The Great Migration, Serengeti, TANZANIA
Though a photo won't capture the thunder of hooves on dirt as more than a million wildebeest and several hundred thousand zebra and gazelle make their annual migration, but still, this is one for the top of the pile.
The great Serengeti wildebeest migration is the movement of vast numbers of the Serengeti's wildebeest, accompanied by large numbers of zebra, and smaller numbers of Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, eland and impala.
Their journey runs in a clockwise circle and the animals cover a distance of around 1800 miles. It's a tough journey, and every year an estimated 250,000 wildebeest don't make it. They migrate throughout the year, constantly seeking fresh grazing and better quality water. The precise timing of the Serengeti wildebeest migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.
One of the most spectacular sights of the migration is when the herds gather to cross the Grumeti River in Tanzania and the Mara River in Kenya from July through September. As the herds cross, crocodiles are lying in wait for any weak and feeble ungulates that can't cope with the strong currents or lose their mothers.
Here we explain how the broad pattern works.
Month by Month: The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration
The short rains begin around early November. A little after this, in late November and December, the herds of the wildebeest migration arrive on the short-grass plains of the Serengeti. These are south and east of Seronera, around Ndutu and include the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Dispersed across these plains, wildebeest and zebra are everywhere feeding on the fresh, nutritious grasses. They stay here through January, February and March, with most wildebeest calves born in a short window around February. Gradually they spread west across these plains, then around April they start their great migration north.
By May the Serengeti's wildebeest all seem to be moving north, migrating to seek fresh grazing and water. The area around Moru Kopjes and west of Seronera is then hectic with a series of moving columns, often containing hundreds of thousands of animals; joined by many zebra, and a scattering of Thompson's and Grant's gazelles.
Some of the migrants then head north of Seronera, but most are usually further west. Around June the wildebeest migration is often halted on the south side of the Grumeti River, which has some channels which block or slow their migration north. The wildebeest then congregate there, in the Western Corridor, often building up to a high density before crossing the river. The river here is normally a series of pools and channels, but it's not continuous; and so whilst they always represent an annual feast for the Grumeti River's large crocodiles, these aren't usually quite as spectacular as the crossings of the Mara River, further north.
The wildebeest migration continues moving northwards during July and August, often spreading out across a broad front: some heading through Grumeti Reserve and Ikorongo, others north through the heart of the Serengeti National Park.
September sees the herds spread out across the northern Serengeti, where the Mara River provides the migrants with its most serious obstacle. This river gushes through the northern Serengeti from Kenya's adjacent Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Watching the frantic herds of the wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River can be very spectacular; there are often scenes of great panic and confusion. It's common to see herds cross the Mara River north on one day, and then back south a few days later.
By October the wildebeest herds are migrating again with more accord: all are heading south, through western Loliondo and the Serengeti National Park's Lobo area, returning to the green shoots which follow the rains on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti in November.
Then the whole Serengeti Wildebeest Migration starts again.
Photo Credits: Ultimate Africa Safari, Google, BBC Nature, Kenya Tourist Board
Sources: About.Com, Ultimate Africa Safari, Kenya Tourist Board, Tanzania Tourism Board
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