The Great Migration between Tanzania and Kenya is regarded as one of nature's most spectacular occurrences, but how can you know where and when to observe it?
The 1.5 million ungulate (wildebeest) translocation takes place between the vast Serengeti grasslands and the hills of Kenya's Masai Mara. Every year, about 1.4 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and gazelles travel clockwise over 1,800 miles in search of greener pastures, accompanied by Africa's incredible predators.
Once the "short downpours" occur in November and December (sometimes as early as October), the migration moves from Kenya's Maasai Mara to the eastern tip of Tanzania's Serengeti, where it discovers sweet and abundant southern-grass fields. From January to April, wildebeest and other ungulates live here. The 'long' downpours arrive in April and May, and the migration begins, moving from the exhausted southern fields north to the tall grass fields in the west. As the migration returns to Kenya's Maasai Mara, the Grumeti and Mara Rivers experience numerous stream connections; the season has dried out, and crisp touching water may be seen in the far north. The Maasai Mara is particularly active in August, September, and October.