- Chem Chem Lodge
- Dunia Camp
- Entamanu Ngorongoro
- Entamanu Private
- Esirai Camp
- Ewanjan Tented Camp
- Faru Faru Lodge
- Forest Chem Chem
- Fumba Beach Lodge
- Fundu Lagoon
- Gibb’s Farm
- Greystoke Mahale
- Grumeti Hills
- Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
- Ikuka Safari Camp
- Jabali Ridge
- Jongomero
- Kaskaz Mara Camp
- Kiba Point Selous
- Kichaka
- Kichakani Serengeti Camp
- Kichuguu Camp
- Kigelia Ruaha
- Kiota Camp
- Kisima Ngeda Camp
- Klein’s Camp
- Kokoko Camp
- Kuria Hills Tented Lodge
- Kuro Tarangire
- Kusini
- Kusini Kopjes Kambi
- Kwihala Camp
- Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
- Lamai Serengeti
- Little Chem Chem
- Little Oliver’s Camp
- Manyara Ranch Conservancy
- Mara River Post
- Mara River Tented Camp
- Mara Tented Camp
- Maweninga Camp
- Melia Ngorongoro
- Mkombe’s House
- Mnemba Island
- Mpingo Ridge Lodge
- Mwiba Lodge
- Namiri Plains
- Naona Moru Camp
- Nasikia Mobile Camp
- Ndutu Safari Lodge
- Ndutu Tented Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Camp
- Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
- Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
- Ngorongoro Tented Camp
- Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp
- Olaado Camp
- Olakira Migration Camp
- Olduvai Camp
- Olduvai Ndogo
- Oliver’s Camp
- Olkeri Camp
- Olmara Camp
- Roho ya Selous
- Ronjo Camp
- Rubondo Island Camp
- Sabora Tented Camp
- Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp
- Sand Rivers Selous
- Sasakwa Lodge
- Sayari Camp
- Selous Serena Camp
- Serena Mivumo River Lodge
- Serengeti Bushtops
- Serengeti House
- Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
- Serengeti Migration Camp
- Serengeti Pioneer Camp
- Serengeti Safari Camp
- Serengeti Under Canvas
- Serian’s Serengeti
- Serian’s Serengeti Mobile
- Singita Explore
- Singita Kilima
- Singita Milele
- Siwandu
- Swala
- Taasa Lodge
- Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge
- Tarangire Safari Lodge
- Tarangire Sopa Lodge
- Tarangire Treetops
- The Highlands
- The Manor at Ngorongoro
- Ubuntu Migration Camp
- Usangu Expedition Camp
- Usawa Serengeti
- Arumeru Lodge
- Arusha Coffee Lodge
- Baraza Resort & Spa
- Breezes Beach Club & Spa
- Chole Mjini
- Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
- Hamerkop House
- Katambuga House
- Kilindi Zanzibar
- Lake Duluti Lodge
- Legendary Lodge
- Matemwe Beach House
- Matemwe Lodge
- Matemwe Retreat
- Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge
- Oyster Bay Hotel
- Plantation Lodge
- Rivertrees Country Inn
- The Palms
- Zanzibar Serena Hotel
- Zawadi Hotel
- Zuri Zanzibar
Coming soon!