They come every year, almost like clockwork, congregating along the rivers of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Behind them, clouds of dust rising for kilometres. It has been a long journey, but they have finally arrived on the river's edge. The herds are here. Thousands of twitchy eyes all scan the horizon, looking for crocodiles in the river, anxiety in the air. They are all wondering, “Will today be the day they cross the river?”.
And there are also the animals. You know, the ones who have to actually cross the river, all whilst under the gaze of these throngs of assembled tourists.
The Great Wildebeest Migration is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth. It is for this reason that hundreds of thousands of people descend into a cramped section of Kenya each year to witness it. These human herds migrate each year to witness the annual movement of wildebeest and zebra into the Masai Mara, and to cross the rivers within. These rivers, filled with hungry crocodiles, become a game of change where the term ‘safety in numbers’ holds true.
It is wild.
It is overwhelming.
It is not all it is cracked up to be.
Let us explain.
When did the migration start?
This might seem like an odd question, but this particular migration isn’t some natural event going back millennia. Wildebeest, gazelle and zebra didn’t historically migrate along this route. In fact, it wasn’t until around the 1970’s that this migration first began.
And yes, you read that right. This Great Wildebeest Migration, this ancient natural occurrence, began around 1970.
The wildebeest had always migrated, but not like this. Prior to this, wildebeest had different patterns of seasonal migration and completely different routes, but human land use disrupted those patterns. In the late 1800’s there was also a massive Rinderpest epidemic that swept across Africa, decimating the animal populations. The lions with a sudden shortage of prey starved out, and trophy hunting meant that survivors also disappeared. By 1920 it was estimated that there were only 3,000 lions remaining in all of East Africa, down from an estimated 200,000 a century prior. Elephants dropped to about 7,000 in total, hunted for their ivory. The wild we typically associate with Africa had almost completely disappeared. Areas like the Serengeti, with open savannahs that were typically unsuitable for human habitation and grazing because of the tsetse flies, provided a final safe haven. It’s for this reason that the Serengeti was declared a Game Reserve in 1929 to try and protect Africa’s last corners of nature.
So, finally with some space to live in and with lion populations so low, when the animal numbers began to rebound, the plains animals like wildebeest and zebra simply grew faster. By around 1960, with a shortage of food for these ‘megaherds’ of over a million animals, these animals started to migrate again for greener pastures (quite literally). By 1970, thanks to human interaction that caused it, the Great Wildebeest Migration had been born. A decade afterwards, with the introduction of the nature documentary, the drama of the river crossing was introduced to the world. And so began an almost mythic event.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s an iconic and impressive myth. But the idea that the river crossing in Kenya is the migration is still a myth, no matter how iconic and impressive it is.
Unpacking the migration
There is this latent belief that if you don’t go and see the migration, then you will go to East Africa to visit empty grasslands. This is the fear that keeps people awake at night: to organise a trip of their dreams only to arrive and find that the animals aren’t there. The place is barren, with nothing but birds, butterflies and a handwritten sign saying “back in 10 months”.
In reality, animals don’t go on holidays. They don’t take sick days. And as a side note, you also don’t get nicer-looking animals in peak seasons and some raggedy lion in the low season. The animals remain the same type of animals, regardless of the season.
In addition, not all animals migrate like this. Whilst some plains animals like wildebeest or zebra migrate, many other species are territorial. That means they are loosely fixed in their location, migration or not. And then there are even wildebeest and zebra that don’t migrate at all, preferring the peace and quiet of other areas.
And even if they are migratory animals like a wildebeest or zebra, they don’t all follow the same path. Whilst some take centre stage for the river crossing in Kenya, the rest of them are doing similar things backstage in the Northern Serengeti.
In fact, in recent years, many animals don’t enter either of these areas at all.
Finally, the river crossing part of the migration isn’t the migration. It is one small part of a much bigger cycle, a small section of the year when they cross the rivers in Kenya. A migration typically means a back and forth (otherwise it is just called immigration), so whilst this section of the year may be famous, they also continue to migrate the rest of the year. Going back to the holiday analogy, these wildebeest aren’t taking a summer holiday to warmer pastures for a swim. They are always moving, and they are always moving in order to source enough food for the massive herd.
When is the Great Wildebeest Migration?
This is a bit of a trick question. The most common answer you’ll get is from July to October each year. The river crossing in Kenya tends to happen around August or September but, being wild animals, it can be early or late. It also depends on the rainfall, the courage/stupidity of the first wildebeest and all sorts of other factors.
It may interest you to know that the high season in Africa is also July to October. Peak season, as often incorrectly assumed, doesn’t refer to the time of year when the animals are at their peak numbers, or at their peak performance. Peak season refers to when the number of people visiting reaches its peak. This peak season, or high season, refers to the migration of people and has little to do with the animals. In fact, it often has little to do with Africa.
July to October happens to be the season of the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere. It’s a peak time for travel to Europe, and also in North America, and in countless other countries. Again, it’s not the ‘best’ time to go to all these countries, but merely the busiest. The fact that this time of year coincides with the river crossing section of the wildebeest migration is just a coincidence. It also coincides with the Okavango Delta having some water or Namibia losing their water. Each place in Africa has a different climate, a different season and different options for travellers, so the fact that many of them have the same peak season speaks to causes outside of the destination itself.
This peak season also means crowds of people gathering at the river’s edge, and the associated pitfalls that come with it. Over the past decade, as this migration myth has spread, images of tourists descending on the river’s edge have almost become comical. Whilst the photography shows endless herds of wildebeest and nature’s spectacle, turn the camera around and you will find dozens and dozens of safari vehicles clamouring for position. This is as true for the Northern Serengeti as it is for the Masai Mara, although the Mara has a much greater density of travellers. Meanwhile, being a national park, unlicensed guides and companies are able to come in and break the rules to give their guests the ‘best experience’. There seems to be little to no enforcement, and viral videos over the years show guests standing outside the vehicles or on the roof of the vehicle, cameras at the ready. These congregations of people block the pathways for the wildebeest to cross the river and also create a general chaos.
It’s hard to explain to a guest staying at an ethical minded lodge why the guide is keeping their distance when nearby other vehicles are seemingly in prime position. And for a guest wanting the dream of a wild encounter with nature, the human presence and the noise surrounding it are overwhelming. Just like tourists carving their name into the Colosseum, it only takes a few to ruin it for everyone.
But the real question is, why are you limiting yourself to these few months?
Ok then, when is the best time to see the Great Wildebeest Migration?
All of this talk begs the question: If the Great Wildebeest Migration isn’t just July to October, then when is it happening?
And the answer is, “Now. And later.”
And by that we mean, “All the time”. Each month of the year they are migrating, and each month of the year provides something different for visitors who want to track them. If it helps to visualise it, picture them doing a year-long, great clockwise circle. The ‘Circle of Life’, if you will, to steal that term from somewhere.
So, let’s imagine you come to East Africa in November and want to see these herds. At this time of year, they are enjoying the grass regrowth after November’s short rains. If they were in Kenya between July and October, then by November they’d be in the northern Serengeti and gradually nibble their way south across the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation area. This feeding is important as many of the wildebeest will be pregnant.
This “Happy Gnu Year” (ahem) is short-lived as the calving season from January to March is intense. Around this time, the herds are reaching their southern limits of the migration below the Serengeti in the Ndutu region. Over 500,000 wildebeest calves are born during this time period, with around 8,000 wildebeest every day in the middle of February! That’s a lot of little 'wildebabies'. And as you’d expect, this sort of mass birthing event attracts predators looking for an easy meal. And whilst again safety in numbers helps, as does the incredible ability of a wildebeest calf to be able to run within an hour of being born, this mass calving does result in dramatic hunts, active predators and the sometimes confronting reality of survival.
In what is really the secret migration, this Ndutu period is marked with incredible predator sightings. There are remarkable things to do here during this time. For example, did you know you can stay at Jane Goodall’s old home of Ndutu Lodge? This lodge has attracted filmmakers, photographers and researchers for decades, so you can visit some history whilst spending your days out on safari amongst the herds. This is a higher season for travellers in Tanzania, but still reaches nowhere near the peak found in Kenya during July-October. These crowds are those who have done their research and want to see this calving experience.
But onwards we go, in the never-ending circle. As the long rains of April and May arrive, the animals turn and head northwest, making their way back up through the Serengeti. This ‘low season’ or ‘wet season’ discourages nervous travellers concerned about the rain, but their hesitation is really a gain to everyone else. The rain is short, sharp and often dramatic. You can sometimes set your watch by it. By contrast, this season sees uncrowded sightings and amazing wildlife encounters, all with the backdrop of epic natural landscapes. Internally at The Explorer Society, this is one of our favourite times to visit.
As the circle continues, June will see the migration continue to head north until they are stopped by a network of rivers and channels, which ends up being the river crossing on a smaller scale. Smaller scale in that there are fewer people visiting at that time, as well as smaller because the rivers are smaller (but arguably the crossings more frequent). And then, as it hits July, the wildebeest head into the Grumeti reserve, into the heart of northern Serengeti and yes, also into Kenya.
And so it goes the next year. You can guess the rest from here.
Is it worth it?
Look, Africa is unlike anywhere else in the world. And for that reason alone, with the experiences found within, it is always worth a trip. The downside of people having an amazing time somewhere is that when they tell their friends, their friends also want to have those amazing experiences. And they think that the way to have that same type of amazing time is to do the same thing, at the same time of year. This is the reason why some parks are so famous and heavily visited, whereas others with the same (or better) sightings are less frequented. In reality, you can do other amazing things at other amazing times at other amazing places, things that might be better suited to you.
If your dream is to see the herds of animals line up on the Mara River like the nature documentaries you saw when you were a child, then by all means go for it. However, you need to expect to pay more and be surrounded by many thousands of other tourists. If you decide to travel in peak season, you can’t then decide to be annoyed by crowds of people doing the same. As the adage goes, “you are not stuck in traffic, you are traffic”.
If you want to focus on the migration during ‘other’ months, then consider staying in a mobile camp. These comfortable tented camps are just like any other tented lodge, except they move seasonally to be in positions close to the migration. This means you can still have front row seats almost any time of the year, to the same animals that they see in peak season.
Because ultimately, if you simply want to go to see animals and wild spaces, then you have the entire year at your disposal to choose from. Each season will bring something new, and something great. The wet season will bring some dramatic showers, but this moisture will also mean that it isn’t dusty. Other colder times of year mean more active wildlife, because they don’t get as hot. Going in mating season provides one set of behaviours, calving season provides another and the in-between times another. Ultimately, every time of year has unique circumstances to make it special, and limiting your trip to only a few months each year, the same as everyone else, means that you are limiting your experiences.
There is some courage required for this. Just like the wildebeest summoning the courage to cross the river, the traveller needs to have the courage to trust the experts and not bow to the fear of missing out. If they use a travel agent, the travel agent needs to have the courage to give the client what they want, not what they ask for. Travel companies need to have the courage to stand behind their principles and provide alternatives. Guides on the ground need to stop putting the guest requests over the rules and to be supported by their companies to do so. And finally, the governments involved need to have the courage to ignore the money and think about the animals that bring the money in. Because if they don’t, the money will run out eventually anyway.
Africa is an incredible place to visit. It is one of the few places where your travel dreams are exceeded by the reality, which then makes it hard to fully explain it to others. And in this massive continent full of experiences and opportunities, there are endless options to make the perfect trip for almost every traveller. Even if it is a migration. After all, this might mean the great wildebeest migration in East Africa or the secret zebra migration in Botswana. It might mean the massive sardine migration in South Africa, or the whale migration on the southern coast, or the epic mammal migration in Zambia, or any number of the natural wonders this part of the world has to offer. The opportunities for wild and epic encounters are across the continent, and by not limiting yourself to what’s on the front page, you suddenly have the whole book to choose from.
And you get to read that book in peace.
