When to visit the Masai Mara is an important decision that must be carefully considered in order to meet your expectations. There is no specific best time to visit for a general game viewing safari; with abundant resident wildlife and a pleasant climate, the Masai Mara travel is widely regarded as a year-round safari destination in Kenya.
However, if you want to see the wildebeest migration, the best time to visit the Masai Mara is between July/early August and the end of November, though the exact timing varies from year to year due to varying rainfall patterns.
A MONTHLY GUIDE TO THE WILDEBEEST MIGRATION
Every year, over a million wildebeest, zebra, and antelope migrate around the Serengeti/Masai Mara travel ecosystem, taking in two different countries and making time for birthing, courting, and mating along the way. That is, for those who are not dragged down by ravenous predators.
But the trouble with the wildebeest migration is that if you get your timing wrong, you will end up gazing out over a wildebeest-less savannah and wondering why all the other animals are all “laughing at you”.
This guide is not infallible (changing climate patterns do not help), but it will give you an idea of whether your safari will be filled with dramatic imagery- wild nature at its most ferocious – or whether you’ll be showing your friends photos of your lodge room instead.
Send us an inquiry for the most up-to-date information, and we’ll have our Masai Mara travel Expert answer all of your migration questions.
JANUARY: The herds are in Tanzania’s Serengeti, moving south from the north-east region and into the southern Serengeti, Ndutu area, and Ngorongoro Conservation area – often leaving the (unfenced) national park itself. It’s calving season, so expect a lot of Bambis and a lot of gore as predators swoop in.
FEBRUARY: Due to the abundant grazing in the Southern Serengeti, Ndutu, and Ngorongoro Conservation Areas, the herds have remained in the far south.
MARCH: They’re still in the south, but the grasses have all been eaten, the last calves have been squeezed out, and the herds are gathering in preparation for the next leg.
APRIL: Be sure to visit the southern Serengeti plains before the wildebeest begin their northward migration; many have already left and are in the central and even western Serengeti.
MAY: Wagons are rolling! Massive herds of wildebeest are on the move, and huge columns of up to 40km in length can be seen as the herds funnel up into the central and western Serengeti.
JUNE: Head for the central and western Serengeti – the herds are there and beginning to get a bit jittery, “trouble is coming”.
JULY: Book early because river crossings are the Big Event. The herds have arrived in the western Serengeti and Grumeti Reserves, where they are nervously peering at the brown waters of the rivers they must cross due to the presence of five-metre-long crocodiles.
AUGUST: The survivors make their way back into Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve after stumbling into the northern Serengeti. If you are not a resident, you will need a passport and a valid visa to cross; however, wildebeest do not require a passport and are visa exempt.
SEPTEMBER: The herds split into smaller bite-sized chunks; roughly half of the animals remain in the northern Serengeti, while the rest are “swapping stories” in the Masai Mara (‘Did you hear Tom didn’t make it?’).
OCTOBER: The Masai Mara travel is your best bet. The conservancies in the Mara are much less crowded, and you will not only be able to see the Migration, but you will also be helping Maasai communities who have lived in the area for thousands of years.
NOVEMBER: The short rains have begun, causing the wildebeest to leave the now-depleted grasslands of the Masai Mara travel and return to the revitalized Serengeti.
DECEMBER: Due to fresh grazing, wildebeest have congregated in the north-eastern Serengeti (particularly around Lobo) and the southern Serengeti. Calving resumes, predators reappear, and the wildebeest are slaughtered.
The Great Wildebeest Migration, is one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World”. No where in the world is there a movement of animals as immense as the wildebeest migration, over two million animals migrate from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during July through to October. The migration has to cross the Mara River in the Maasai Mara where crocodiles will prey on them. This is one of the highlights as the animals try and cross the Mara River alive. In the Maasai Mara they will be hunted, stalked, and run down by the larger carnivores. The Maasai Mara also has one of the largest densities of lion in the world and is no wonder this is the home of the BBC wildlife channels Big Cat Diary. Contact us today.