Many people have the misconception that East Africa’s great migration is a singular or finite event. The truth is that the migration is a year-long movement covering vast tracks of wilderness in Kenya and Tanzania—the animals are always somewhere! During this annual journey, the herds will differ in behavior, location, and density, traversing farmland, game reserve, national park, communal land, and conservancies. There are of course particular times when the migratory herds are especially concentrated, for example the calving seasons (February-March in the southern Serengeti/Ndutu), the rutting season (May-June in the central Serengeti), or the crossing season (July-September in the northern Serengeti and Maasai Mara).

That being said, Piper & Heath is far more likely to talk you out of pursuing the migration than into it. Especially during the July to September window, the experience is highly congested and compromised. Conscionable ecotourism is about avoiding hotspots rather than contributing to them.