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 Wildlife Migration

Wildlife Migration

December, January, February and March
During December, January, February and March the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuaries in the world. During these months, the seemingly endless plains of the Southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are inhabited by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. The large herds graze on rain-ripened grass. In the calving season (late January through to mid-March) the herds concentrate at the Ndutu and Sakei Plains, attracting the attentions of the predators like lions, cheetahs and hyenas.

April and May
During the months of April and May, the migration, sweeping west and north, moves from the short grass plains of the Southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the long grass plains and woodlands of the Western Corridor, almost to Lake Victoria.

June
By the end of May, the wildebeest have exhausted the Western Corridor’s best pastures and the herds move further north, entering the Lamai Wedge and the Mara Triangle. Mating occurs in May and June, the transitional period between rains and dry season.

July, August, September and October
By July, the countless herds have amassed along the swollen Mara River, a final barrier from the short sweet grass of the Masai Mara. Sometimes the crossing place they choose is shallow, allowing the majority of animals to pass safely. In other areas, the water boils with drowning wildebeest and slashing crocodiles. Between July and October, the wildebeest reside in the Mara.

November
The arrival of the short rains calls the migration southward. As Novemeber ends, the migration is making its way back to the Southern Serengeti, and early next year the females will once again give birth.