East Africa is every wildlife enthusiast’s dream. The Great Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, the unique Ngorongoro Crater, from the wild and pristine Selous Game Reserve to the national parks in Central Kenya, across to the mountain gorillas in Rwanda: there are too many highlights to mention them all in this space!
Nowhere in the world is there a movement of animals as immense as what is known as the Great Migration (one of the New Seven Wonders of the World), when over two million animals migrate from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. About 1.5 million wildebeest, some 350,000 Thomson’s gazelle, 200,000 zebra and 12,000 eland follow the water, always chased by lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs and lesser predators.
There is little predictability about the migration, and questions as to which is the best month to view it are likely to get different answers from different people.
But the usual pattern of the migration is as follows:
- December – April (Ngorongoro Conservation (Ndutu) Area & Southern Serengeti)
- February is the calf season and you might be able to witness around 400 000 wildebeest calves delivered over a period of a few weeks.
- April – May (Central Serengeti)
- June (Western Serengeti & Grumeti Reserve)
- Best time to be at one of the lodges on the river in the Grumeti Game Reserve, i.e. And Beyond’s Grumeti Tented Camp, where the migration needs to cross the crocodile infested Grumeti River.
- July (Northern Serengeti and cross the Mara River into the Masai Mara (Kenya).
- July – October (Northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara)During this time the wildebeest regularly cross the Mara River moving between the Northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara in Kenya. Asilia’s mobile camps and permanent Sayari Camp are our favourites in the area.
- November – December (Northern, Central & Southern Serengeti)
The Alpha Destinations team will always advise you in which areas within the ecosystem you will most likely encounter the great migration at your time of travel and will suggest the best possible itinerary.
Both Kenya and Tanzania can be ideally combined with an unforgettable stay in Rwanda, where you can track the mountain gorillas in the deep forests of the Volcanoes National Park. And – of course there are the many different beach options, from the Kenyan and Tanzanian coastline, to the archipelago of Zanzibar and the Seychelles which can be reached by direct flight from Nairobi.
click map to enlarge
Kenya
The main tourist areas are the Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo National Park, Lake Nakuru, as well as Laikipia and Meru.
Tanzania
Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar… these are without any doubt the best known destinations in Tanzania and surely reason enough to justify packing your bag and heading off to Tanzania.
Rwanda
Rwanda, a small landlocked country, is known as the “Land of the Thousand Hills”. The main tourist attraction is the mountain gorillas, which can be found in the Virunga Mountain Range in the North-West of the country. Tracking these impressive primates is a once in a lifetime experience.
Uganda
Uganda is a country located in East Africa known for its diverse wildlife and natural beauty, including the famous mountain gorillas found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the stunning scenery of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.