When & where to see the Great Wildebeest Migration

Last updated July 25th, 2023.

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The Great Wildebeest Migration, also known simply as the Great Migration, is one of the largest annual migrations on planet Earth. Around 1.2 million wildebeest, alongside 300,000 zebra and 400,000 gazelle make the journey across east Africa’s Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem. They are shadowed all the way by lion, cheetah and leopard, as they dodge predators and natural obstacles alike. Why? Largely in search of fresh fodder and safe calving grounds. Wondering when and where to see the Great Wildebeest Migration for yourself? Wonder no longer.

Where to see the Great Migration

The Great Migration is celebrated as the greatest show on Earth. It’s often thought that it takes place for just a couple of months a year in a single location.

However, following a roughly circular pattern, it’s possible to witness this astonishing spectacle throughout the year. If you know where to head.

Until we can delve into the minds of wildebeest, it’s likely the Great Migration’s exact trigger will remain a mystery. But several different theories have been suggested.

The start of the migration

It’s thought probable that the start of rains tens of miles away is somehow picked up by the herds.

It may be they sense a change in the atmosphere. Other ideas rely on the animals seeing and hearing the thunder and lightning across the flat plains. Another suggests they are simply attracted by the scent of newly growing grass.

While circular, the migration is normally said to begin in and around the famed Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area.  This lies to the southeast of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.

Heading west and then north in a clockwise direction, the animals cross into Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, before heading back south.

When to see the Great Migration

Animals begin to congregate in larger and larger numbers on the plains of the western Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania in late January or early February.

The fresh grasses here provide the nutrition needed to suckle the 8,000 wildebeest calves born each day. Around 90% are born over a single two or three week period.

Astonishingly, these calves are able to walk and run within minutes of being born. And they need to, since the sight of so much new life is a delight to the region’s big cats.

A good place to base yourself during these times is Ngorongoro Wild Camp. Those looking to stay close to the crater itself might prefer the all-inclusive Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge to the south, or Lions Paw Ngorongoro camp to the north.

Entering the Serengeti

The wildebeest remain relatively static during the month of March. They then follow the fresh pasture across Maswa Game Reserve, with the animals passing close by Gnu Ndutu Camp and Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge.

They reach the central Serengeti during April and May, with columns that can stretch for several miles.

Joined by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, the animals are at their densest around the Moru Kopjes. You can add to the melee with a stay at the five-star Asanja Africa.

As the females come back into season around May, the rut begins. Males clash heads to determine who are the strongest – and therefore who gets to mate.

The next massing point is the Serengeti’s Western Corridor. Here the 1.7 million individual animals are temporarily stopped in their tracks by the croc-infested waters of the Grumeti River.

Eventually the herds make the dangerous crossing – one of the most memorable moments in the entire migration. They usually do this some time in June, as you’ll discover for yourself at Mbalageti Serengeti. But be warned, space on the river banks is fiercely fought over by safari vehicles.

Crossing into Kenya’s Maasai Mara

For me, the Grumeti River crossing isn’t even the most dramatic event in the Great Wildebeest Migration. This honour has to go to the frantic crossing of the Mara River as the animals head towards Kenya.

Occurring in July in most years, the crossing offers the archetypal Great Migration experience. There’s no denying the huge numbers of safari vehicles that line the river banks to take in the spectacle either.

By August, the animals are spread right across the northern Maasai Mara. Ideal stays here include Mara Serena Safari Lodge and Ashnil Mara Camp on the edge of the reserve.

They steadily make their way eastward during September and October, when the short rainy season takes hold.

This draws them back south across the dangerous waters of the Mara River into the Serengeti’s Namiri Plains.

By December, the animals find themselves pretty much where they started their migration. They begin building up their strength for the next calving season and the epic trek of 800 km (500 miles) which awaits in just a few weeks’ time.

Deciding when and where to see the Great Wildebeest Migration

One of the wonders of the natural world, the Great Wildebeest Migration is a must for any wildlife lover. Spanning the Serengeti and Maasai Mara, the ‘where’ to see the Great Wildebeest Migration is less important than the ‘when’. You can be in the right place, but if you’re there at the wrong time, you’re not going to see a great deal. Keep in mind though that the timings mentioned here are based on the usual arrival of the rains. These can shift by several weeks, both earlier or later in the year.