Migration 2014: Herds grazing in the Southern Serengeti

The herds are moving around the southern Serengeti, enjoying the excellent grazing in this region. There have been goods rains in 2014. There are thousands of calves building up their strength for the migration north that will commence in around May.

Thinking about going on safari during the main migration season (July- Oct)? Start planning now. Contact Sunsafaris for expert advice and booking you migration safari.

Migration News: Calving season in the Southern Serengeti

The migration has been located around the southern Serengeti for the past couple of months. The heavy rains in the past few weeks heralds the start of the calving season.

The herds are based from the outer Ngorongoro slopes through Ndutu Pleins and as far west as Kusini. They continually move to find the best grazing across the southernly Serengeti region, their favourite being the short rich grasses of Ndutu.

Going can be tough for safari vehicles at this time of year, with a number of the smaller roads closed off to preserve them. Safari guests can expect to see rain on a drive, so come prepared. Anyone going on safari to the southern Serengeti will be treated to thousands of playful calves and predators waiting to pick off any stragglers.

The best camps at this time of year are camps that can cope with the rain:
Kusini Camp
Ndutu Lodge

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

Migration Update: Rains across the Serengeti

There has been a lot of rain over the last week. This has caused the Ndutu plains to spring to life with new freeze grass. The wildebeest have returned in thousands back to their favourite grazing in the Serengeti, the Ndutu Plains. The rains have been welcome as 2009 started relatively dry.

There are wildebeest (with their new foals) and zebra as far as the eye can see around Ndutu. It is a spectacular time to the in the Serengeti, but moving around is a challenge as a lot of the roads are muddy. The best place to be based over the next couple of months is the permanent lodges in the central and southern Serengeti. They have better access roads to their camps and are generally more prepared for the rain. The mobile tented camps can be an adventure!

Calving season is almost over in Ndutu

The main herds are still around Ndutu, as far south as Maswa Game Reserve and have been seen west of Kusini Camp. The wildebeest foaling season is almost over with most of the foals already finding their feet and enjoying the abundance of rich grazing.

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.