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The Great Migration

Two million animals on a year-long loop through the Serengeti. Where they are each month, and what that means for your dates.

Herd size ~2 millionBest for calving FebBest for crossings Aug – Oct

Nearly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move through the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem in a continuous annual circuit. It is not a migration with a start and an end — it is a loop, driven by rain and grass, and the herds are somewhere on it every day of the year.

Where the herds are, month by month

This is the same calendar that runs on our home page. Treat it as a strong probability, not a timetable: the herds follow rainfall, and rainfall moves.

JanuaryNdutu & the southern plains

Calving begins on the short-grass plains. Predators gather early.

Calving
FebruaryNdutu & the southern plains

Peak calving. Up to 8,000 calves a day, and everything that follows them.

Calving
MarchSouthern plains

Calving tails off. Herds still spread wide across the south.

Calving
AprilCentral Serengeti

Long rains. Columns start north-west through Moru and Seronera.

Moving north
MayCentral & western

Rutting season. Long marching lines, thick dust, few vehicles.

Moving north
JuneWestern Corridor

Grumeti River crossings. Crocodile-rich, and far quieter than the Mara.

Grumeti
JulyNorth-west & north

Herds push north. First Mara crossings late in the month.

Mara
AugustNorthern Serengeti · Kogatende

Mara River crossings. The most photographed weeks of the year.

Mara
SeptemberNorthern Serengeti

Crossings continue. Herds move back and forth across the river.

Mara
OctoberNorthern Serengeti & Lobo

Last crossings, then the long drift back south begins.

Mara
NovemberLobo & eastern Serengeti

Short rains. Herds return south through the eastern woodlands.

Return south
DecemberSouthern plains

Herds spread across the south again, waiting to calve.

Return south

Why nobody can sell you a river crossing

The Mara River crossings are the images that sell Tanzania, and they are the single most misrepresented thing in this industry. A crossing happens when a critical mass of animals decides to move, which may be twenty minutes after you arrive or three days later. Herds gather at the bank, mill, turn back, and gather again. Some days they cross four times; some days not at all.

What we can do is put you in the northern Serengeti, near Kogatende, in the weeks when crossings are most likely, with a guide who knows which bends the herds favour and the patience to wait at one. What no operator can do is guarantee it. If someone promises you a crossing on a specific date, they are selling something they do not control.

Calving, and why February is underrated

February on the southern short-grass plains is, for many guides, the best wildlife fortnight of the year. Up to 8,000 calves are born in a day. The predator density that follows — lion, cheetah, hyena, and the wild dog that sometimes shadow them — is unmatched anywhere on the circuit.

It also falls outside the July–October peak, so camps are easier to get and the plains are far emptier of vehicles. If your dates are flexible and you care more about wildlife than about a river, come in February.

The Grumeti: the crossing nobody photographs

Around June the herds meet the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor. The crocodiles there are among the largest in Africa, and the crossings, while smaller and less concentrated than the Mara's, happen with a fraction of the vehicles. If the Mara in August sounds like your idea of hell, this is the answer.

Planning around it

If you wantCome inStay near
Calving and predatorsLate January – FebruaryNdutu / southern plains
Marching columns, few vehiclesApril – MayCentral Serengeti / Moru
Grumeti crossings, quietlyJuneWestern Corridor
Mara River crossingsLate July – OctoberKogatende / northern Serengeti
Green plains, low season ratesNovemberLobo / eastern Serengeti

Give it enough nights. Three nights in the right area gives you a real chance; one night is a lottery ticket. Camps in the northern Serengeti during crossing season are small and book a year ahead — see start planning if your dates are fixed.

Common questions

Is the migration in Tanzania or Kenya?

Both, but overwhelmingly Tanzania. The herds spend roughly nine months of the year inside the Serengeti and cross into Kenya's Maasai Mara for part of the July–October window. The Mara River itself forms the border region — the famous crossings at Kogatende are on the Tanzanian side.

Do the herds ever stop moving?

No. The circuit is continuous. Even during calving the herds drift across the southern plains following fresh grass.

What if the rains come early or late?

Then the herds move early or late with them. This is why we plan around a region and a window rather than a date, and why we would rather move your camp than have you sit somewhere the animals have left.

Can I see the migration and climb Kilimanjaro on one trip?

Yes, and it is a common combination. Climb first while you are fresh, then recover on safari — not the other way round. Allow around two weeks.