Migration Safari

Migration safaris offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the incredible Serengeti Migration, one of the world’s most spectacular natural events. Each year, millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other grazers travel in search of fresh grazing and water, making a continuous, year-round movement through the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania and Kenya.

The Serengeti migration follows a circular pattern, with the animals moving from the southern Serengeti plains, where they give birth to their young, to the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara in Kenya, following the rains and the new grasses that grow as a result. This journey is fraught with danger for the animals, as they must navigate crocodile-infested rivers and evade predators like lions, cheetahs, and hyenas.

Visitors on migration safaris have the opportunity to witness this incredible natural phenomenon up close, watching as the animals make their perilous journey across the Serengeti. The Serengeti National Park is a vast landscape of wide open plains, deep gorges, and rushing rivers, providing a rich palette for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Serengeti is home to an abundance of wildlife, including the famous “Big Five” – lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos. Visitors can witness the delicate balance of life and death as they watch a leopard hunt a zebra or see a baby antelope take its first steps.

Staying in the Serengeti is an experience in itself, with campsites, lodges, and resorts to suit all tastes. Visitors can wake up to the call of the Black and White Colobus monkey, taste fresh African coffee, and enjoy the beauty of the plains from a veranda.

For those wanting to witness the Serengeti Migration, the best time to visit is between October and July, although the timing is dependent on rainfall and can be fluid. A migration safari is a unique and unforgettable experience, showcasing the wonder and beauty of the natural world.

Tanzania Migration Safari Timetable

The Path of the Great Migration

The path of the Great Migration can be broken down into different areas. If you are planning to go on a Tanzania Safari in order to see it for yourself, then you need to double check where the herds are at the time of year you are planning to visit.

December to March – The Great Migration can be seen gathering around Lake Ndutu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The arrival of the herds in December sees the migration break down into small herds and spread out across the conservation area so that there are wildebeest as far as the eye can see.

April to May – The herd is on the move at the end of March and start of April, when the herds move north to the plains of the southern Serengeti, the wildebeest moving out into the Western Corridor and the centre of the park in the Seronera area.

May to July – As May draws to a close, the herds move from the Western Corridor and spread towards the centre of the Serengeti National Park. The herds split so that some move across the Grumeti River, leaving the Serengeti and moving into the Singita Grumeti Reserves, travelling through the Western Corridor to the Kogatende area, which they arrive in around July. The second herd moves north into the Serengeti, passing through the Seronera area, Lobo and to the Bologonja River. Because of this split, the Great Migration can be found anywhere in the Western Corridor and the Eastern side of the park during this period.

August to October – During this time, the herds can be seen in the northern areas of the Serengeti and the Kogatende area as well as in Kenya. It is during this time of year that the infamous crossings of the rivers are made. With the herds crossing rivers almost daily, though there tend to be significantly less in Kogatende than in the Masai Mara area of Kenya. The herds follow the local rainfall during this time and you can see the herds moving north and south, sometimes in the same day. The pattern of movement is not dissimilar to a ball moving in circular motions and is one of the best times to witness the Great Migration.

October to November – During these months, the herds move once more towards the south, the second ‘Great Migration’ down back to Lake Ndutu. It is very hard to see the Great Migration during this period as the herds move quickly over great distances every day.

Place to stay where you can witness it

December to March – There are only two permanent lodges that you can stay in where you can see the Great Migration between December and March. These are the Ndutu Lodge and Kusini. However, there is also the Dunia Camp which is positioned well if you are visiting at the start of December or the end of March as the herds pass by the camp.

April to May – The Dunia Camp is not only one of the best camps to visit in the area, but it is the perfect place to stay if you want to see the Great Migration during April and May. You can also stay at the central Serengeti hotels such as the Serena and the Sopa if you would rather stay in a hotel than in a camp. If you want to stay in the Western Corridor, you can stay at the Grumeti River Camp, the Mbalageti Lodge or the Kirawira.

May to July – Because of how spread out the herds become, there are a few places where you can stay and still catch a glimpse of the Great Migration on a Tanzania Safari. These places include the Grumeti River Camp, Faru Faru, the Mbalageti Lodge, Kirawira, Sabora and Sasakwa in the Western Corridor.

Specialised Migration Tanzania Safaris

Several of the camps that are found on the Great Migration trail offer specialised Migration safaris that are only available during the specific times of year that the Great Migration is passing through the area.

There are also a wide range of other activities that the lodges and hotels on the Great Migration trail offer so that not only can you see the sprawling herds of plain grazers passing by, but you can also see the other game that call the Serengeti home.

This includes between 3,000 and 4,000 lions in the park, as well as a high numbers of cheetahs, leopards and hyenas in the predator ranks. Along the river you will be able to see hippopotami and crocodiles as well as some species of water fowl.  There are also other plains creatures such as elephants, eland, hartebeest, serval, topi, bat-eared foxes, genet, hares, hyrax, caracal, aardvarks, jackals, porcupines, mongoose, monitor lizards, giraffes, aardwolves, as well as primates that include baboons, vervet and colobus monkeys and over 500 different species of birds.