The Great Wildlife Migration

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What is the Great Wildlife Migration?

Two million wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes are migrating in a roughly circular pattern across Tanzania and Kenya’s plains and woodlands.

This annual phenomenon, also known as the Great Migration, is the world’s largest overland migration. It’s also a migration with a ‘tail’: predators like lions hunt the migrating herds for prey. It’s a wildlife extravaganza that draws visitors from all over the world who want to go on safari and experience this one-of-a-kind spectacle for themselves.

Where can I see the Great Migration?
What animals take part in the Great Wildlife Migration?
Animals that prey on the Great Wildlife Migration
Dangers of the Great Migration
Which is better: Maasai Mara or Serengeti?
What is the best time to see the Great Migration?

The Great Wildlife Migration is an enormous, cyclic migration in Eastern Africa of two million hoofed animals.The Great Wildlife Migration is the stunning sight, both from the ground and the air

Where can I see the Great Wildlife Migration?

The Great Wildlife Migration occurs in southwestern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The two countries work together to protect this cross-border ecosystem. We enjoy working on wildlife projects together!

The Great Migration takes place in northern Tanzania and southern Kenya

Map showing location of the Great Wildlife Migration in East Africa

Path of The Great Wildlife Migration

The Great Migration path is not fixed. Rather, each year a new path emerges based on the availability of food and drink. Each cycle can vary in length from 800 to 1,600 kilometers. Nonetheless, the Great Migration animals follow a general pattern. The migration of animals moves clockwise through the Serengeti National Park and into the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The route is the same every year and covers about a thousand miles.

Understanding the general route of the Great Wildlife Migration can provide insight into when and where certain herds may pass through. This is a valuable resource for planning an African safari.

Map of the Great Migration

The map below gives an idea of the sort of path taken annually by the Great Migration animals.

As you can see on the map above, the animals of the Great Wildlife Migration frequently travel south of the Serengeti National Park. This is because they frequently migrate through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, another magnificent protected area in northern Tanzania.

While most people associate the Great Migration with Serengeti National Park and the Maasai Mara, it actually occurs in the following five protected areas:

Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania)
Loliondo Game Controlled Area (Tanzania)
Grumeti Reserve (Tanzania)
Maasai Mara National reserve (Kenya)

Now you know

Map showing the general sort of path followed by the Great Migration

What animals take part in the Great Migration?

The Great Migration is an event unlike any other on the planet. Around two million animals migrate in large groups across the Serengeti and Maasai Mara. The vast majority of migrating mammals are wildebeests. However, there are a large number of zebras and other antelopes participating. Here’s a quick overview of each animal you can expect to see during the Great Migration.

Wildebeests

The wildebeest, or more specifically the blue wildebeest, is at the heart of the Great Wildlife Migration. This is so true that the migration is sometimes dubbed the Great Wildebeest Migration. The migration involves around 1.5 million wildebeests. What a figure! When they move massive numbers, they put on a one-of-a-kind pageant.

Migratory herds

The Great Migration’s 1.5 million blue wildebeests do not all move in a single, massive herd. As the migration progresses, different herds separate, converge, and evolve. The herds remain massive and uncountable, as shown in the image below.

Given the wildebeests’ endless migratory habits, it may come as no surprise that calves can stand within seven minutes of birth and can keep up with the herd in just a few days! These are animals who were meant to move!

Around half a million wildebeests are born every year between January and March in the Serengeti.

An aerial view of part of the Great Wildebeest Migration

Blue wildebeests dotted across the landscape

2.Zebras

Approximately 200,000 zebras accompany the wildebeests on their Great Migration journey. Grant’s zebras are a subspecies of plains zebra. They are the smallest plains zebras and the most beautiful. Their body stripes are vertical, whereas their leg stripes are horizontal.

Migrating alongside wildebeests

Zebras are highly social creatures who live in herds. Interestingly, zebras and wildebeests can move in harmony during the Great Migration because they eat different parts of the same type of grass. As shown in one of the photos below, zebra and wildebeest herds frequently mix along the Great Migration route.

Did you know that female zebras can have a gestation period of over a year? They can only carry one calf at a time, and once born, they nurse the calf for up to a year.

Zebras and wildebeests make great travelling buddies because they eat different parts of the same grass.

Antelopes

The Great Wildlife Migration includes a variety of antelope species. Most notably, the following four antelopes comprise the ranks of the migration:

Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) – Sometimes referred to as a “tommie”. The Great Wildlife Migration attracts approximately 500,000 participants! The black stripes down the sides of their bodies make them easy to identify. They’re fantastic runners, capable of exceeding 65 km/hr.
Grant’s gazelle (Nanger granti) – resembles a Thomson’s gazelle but is significantly larger. It also lacks the Thomson’s gazelle’s black side stripes, making the two easily distinguishable even when separated. These guys can run up to 80 kilometers per hour! An important skill to have when predators are constantly pursuing you.
Impala (Aepyceros melampus) – This slender antelope is popular due to its beautiful appearance and graceful leaping. And they sure can run! Impalas have a run-in speed of 90 km/h.
Common eland (Taurotragus oryx) – It can reach a height of 1.6 meters at the shoulders. The Great Wildlife Migration brings together approximately 18,000 elands. Elands are the slowest antelope, travelling at only about 40 km/h. They can, however, jump three meters in the air!
About half a million Thomson’s gazelles take part in the Great Migration.

Thomson’s gazelles are the second most prominent animals in the Great Wildlife Migration after wildebeests

A Grant’s gazelle

Impalas are among the antelopes that take part in the Great Wildlife Migration

The eland is also a member the Great Migration

Animals that prey on the Great Wildlife Migration

Several animals prey on the herds of the Great Wildlife Migration. Consider leopards, cheetahs, and African wild dogs, for example. The lion, the mighty King of the Jungle, however, takes center stage. Lions pursue herds across the landscape. Another notable Great Migration predator is the hyena, which follows the herds looking for opportunities to strike. Some predators do not stalk the migration, but instead seize opportunities as they arise. The massive crocodiles that live in the Serengeti rivers are significant here.

Here’s a little more on each of these three fearsome predators

Lions

Around 3,000 African lions stalk herds during the Great Migration. It’s worth noting that male lions hunt alone, whereas female lions (lionesses) hunt cooperatively.

It’s also worth noting that wildebeests and lions have similar maximum running speeds of around 80 km per hour. However, wildebeests can run for longer periods of time. This is one of the reasons cooperative hunting is beneficial to lions.

A lion’s roar can be heard from 8 km away!

2. Hyenas

Hyenas are well-known scavengers. What some people don’t realize is that they kill the majority of their prey. In reality, they are opportunistic. And did you know their bite is stronger than that of a lion?

Approximately 7,000 spotted hyenas hunt the Great Migration herds. They can do this because they have incredible stamina; not all predators can keep up with herds. Female spotted hyenas are generally heavier than males. Female spotted hyenas grow to weigh 44 to 64 kg, while male spotted hyenas only weigh 40 to 55 kg.

Given their spooky ‘laughter’, a clan of hyenas is also sometimes called a cackle of hyenas.

Hyena cubs may be adorable, but they’re fearsome aggressors from the day they’re born

Crocodiles
During the Great Migration, Nile crocodiles attacked wildebeests and other animals while crossing the rivers. This is one of the reasons the crossings are so dangerous for the migrating herds. These crocodiles can reach lengths of up to 5 meters (17 feet). Shudder. They can live for up to 70 years!
Nile crocodiles prey on the Great Migration herds during their river crossings
Dangers of the Great Migration
Every year, approximately 250,000 wildebeests die from the Great Wildlife Migration, which numbers around 1.5 million. This means that approximately one-sixth of the wildebeest population does not survive the Great Migration. The causes of death vary and include being killed by predators, dying of thirst or starvation, and drowning while crossing large rivers.
River crossings of the Great Migration
The Great Migration’s wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes must cross many streams and rivers in search of water and green pasture. Larger river crossings are especially dangerous.
The animals must cross the Grumeti and Mara Rivers in the Serengeti, which are crocodile-infested. The herds rush across the rivers, sensing danger. Crocs kill some of the animals, while others are trampled to death and drowned by the current.
The frenzy and chaos of these dramatic crossings captivates many safari-goers to the Serengeti’s Mara and Grumeti Rivers.
It’s also worth noting that the carcasses of animals that didn’t make it across the infamous Mara and Grumeti Rivers play an important role in the latter’s ecosystem. The decaying bodies provide vital nutrients to the rivers, while scavengers feast on the dead animals. According to National Geographic, the Serengeti’s rivers receive two million pounds of rotting wildebeest flesh every year.
River crossings are very dangerous for the herds of the Great Migration, but thirst and hunger are, in fact, the bigger baddies.

Which is better: Maasai Mara or Serengeti?

To witness the Great Wildlife Migration, visit Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya or Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Both are incredible parks with epic safaris. Each destination has its own set of advantages, as discussed in Kenya vs Tanzania. Which offers a better African safari?

At Ndoto Explorers we feel that the Serengeti is the better safari destination, especially when it comes to viewing the Great Migration. Our reasons are:

A far larger percentage of the Great Migration takes place in Tanzania (see map)
The spectacular river crossings take place in Tanzania, not Kenya
Tanzania is the safer country (read more here)

What is the best time to see the Great Migration?

The Great Wildlife Migration takes a different path every year, depending on the availability of water and grass. The animals’ movements, however, follow a pattern, as shown in broad strokes in the table below.

Note: If you want to plan a safari around a specific aspect of the Great Migration, please contact us for advice on when and where to travel.

Time	Location	Details	Highlights
January to March	In the summer, the herds are at the southern end of their migration route, in Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.	It's calving season. Every year, nearly half a million wildebeest are born! Given their ability to hunt in large numbers, predators such as lions are frequently seen in action.	If you want to see baby animals and lots of hunting action, visit now!
April to June	In April, the herds begin to move northwest toward the grasses of the Seronera (central Serengeti), and then the Western Corridor (western Serengeti).	Mating season begins around the end of May, which can lead to fights between male wildebeests. From May to July, the herds must cross the Grumeti River to continue their northward migration.	Beginning in May, herds should start crossing the Grumeti River.
July to September	Herds must cross the Mara River to reach the Maasai Mara's green pastures. This is the biggest river crossing, and it's chaos.	This is typically the time of year to see the iconic Mara River crossing!	This is typically the time of year to see the iconic Mara River crossing!
October to December	In October, the herds are usually found in the Maasai Mara. They then move quickly southward back into the Serengeti. By December, they've returned to grazing in the Serengeti's east and south.	Near the beginning of their southward journey, the herds must cross the Mara River once more. The region experiences rainy weather from October to early November.	Cheetah sightings are particularly common in the Eastern Serengeti.

June to September are the best months for seeing the river crossings of the Great Migration. For these, you must visit the northern Serengeti.

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