The Great Migration

Every year, two million grazing animals pass through Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Maasai Mara on a migration that is considered one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth. Countless films, from the Oscar-winning documentary The Serengeti Shall Not Die to IMAX’s Serengeti, have celebrated and shared the parade of animals on their massive march over hundreds of miles. It’s a journey that repeats every year, and to see the endless plains swarming with herds of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra is breathtaking.

In fact, the sound of the hundreds of hooves and the way the ground trembles with their thunderous movement may be even more impressive than the sight. Close to 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 500,000 Thomson gazelle chase the wet season and prime grazing. Calving occurs between January and March when the grasses in the southern Serengeti are short so predators can be seen most easily. When the rains end in late spring, the wildebeest begin their march north from the Ndutu area toward the Grumeti River and around August cross the border with Kenya into the Maasai Mara, where they stay until fall. In November and December, they head south again to the Serengeti where the cycle begins again.

Ideal Tanzania itineraries should incorporate seeing the Great Migration. Indagare members can contact our bookings team to plan a safari tailored to their interests.