Great Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania

Great Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania - the annual migration of giant herds of grazers across Northern Tanzania like on Serengeti is a truly spectacular event. Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti ecosystems in search of green pasture, in a regular pattern. This is surely one of the greatest wonders of the natural world and most unique Tanzania Safari Tours experience!

Where Does The Great Wildebeest Migration Take Place?

The Best Place To See Great Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania is sometimes thought of as a circuit that occurs between Tanzania's Serengeti plains in the south and Kenya's Maasai Mara in the north between May and December each year. But don’t let orderly maps that predict their pathways fool you. The Great Migration Serengeti is a natural process that depends on weather, environmental factors, and the animals themselves, the timing and route that’s well-known – from the southern Serengeti through the Western Corridor up to the Massai Mara then back to the start through the Loliondo and Lobo area – is more of an estimation than a reliable roadmap.

Best Time To Experience The Great Wildebeest Migration

Serengeti Wildebeest Migration dates tend to remain the same throughout the years. The first animals usually start to set out across the Serengeti in search of greener grass and dependable water supplies in April. Over the following months, they’ll encounter countless obstacles – from predators to river crossings – on their enormous trek. Here's a breakdown of their provisional travel schedule to choose Best Time To Visit Tanzania, so you can plan your own.

Fun Facts About The Great Wildebeest Migration

• The Great Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania is the largest overland migration in the world.
• Whilst the straight-line distance of annual migration is around 600 km, researchers have found that individual animals cover almost 2,000 km each year, at distances of up to 40 km in a single day.
• In calving season (Jan-Mar) around half a million wildebeest are born each year in the Serengeti. These wildebeest calves are able to run within two minutes of being born.
• The wildebeest herds have no leaders, rather they have an instinctive, herd mentality. This means they don’t all stick together all the time, but often form splinter groups that move in different directions in search of the best grazing.
• The wildebeest and zebras have a symbiotic relationship, in that wildebeest only feed on the shorter parts of the grass, once the grazing zebras have acted as lawnmowers, cropping the grass down and making it to the wildebeest’s liking.
• The herds consume an estimated 4,000 metric tons of grass each day.
• There is a lion population of over 3,000 in the Serengeti ecosystem that follow the herds around the reserve.
• The crocodiles found in the Mara River can lunge out of the water by more than half of their own body length to catch a wildebeest in their jaws.
• An estimated 250,000 wildebeest die each year through a combination of predation, drowning, thirst, hunger, and exhaustion.

The Greatest Wildlife Show On Earth Awaits! Ready to plan your front-row seat to the greatest wildlife show on earth, Great Wildebeest Migration? Get in touch with one of our Travel Experts of Pukka Adventures today on your Tanzania Safari Tours. You can also use our tour builder to customise your Great Migration Serengeti, which has been picked as one of our top tours to experience in 2022-2023.