Migration news: Central Serengeti

There has been some rain in the central and southern Serengeti. The herds are moving south towards the Ndutu Plains. The majority of the migrating wildebeest are between Lobo, Seronera and the western perimeter of the Loliondo Game Controlled Area. The grazing is sustaining the herds, but more rain is required to turn the plains lush green. In the coming weeks the herds should arrive in the Ndutu Plains area where they will stay until March/April next year.

Game viewing is good, with many sightings of predators who track the migrating herds. The rain is moderate, not affecting roads too badly for safari guests.

Herds Return to the Serengeti

The vast herds of Wildebeest have returned to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Serengeti Under Canvas is ideally located to take advantage of the excitement that surrounds the migration

Migration update: Mara River

The migration is still in the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara along the Mara river. Large herds have also been seen moving south through the northern Serengeti.

Lots of rain in the Masai Mara

There has been quite a lot of rain over the past few weeks. Grazing in the Masai Mara is still good and the Mara and Talek Rivers are flowing strongly. This makes the crossing of the Mara River even more treacherous for the crossing wildebeest and zebra.

The main herds are in the northern Masai Mara (and into the private reserves that border the Mara), but there are also large numbers of herds starting the migration south east into the northern Serengeti and Loliondo Game Controlled Area. The migrating herds are likely to start moving south soon while the resident herds with move north towards Loita where they will remain for the rest of the year.

Migration spread across the Mara and Serengeti

The wildebeest and zebra are spread across the Masai Mara and northern Serengeti. The recent rains have encouraged the migration to return to the Mara Triangle to find grazing. There are still large herds in the private reserves and concessions around the north eastern border of the Mara. Huge herds have also moved south into the Serengeti and the Loliondo Game Controlled Area.
The movement of game is always good for safari guest watching the migration as it means the wildebeest cross the Mara and Talek Rivers more often. The wildebeest have been seen cross the rivers on a regular basis, with some herds crossing multiple times in one day.

THE HERDS ARE ON THE MOVE!

The vast majority of the wildebeest are now in the eastern Masai Mara where they are enjoying better grazing. There are however still a few straglers crossing the Mara River and grazing in the Mara Triangle. Keekorok Lodge and Kitchwa Tembo are ideally located to see the herds

River Crossings Every Day!!!

The unusual weather patterns are making for spectacular sightings of the wildebeest crossing the Mara River. The herds are crossing back and forth between Kenya and Tanzania sometimes a few times a day in search of better grazing. Guests staying at Kitchwa Tembo and Serengeti Under Canvas are having unbelievable experiences.

Migration News: Mara River crossings continue

The annual migration is in full swing with huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra in the Masai Mara and northern Serengeti. There are large herds around the Mara Triangle, Meta Plains and along the north eastern border of the Masai Mara National Game Reserve. There are large herds in the private ranches and conservancies that border the National Reserve, notably Olare Orok Conservancy.

Wildebeest have been crossing the Mara River and Talek River on a daily basis. The Mara River has consumed a large number of wildebeest, most getting killed in the stampedes while cross the river.

The highlight of the migration season also means that it draws large numbers of safari enthusiasts chasing the best location to see the river crossings. Some of the cross points can be over-run. The best way to enjoy the Masai Mara at the moment is to divide your time between the camps close to the Mara or Talek River (e.g. Mara Intrepid Camp, Mara Explorer Camp) and the camps in the private conservancies (e.g. Porini Lion Camp). This gives you a chance to be close to the river crossing, but also allows you time to get away from the other safari tourists.

Migration video from a hot air balloon

Interesting video of the migration crossing the Mara River.

Migration constantly crossing the Mara and Talek rivers

The migration is in full swing with wildebeest and zebra as far as the eye can see. The Mara Triangle is overflowing with migrating herds. The herds have been criss-crossing the Mara River and Talek River over the past few weeks. They will often cross the river multiple times in one day looking for the best grazing. Rain on one side of the river sees a major movement of the herds in the expectation of better grazing.
The most dramatic crossings have been seen at Paradise Crossing, and generally between Fig Tree Camp and Intrepids Camp. Crocodiles and lions have been very active making easy kills on a daily basis.
There are large herds around Talek Gate, Lookout Hill, Central Plains, Meta Plains and Olmisigiyio.

Annual Migration Highlight has started!

The wildebeest and zebra have entered the Masai Mara in large numbers over the past few days! This is earlier than expected and earlier than "normal".
This is the start of the highlight of the annual migration season: The migration from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara and the Mara River crossing. The wildebeest have not yet started crossing the Mara River, but safari guides are expecting this to happen in the next few days. With the lack of water in the western and southern Masai Mara, the wildebeest will quickly move north and cross the Mara River. The crocodiles are waiting!

There are still large herds in the Serengeti and there has been some rain.
The main herds have been entering the Masai Mara from the Sand River and moving north and west.

The best safari camps for the migration at this time are:
Keekorok Lodge: The migration is all around this lodge at the moment and rangers have a hard job clearing the airstrip for each landing and take off. This is a large camp and not for those looking for an exclusive intimate safari experience.

Migration Update: Central and Eastern Serengeti

This season has seen unusual rain patterns. Rains have continued on through May, which is very unusual. This has meant that the wildebeest remained in the southern Serengeti (around Ndutu) until later than usual. As can be seen by the migration map, they are now spread out across a wide area of the Serengeti. Some small herds have crossed the Grumeti River (western Serengeti), other have gone directly north toward Lobo, while the large bulk of the wildebeest and zebra are in the central Serengeti (Seronera).

The general movement tends to be west through June (towards Grumeti) and then north into the Masai Mara (July/August), but with the good rains the wildebeest can find grazing across a much wider area this season.

The Grumeti River crossing has not yet kicked off properly, but safari guides are expecting this to happen in the coming week(s).

Migration news: Wildebeest moving from Ndutu

Finally, and later than "normal", the migration has started to leave Ndutu heading west and north west. The herds are stretched from Ndutu in the east, across the southern Serengeti to Grumeti in the west. Some herds have started crossing the Grumeti River. From here they will move into the Grumeti Reserve before making their way north.

Large herds are also moving north west from Ndutu and will move through Seronera towards the Masai Mara.

Rains keep the migration around Ndutu

The decent rains over the past month has meant that the short grass plains around the southern Serengeti are still able to feed the herds. They will stay here until they are forced to move due to the lack of grazing. The "norm" is that the wildebeest would already have started moving in large numbers, but in the past few years this has been happening later than normal. We are still waiting for the main migration to start moving west and north west, but for the moment they remain around Ndutu.
Safari guests have been enjoying superb gameviewing with predators enjoying the abundance of wildebeest and their vulnerable foals.

Migration starting to move

The main migration herds are still around Ndutu, but a number of large pockets of wildebeest have started moving west and north west.

As the rains start to dissipate more of the herds will start leaving the southern Serengeti.

The best camps to be based at the moment are:
Premium camps -
Kusini tented camp
Tanzania under Canvas

Economy private tented camps -
Mobile private tented camp: A great choice for safari enthusiasts who want to see the migration without the need for all the superfluos luxuries.

Rain in Ndutu

There has been a lot of rain around Ndutu, Masek and the Ngorongoro slopes. This is keeping the main wildebeest herds in the southern Serengeti. There are lots of foals getting stronger for the journey north.

A safari at this time of year is always challenging as the roads are muddy and a number of them have been closed by the rangers. Game viewing is excellent with huge herds across the plains and plenty of predators tracking them.

The best place to be based is for a safari is around Ndutu, Kusini or Seronera.

Herds starting to head towards Grumeti

Small pockets of herds have started moving west towards the western corridor of the Serengeti. The main herds are still in the Ndutu area, but will also start moving in the coming weeks. They normally head west or north west (towards Seronera) around this time.

Calving season in the Serengeti

This is the rainy season in the Serengeti and this season has seen its fair share of rain. The southern Serengeti is green and lush with excellent grazing for the wildebeest herds. There are literally wildebeest as far as the eye can see on the Ndutu Plains. The herds stretch from Oldupai in the east, Ndutu and towards Seronera, the Golini Plain and Lake Masek.

This is calving season in the Serengeti and there are young foal everywhere. The wildebeest pick this time of year to foal as the conditions are perfect with lots of lush grass and water. The foals will have a month or two to gather their strength before beginning to long migration north to the Masai Mara.

Due to the heavy rains, the ground is muddy and moving around is hard going. A safari at this time of year is challenging with a lot of tracks too muddy to traverse. It can be a rewarding time for the safari die-hards as you will have the Serengeti to yourself. But expect rain!

The best safari camps to be based at are the permanent camps rather than tented camps - for obvious reasons - the tented camps can get quite muddy without permanent footpaths and structures. Having said that, a number of mobile operators do do a great job in setting up robust camps.

Recommended locations include: Seronera, Ndutu