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Migration · 6 min read

The wildebeest migration calendar, month by month

A working calendar for the Serengeti circuit, and how far to trust it.

Active Kili Top · Arusha · Updated 3 October 2026
Wildebeest crowded together at a river in the Serengeti
Wildebeest at the water in the Serengeti.

Every wildebeest migration calendar is a simplification, and a useful one. The herds follow rain and new grass around the Serengeti in a rough clockwise loop, and because the rains keep to a broad pattern, so do the animals. A calendar tells you where they usually are in a given month. It cannot tell you where they will be on the Tuesday you arrive.

This is the calendar we use when we plan a trip from Arusha, with the months that are dependable, the months that are not, and the part of the park to sleep in for each. If you want the route and the reasons behind it first, start with our guide to the Great Migration.

The short answer

From December to March the herds are on the southern Serengeti plains around Ndutu, where the calves are born. In April and May they move north-west, reaching the Grumeti in June. From July to October they are in the far north near the Mara River, and in November they return south with the short rains.

At a glance: the wildebeest migration calendar by month

Timing shifts by weeks from year to year with the rains.
MonthsWhere the herds usually areWhat happens
December to MarchSouthern Serengeti and NdutuCalving on the short-grass plains, with predators close by
April and MayCentral Serengeti, moving north-westLong rains; long columns on the move
JuneWestern Corridor and the Grumeti RiverThe first river obstacle; the rut
July to OctoberNorthern Serengeti, around the Mara RiverRiver crossings, never on a schedule
NovemberMoving south through the east and centreShort rains draw the herds back to the plains
Next: December to March ↓Contents ↑

December to March: calving season in the southern Serengeti

When the short rains reach the southern plains, the herds follow them down. By December most of the wildebeest are spread across the short grass between the southern Serengeti and the Ndutu area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The soil here is volcanic and the grass that grows on it is rich in the minerals a nursing mother needs, which is why the animals come back to the same ground each year.

Most calves are born in a few weeks around February. The figure usually quoted is several thousand births a day at the peak, and the plains fill with animals that can stand within minutes and run within the hour. Lions, cheetahs and hyenas are never far away. This is the easiest season to find the herds, because they stay put while the grass lasts, and our Ndutu Calving Season plan is built around it. The fuller story is in calving season in Ndutu.

The weather is the trade-off. January and February often bring a dry spell, but March can turn wet, and a storm on black cotton soil closes tracks for a day. Stay in the south, in Ndutu or the southern plains, rather than driving down from the central Serengeti each morning.

Next: April to June ↓Contents ↑

April to June: the long rains and the Western Corridor

April and May are the long rains. The southern plains dry out from the top and the herds begin to leave, first into the central Serengeti around Seronera and then north-west. This is the least predictable part of the year. The animals move in long columns, sometimes many kilometres from end to end, and can cover a surprising distance in a few days.

It is also the quietest time in the park. Some seasonal camps close, prices are at their lowest, and the grass is tall and green. If you travel now, base yourself in the central Serengeti, where resident lions and leopards are present all year and where you are well placed whichever way the herds turn. You should accept rain on some afternoons and a chance of missing the main herds altogether.

By June the rains have stopped and the front of the migration reaches the Western Corridor and the Grumeti River. The Grumeti is smaller than the Mara and its crossings are less dramatic, but there are far fewer vehicles to share them with. June is also the rut, when the bulls are noisy and restless. We explain the area in the Grumeti, and why it is quieter.

Next: July to October ↓Contents ↑

July to October: the Mara River and the northern Serengeti

From July the herds push into the northern Serengeti, around Kogatende and the Lamai wedge, and some cross into Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The two reserves are one ecosystem with a border through it, so through these months wildebeest move back and forth across the Mara River, often more than once, following local rain.

This is the season of the river crossings, and the one people most often ask us to guarantee. Nobody can. A herd may stand at the bank for hours and turn away, or cross with no warning at a point nobody was watching. What you can do is stay in the north for three or four nights, close to the river, and be patient. Our Mara River Crossings plan does exactly that, and why a river crossing cannot be booked explains what happens at the bank.

July and August are the busiest months in Tanzania, and the north is a long way from Arusha by road. Most travellers fly in to the Kogatende airstrip, which saves two days of driving. By October the first herds are already turning south and the crowds have thinned, which makes late September and early October a good compromise.

Next: November ↓Contents ↑

November: the herds return south with the short rains

The short rains usually arrive in November, and the herds follow them south again, down the eastern side of the park and through the central Serengeti. Like the journey north in April and May, this is a movement rather than a gathering. The animals are strung out and travelling, and the weather decides the pace.

A wet November brings the herds to the southern plains quickly, sometimes by the end of the month. A dry one can hold them in the centre and north well into December. For that reason November is a month to plan around the central Serengeti, which is within reach of the herds wherever they are and has good game drives regardless.

It is also a month worth considering for its own sake. The short rains tend to fall in bursts, the park is green, the migrant birds have arrived and there are few vehicles. If the migration is one reason for your trip but not the only one, November offers a lot.

Next: Trusting the calendar ↓Contents ↑

How far to trust a migration calendar

The broad pattern holds in most years: south for the calving, west in early winter, north in the dry season, south again with the short rains. What moves is the timing. A late or early rain shifts everything by two or three weeks, and in some years the herds split, with large groups in two places at once. Treat any month-by-month table, this one included, as a guide to the odds.

Two decisions improve those odds more than anything else. The first is where you sleep. The Serengeti is roughly the size of Northern Ireland, and a camp in the wrong region can put you half a day’s drive from the animals. The second is how long you stay. Three nights in the right area is worth more than one night in each of three.

If your dates are fixed, choose the region to suit the month and let the itinerary follow. If your dates are free, choose February for the calving or August and September for the north. Flying in with the Serengeti Fly-in plan keeps your time for the animals, and the safari plans page shows which of our journeys suit each month.

Next: Questions ↓Contents ↑

Questions people ask

It depends on the month and the rains. As a rule the herds are in the southern Serengeti and Ndutu from December to March, moving north-west in April and May, near the Grumeti River in June, around the Mara River from July to October, and heading south again in November.

February is the most dependable month, because the herds stay on the southern plains for the calving. August and September are best for the Mara River crossings in the north. Both are busy, so book camps in the right region well ahead.

Mostly Tanzania. The herds spend most of the year in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Between about July and October part of the migration crosses into Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and wildebeest move back and forth across the border through those months.

Estimates vary from count to count, but the figure usually given is well over a million wildebeest, travelling with several hundred thousand zebra and gazelle. They do not move as a single herd. The migration is many groups spread over a wide area.

Sometimes. April and May are the long rains, when the herds leave the south and travel through the central Serengeti towards the west. They are harder to find and some camps close, but the park is quiet and green, and prices are at their lowest.

Plan at least three nights in the part of the Serengeti where the herds are expected, plus the days needed to get there. By road from Arusha that usually means a trip of six to eight days. Flying in makes four or five days workable.

The overall loop is the same, because it follows the seasonal rains: south, west, north and south again. The timing changes from year to year by two or three weeks, and the herds sometimes split or double back when local rain falls elsewhere.

Sources we checked

Fees, entry rules and medical advice change. Figures were checked in October 2026; confirm them with the official source before you travel.

Last updated 3 October 2026

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