Rain in the Serengeti

There has been rain throughout the Serengeti. The herds are moving south towards the Ndutu plains where the grass is now starting to look lush. The are located across the eastern corridor of the Serengeto and into Loliondo Game Controlled area.

Gameviewing is excellent. The best places to be based are at Seronera or in the private tented camps in Loliondo.

Migration update: Sporadic Rain over Ndutu

The wildebeest are now spread across a wide area in the south eastern Serengeti from the slopes of Ngorongoro Crater (east); to Loliondo (north) and past Ndutu (west). November and December are commonly referred to as the “short rains”. This is generally followed by a drier period (January/February) before the “long rains” start. This season has been variable with quite a lot of rain in November, but little rain in late December. This has meant that the herds have now moved away from their preferred grazing on the short grass plains of Ndutu. These plains have not yet received enough water to fully florish. Ndutu has short nutritional grasses and this is where the wildebeest prefer to calve. They will return to this area as a few days after decent rains as the grass will quickly shoot at the first sign of rain.

The wildebeest are about to start foaling with lots of heavily pregnant wildebeest. The number of wildebeest and zebra appears large this year, mostly due to the excellent conditions in 2008. The 2009 annual wildebeest migration has once again started the year in Ndutu and will remain here until the foals are born (January/February) and strong enough to start their trek westwards.

The best place to be based to see the migration is around Ndutu or Loliondo. Kusini Camp or one of the mobile tented camps are ideal at this time. Most of the roads in the area can be travelled as the drier conditions have meant that the roads are not swamped. The recent rain over the past few days and today may quickly change the road conditions though.

Migration Update: Central Serengeti and Loliondo

The migrating herds are in the central Serengeti, moving south through Seronera and Loliondo towards the Ndutu plains. There are still some herds in the Masai Mara, but these will probably remain as resident herds or trail behind later. A smaller group of wildebeest and zebra, which form the Loita herds, have also moved towards the eastern Masai Mara. These will eventually end up on the Loita Plains in Kenya and not migrate into the Serengeti. The migration has left the Mara slightly earlier than usual this year, but this seems to have been the trend in 2008 as they arrived early too.
The Mara River is flowing strongly causing problems for the remaining wildebeest trying to cross. Thousands have perished try and getting caught in the strong currents.
The Serengeti has seen good rains over the past week. There is new green grass throughout the southern Serengeti. It has had a chance to recover while the wildebeest have been in the north.
The wildebeest are heading to the short grass plains of the Ndutu as quickly as possible. Ndutu has the best grazing in the region, with short rich grasses. They will stay in this area as long as they can and will foal here later in the year. Eventually, towards March or April 2009, they will reluctantly be forced to move away from the Ndutu plains as the area is overgrazed. But, until then they will be in the southern Serengeti.
The best place to be based at the moment is around Seronera. There are a few large lodges (e.g. Sopa Lodge) in this area, but we recommend one of the smaller mobile camps that are now all set up in the private camps in the Seronera area. There is also a mobile tented camp in Loliondo that is ideal for the migration at moment.

Migration News: Migration in the dry Serengeti

The migration has left the Masai Mara. The last of the herds were seen crossing the Mara River on the Serengeti side over the last 2 weeks. Some dramatic scenes were experienced by safari guest staying in the northern Serengeti.

The herds continue to move south through the bushy northern and eastern Serengeti. The rains are expected shortly and this will probably hassen the move to the Ndutu grass plains. The Serengeti is dry and grazing sparse.

One of the best camps at this time of year is the permanent Migration Camp. Watch the video of the camp:

Migration News: Migration enter the Serengeti

The main herds are now in the northern Serengeti moving south. The rear of the migration is still in the Mara, but in fewer numbers than a week ago. The Mara is grazed out, but the moderate rains will quickly restore the savannah plains.

This movement south is earlier than usual. The last migrating herds normally depart from the Masai Mara in November, but it looks like it could happen within the next week or two.

Game viewing is still excellent in the Masai Mara, with good wildebeest and zebra populations as well as all the resident game (that do not migrate) and predators. The BBC Big Cat Diaries is currently based at Governor’s Camp on the Mara River. They are following prides of lions and cheetah and have seen some dramatic predatory scenes. This is also an excellent time for birders as the migratory birds are arriving from the northern hemisphere. Some will remain in the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, while most will continue further south towards the end of November.

The best place to see the migration at the moment is the northern Serengeti or the Masai Mara. Alternatively, visitors should base themselves at Seronera, in the Serengeti, as the advanced herds are just north of this area.

The vegetation in the north eastern part of the Serengeti is a lot thicker than the grass plains of Ndutu or the Masai Mara so safari guest will not necessarily see the full extent of the migration. The herds are also spread across a wide area from the Masai Mara in the north, Loliondo Game Controlled Area in the east and Seronera in the south.

Migration moving through Loliondo and Ndutu

The rains have remained localised and sporadic. Heavy rains have been seen, but have not lasted. The migration has been moving down through Loliondo and into Ndutu in the Serengeti. Some herds have been left behind and can still be seen in the Masai Mara, including parts of the Loita herds.
Due to the lower rainfall, the main wildebeest and zebra populations have moved to better food and water areas. In the last three weeks, they have spent time in the Loliondo, Gol and Sanjan area but as soon as it started drying up, they moved south and west, passing through Ndutu onto the mid grass plains on the other side.
There are still herds of wildebeest to be found all over this area but the main concentrations are in the south and west. The calving season is also nearing an end with the majority of the babies already born. Despite this, the other game remains excellent throughout the whole south and eastern areas of the eco-system, with plenty of cheetah and lion sightings.
In the Masai Mara, the short rains across the Mara plains recently have left a carpet of lush green grass across the plains. At the onset of the rains, most of the remaining herds of wildebeest started migrating back to their usual calving grounds further south, leaving some of the Loita herds breeding in the Mara, which is quite unusual. The Mara predators have grabbed this opportunity to feed their young who would have otherwise been starving had all the migratory herds left as usual.

The best place to be based to see the migration is around Ndutu, Seronera or southern Loliondo.