The Serengeti is famous for its annual migration, when more than 1,500,000 wildebeests and 500,000 Thomson gazelles follow approximately 200,000 zebras on a 2,000-kilometer pilgrimage in search of fresh pasture and water. It's “the greatest wildlife show on earth” and “a once-in-a-lifetime experience”!
Wildebeests feed only on new shoots and very short grasses, and so they usually eat grass that was once 'trimmed' by a zebra or buffalo. It's for this reason that they follow zebras.
Elandes and Thomson gazelles also migrate, but instead of following the main migration, they only alternate between plains and forests. Grant gazelles, on the other hand, do not migrate because they are not so dependent on water. They move only locally and, in many cases, in the opposite direction from migratory species.
When is the best time to see the Great Migration?
The best time to see the migration is between June and August, when wildebeests gather and prepare to cross the Grumeti River. However, the route and timing of the migration are unpredictable, so visitors must plan carefully to be sure to see the spectacle. In the months of December to May, the animals are found in the short-grassy plains surrounding Lake Ndutu, the mountains of Gol and the Kopjes Moru, in the south of the Serengeti National Park. December is the peak month for the birth of zebras and February is the main month for the birth of wildebeests.
The migrations begin with vast herds, over 40 kilometers long, that head north towards Kirawira and Mbalangeti, before crossing the crocodile-infested Grumeti River. However, some smaller herds head directly north through the Seronera Area, while others travel to the park's eastern border through the Loliondo and Lobo areas. All routes eventually cross the Mara River - in Masai Mara in Kenya - where the animals face other wildlife that threaten the experience.
Finally, in November, the herds begin their journey across the Serengeti arriving at the plains of short grasses and ready to give birth again. And so the cycle continues! Like over 1 million years ago!