Serengeti · Maasai Mara
The Great Migration
Two million wildebeest and zebra on one endless loop across the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara — and the river crossings that people travel across the world to see.
The Great Migration is the year-round movement of roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle in a vast clockwise circuit through the Serengeti-Mara ecozystem, in search of fresh grazing and water. It is not a single event but a continuous journey, and where the herds are depends entirely on the month.
Its most famous moments are the Mara River crossings — when columns of wildebeest plunge down steep banks through crocodile-filled water — and the calving season, when half a million calves are born in a matter of weeks. The art of a great migration safari is simple: be in the right place, at the right time. That is what we do.
Use this as your planning guide. Timings shift a little each year with the rains, so we watch conditions closely and place you in the camp best positioned for your exact dates.
The herds gather on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, where roughly half a million calves are born in a few weeks. Predators follow in force — superb big-cat action.
As the plains dry, the herds begin drifting north and west through the central Serengeti. The long rains keep crowds low and landscapes green.
Columns of wildebeest move into the western corridor, mating along the way, and face their first water barrier at the Grumeti River.
The herds reach the Mara River in the far north. The first dramatic crossings begin — the scene most travelers picture when they imagine the migration.
The migration spills into Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Crossings continue back and forth across the river — the peak window for witnessing the spectacle.
The short rains draw the herds back south through the eastern Serengeti towards the calving grounds, completing the circuit.
One and a half million wildebeest move clockwise around the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem every year — roughly 500 miles. Follow the circuit from the calving grounds in the south to the Mara River in the north and back.
The circuit’s starting point: half a million calves born on the short-grass plains in a few weeks — and the predators arrive with them.
The long rains push the columns — up to 25 miles long — through the Seronera Valley toward the Western Corridor.
The first river test: crocodile-guarded channels of the Grumeti, best watched from the private Grumeti Reserve’s quiet banks.
The famous plunge: thousands crossing at a time beneath waiting crocodiles. The herds shuttle between Kogatende and the Mara all season.
The short rains call the herds back down the eastern woodlands to Ndutu — where the circle begins again.
The herds follow the rain, not the calendar — timings shift a few weeks year to year. We track camp reports through the season and place you where the herds actually are, not where the brochure says they should be.
Twice on their circuit the herds must cross water. From May to July they face the Grumeti River in the western Serengeti. From July to October come the legendary Mara River crossings in the northern Serengeti and the Maasai Mara — thousands of wildebeest hurling themselves down the banks past waiting crocodiles.
Crossings are unpredictable: a herd may build at the water's edge for hours, then turn back, or pour across in minutes. The secret is to stay several nights in a riverside camp and let your guide read the herds — patience is rewarded with the spectacle of a lifetime.
May–July · western Serengeti corridor
July–October · northern Serengeti & Maasai Mara
Home to the herds for most of the year — calving in the south (Jan–Feb), the Grumeti crossings (May–Jul) and the northern Mara River crossings (Jul–Oct). The widest choice of migration camps.
Explore Tanzania → Kenya · Maasai MaraThe stage for the most famous crossings from July to October, when the herds push north out of the Serengeti. Private conservancies offer exclusive, uncrowded viewing.
Explore Kenya →Peak season — the Mara River crossings in the northern Serengeti and Maasai Mara. The most dramatic and most sought-after window.
Calving season in the southern Serengeti — half a million calves born, and intense big-cat predator action on the plains.
The Grumeti crossings and the rut in the western corridor — fewer travelers and excellent value.
The best riverside camps in crossing season sell out 10–12 months ahead. Secure dates as early as you can.
Allow at least 3–4 nights in the crossing area — crossings can't be scheduled, so time is your best ally.
Fly into Kilimanjaro (JRO) for the Serengeti or Nairobi (NBO) for the Mara; light aircraft reach the migration airstrips.
Private, all-inclusive migration safaris from $8,000 per person, tailored to your dates and camps.
The migration moves, so the best camps move with it. These mobile and well-placed camps put you within striking distance of the herds and the river crossings, month by month. Tell us your dates and we'll position you perfectly.
An intimate mobile camp that relocates through the year to stay beside the migration — placing you in the very heart of the action as it unfolds across the Serengeti.
A seasonal tented camp that moves four times a year, chasing the herds from the south’s calving grounds to the northern river crossings — vintage safari romance.
Renowned for some of the finest guiding in Tanzania, this mobile camp shadows the migration year-round with just six tents and a genuine wilderness feel.
Asilia’s light-footed camp moves between the Ndutu calving grounds and the northern Mara River — tents open to the stars for nights beneath the Serengeti sky.
On the Kenyan side, set in riverine forest beside the Mara River — a front-row base for the dramatic July–October crossings without leaving Kenya.
High above the Mara Triangle with sweeping views over the crossing points — glass-fronted suites and superb guiding for the Kenyan chapter of the migration.
These are a few of our favorites — timing is everything, so we match your camp to where the herds will be. Have a specific camp in mind? Tell us in your enquiry and we'll secure it.
The home of the migration, plus the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar.
Explore Tanzania → KenyaThe northern stage of the migration and Kenya's finest big-cat country.
Explore Kenya → The regionCombine the migration with gorillas, the Big Five and the islands of Zanzibar.
Explore the region →Tell us when you can travel and our specialists will place you in the right camp at the right moment — no obligation.
Plan your migration safari