Annual Wildebeest Migration in Maasai mara National Reserve
Annual Wildebeest Migration in Maasai Mara National Reserve: The great migration of wildebeest is the ultimate Kenya safari adventure, which is an annual event that usually happens every year from July to October, meaning they are the best months ever for the tourists on safari to Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
During that period of the year it can be a great rewardable time of watching millions of wildebeest migrating from Serengeti National Park, known as the world’s top-visited safari destination, located in Tanzania northwards and they do migrate into the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya.
However, this great wildebeest migration is an annual shear event that boasts as one of the world’s most spectacular and memorable displays of wildlife behaviors.
More so, this migration adventure takes place every year with the animals’ primal instincts guiding them towards greener pastures, which follows the climatic rainfall patterns over the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem.
Therefore, travelers who plan to reach out in order to enjoy this great annual wildebeest migration event, we advise you to start planning your travel in mid-July, as it can be a fantastic time when the migration typically starts proper with the larger herds of wildebeest starting to cross through the Mara River into Maasai Mara from Serengeti National Park. The migration takes place until the end of August before declining into mid-September.
Every year the number of tourists increases, like the past migration, which has close to two million wildebeest, close to a million Zebras and a large number of other animals undertaking the long trek, which can take many weeks. Although they face some challenges, especially when they are crossing the crocodile-infested Mara and Talek Rivers, many cannot survive the giant Nile crocodiles lying in wait for their prey.
Since the wildebeest migration event in Maasai Mara attracts a lot of tourists to come be part of the event, it has impacted Kenya’s tourism hub a lot to the level of being an international destination because of this annual wildebeest event. Of which travelers planning a trip to Kenya often ask questions related to the migration and we are listing the most common below for the sake of brevity.
What time of the year is the wildebeest migration event?
However, the migration into Maasai Mara typically starts in July and ends late September. These dates are not predictable till the first large wildebeest herds gather at the northern edge of the Serengeti as they are near the Maasai Mara National Reserve. They are initially known to gather at a spot of the day on end without crossing over to Mara, so when the final leg of their movement starts is difficult to predict.
So what is the best time to visit Masai Mara to adventure the migration? Based on years of experience, I would choose mid-July to late August as the best time to observe the migration event; this is a gradual annual event that takes place over several weeks at different locations along the Serengeti-Masai Mara border.
Where does the wildebeest migration go to and from?
The movement of the wildebeest from the Serengeti into Maasai Mara is dictated by nature features such as climate, pasture and mating and calving seasons.
You should also keep in mind that the wildebeest are migrating through the year in a generally clockwise direction, covering vast areas that access southern, Central and western Serengeti before the yearlong trek brings them to the Maasai Mara around July to August. Their movement back to the Serengeti used to happen around late October; this is less spectacular and more like slow dispersal.
How do you see the wildebeest migration?
You can still explore the migration during a Kenya safari game drive with the guide, where the park guide will direct you to several core points for viewing the wildebeest crossing the rivers. We recommend you always use comfortable vehicles driven by experienced guides.
It may be necessary to access and change your point of view during a day-long outing in the reserve, as some of the lodge and camp game drives can be up to an hour’s drive from the remarkable vantage points.
Most of the tourists who come to see the migration consider seeing the river crossing the highlight of their tour. Therefore, you can spend enough time at the main crossing points that tend to vary slightly every year while staying within a generally similar area of the reserve.
Best time to visit the wildebeest migration on a Kenyan safari.
Therefore, the great migration only happens once in years but themigration is a year-round phenomenon,, thus offering differen, unique wildlife experiencese at various times of the year. So the crossing usually occurs at the Mara River around late July to August with parts of September and again on their return, they use the south around the last two weeks of October through early November. Thus, the best times to have an incredible adventure are during the annual wildebeest migration in Maasai Mara.
