A Guide to Witnessing the Great Mara Migration

The two words ‘Great Migration’ give rise to a common thought. Millions of wildebeest alongside hundreds of thousands of zebra amongst a few other species crossing the formidable water of the Mara River.

This thought is not wrong but there is so much more to it. The continual milling chaos of the year-round great migration is rightfully known as the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. Showcasing scenes of millions of wildebeest and zebra moving across the open plains of the Masai Mara and the Serengeti and of course crossing the mighty Mara River are synonymous with the wildebeest migration.

This mass, cross country movement does not just happen. There is a reason for it all and so let’s start the explanation there.

What Drives The Great Migration?

The simple answer is rainfall. With rainfall come new grass growth.

These animals follow in the wake of the rains that fall across the Serengeti ecosystem (which spills over from Tanzania into Kenya and includes the Masai Mara) and nourishes the land. As a result of these rains, the seemingly endless plains are transformed into a sea of green as short grasses sprout up.

These shorter grasses contain higher levels of protein, sodium, calcium and phosphorus, and provide the wildebeest herds with some of the best quality graze on the African continent.

Phosphorus is a crucial element for all life forms, but is particularly important for lactating female wildebeest. As a result during the rainy season, wildebeest select grazing areas that contain particularly high phosphorus levels.

To sum it up, the herds essentially follow the rains as they fall across the ecosystem in search of the best quality grazing.

Where Does The Great Migration Take Place?

The southernmost extent of the Serengeti Ecosystem is generally considered to be the Ndutu plains and the lower northern slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands. From here, the system stretches north, across the Tanzanian border into Kenya where it reaches its northernmost extremity of the Masai Mara National Reserve, spilling over into the surrounding conservation areas.

Many people do know that the Great Migration is actually a year round, continual movement and takes place in a clockwise circle through Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara. If you look at it from a very simplistic point of view, the Great Migration is made up of massive herds of wildebeest, zebra and other ungulates walking in a very big circle. Make no mistake, the incredible scale of it is most definitely something to behold and bucket list worthy. But again, looking at it from a very basic point of view, on their own these animals are pretty calm and just keep on grazing and walking and grazing and walking.

The Great Migration Movement Broken Down

It is quite convenient that the calving season coincides with the first couple of months of the year so that is where we will begin our breakdown of the monthly movements of the wildebeest. It is important to note that the great migration is a natural phenomenon and these monthly breakdowns are based on historical trends.

January, February and March

During the early months, the migration will be finishing its southward trek with most of the adult females heavily pregnant. The herds move along the eastern edge of the Serengeti and into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Here they will be welcomed by green, nutrient rich plains, providing them with the best conditions for raising their new born calves.

Other than birth and death, there is no real beginning or end to this migratory circuit. Due to this it seems reasonable to call the wildebeests’ birthing season the start of the migration. The herds occupy the short-grass plains that spread over the lower northern slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands and around Olduvai Gorge during late January into February. Some 400,000 calves are born here within a period of two to three weeks, or on average, 8,000 new calves every day.

The abundance of vulnerable young calves means the surrounding predators also spring into action, hunting with ease due to the sheer numbers of wildebeest. If exciting wildlife interaction like this interests you, feel free to look into our Best Of Serengeti safari.

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