The Serengeti is the plain the wildebeest migration is named for, an unbroken stretch of grassland running north into Kenya's Maasai Mara. Where the herds are at any given time depends on rainfall, so an itinerary built around the migration usually moves between two or three areas of the park rather than staying in one camp the whole trip.
Wildlife
- •Over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra, moving in a rough clockwise circuit through the year
- •The highest lion population of any park in Africa, spread across prides throughout the plains
- •Cheetah, hunting in open country where their speed gives the biggest advantage
- •Leopard, mostly found in the riverine forest along the Seronera and Grumeti rivers
Best Time to Visit
June to July
The herds cross the Grumeti River in the western corridor, one of the migration's major river crossings.
August to October
Herds move into the northern Serengeti and across into the Mara, with Mara River crossings the main draw.
December to March
Calving season on the southern plains, with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves born within a few weeks and predators following close behind.
