Tanzania safari planning with the experts/local Tanzanian who are born and live here.
Tanzania is a big country, and the main safari destinations can be split into the north (The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater) or the south (The Selous and Ruaha). Most tourists flock to the north as it is comprised of the famed highlights of Tanzania and rightly so as the wildlife is phenomenal. However, the fame of the north can often overshadow the south, which in our view is one of East Africa’s best kept secrets. West Tanzania is also an option, though this is extremely expensive to get to and hardly any tourists do as a result. As a rough guide when 70% of travelers head to the north, 25% go to the south and only 5% or less venture to the West.
Northern Tanzania is expensive (comparatively to the south) but offers unrivalled wildlife viewing and is completely iconic.
The Serengeti (which borders the Masai Mara in Kenya) is world-class and home to The Great Wildebeest Migration as well as the biggest concentration of predators on the planet. We would recommend spending a minimum of three nights in the Serengeti – there is so much wildlife to see and areas to cover, that it would be a shame to travel all the way there and stay for any less.
The Ngorongoro Crater has a huge amount of the big 5 in a unique and dramatic setting. Surrounding the crater, the Ngorongoro Highlands is home to colorful Masai culture and rolling coffee farms. We usually only recommend one big game drive into the crater, as it is small so one day is enough. You can either stay on the crater rim or in the Ngorongoro Highlands a night either side of your game drive.
Tarangire National Park is another option with night drives, fantastic views and a colossal number of elephants. However, it is more of an “add-on” park to the main northern circuit of the crater and Serengeti. It can be visited for a few nights en route to the crater, if you have ample time and money.
Lake Manyara is another smaller park with flamingos, fantastic land-birdlife and some truly beautiful spots for safari. It can be seen in an afternoon rather than as the focus of a trip as it is small. Most people who drive to the crater vo via Lake Manyara for a few hours to tick it off the list.
Safari Guide to Northern Tanzania
The Serengeti National Park is Africa’s most famous. Renowned for its incredible concentrations of predators and the Great Migration of two million grazers, a safari here is guaranteed to be exceptional. The endless grassy plains are amongst the richest grazing grounds in the African bush, and therefore home to the largest herds and the highest concentrations of predators on the planet.
The Serengeti Africa is one of those very rare places that has a huge reputation, yet still somehow manages to surpass expectations and take your breath away. Surrounded by remarkable tribes such as the Massai and Hadzabe, this wider area is also fascinating from a cultural perspective. The whole park is a world heritage site, and the varied eco-system coupled with the huge volume of wildlife means you can spend ample time in different locations and never feel like you’ve seen it all. From the dramatic Kjopes in the north, to the acacia dotted endless plains to the south, it is not just the animals which make a safari in the Serengeti so remarkable. In a nutshell, it is rightly the most celebrated wildlife reserves in the world; there is nowhere else to match it. It is outstanding!
Serengeti National Park / the Wildlife
There is such a variety of species to be found in the Serengeti and definitely too great a number to mention here, which is why it is such an integral part of a Tanzania safari. The park’s main attraction is the Great Migration, consisting of up to 2 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 350,000 thompson, impala and grant’s gazelles – many consider it to be the most spectacular remaining African wildlife spectacle. The predator viewing here is exceptional with approximately 3-4,000 lion and huge numbers of cheetah, leopard and hyena. Other animals commonly found in the park include topi, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, elephant, caracal, serval, bat-eared fox, hyrax, genet, hares, porcupine, aardvark, giraffe, jackal, mongoose, crocodile, monitor lizard, aardwolf, many kinds of primates including baboons, vervet and colobus monkeys, and over 500 species of bird.
Where is the Serengeti?
The Serengeti is the main component of a Northern Tanzania Safari Itinerary. It is a vast stretch of endless plains brimming with wildlife in the North East of Tanzania – Tanzania’s border changes it to Kenya’s famous Masai Mara. It is only a short flight from Arusha (along with many other Northern airstrips!) – a flight you absolutely must consider if you are ever visiting other Northern Tanzania parks. Many travelers also visit Northern Tanzania to experience the vibrant Maasai culture in the Ngorongoro Highlands, but also to go into the Ngorongoro Crater itself. There are also other smaller surrounding parks, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, but these are more “add on” destinations – The Serengeti in our view is the real star of the show.
When to go to the Serengeti National Park
To focus solely on the Great Migration would be to do this park a grave injustice. Even taking the Great Migration out of the equation, it can be argued that the Serengeti is still the finest park in Africa. Vast herds of grazers, huge prides of lion, spectacular expanses of uninterrupted views, wildebeest river crossings, great leopard sightings, fantastic vast cheetah inhabited plains and some of the best camps in Africa – as such, it is an incredible safari destination year-round.
The Great Migration Timing
The Great Wildebeest Migration is a spectacular event where 2 million grazers circle the Serengeti all year round in search for fresh pastures. Some months are better than others to see the herds. The best times are when they are the most concentrated in certain areas:
From July – October the herds are crossing the Mara River in the northern Serengeti. This is where you get those dramatic Attenborough-esque scenes of wildebeest hurtling themselves into crocodile infested waters.
February is when calving season is in full swing and this is the best time to see the herds in their full glory as they gather in their thousands on the endless plains of the south. February is the only time of year you are guaranteed to see the herds if you stay where they are predicted to be, as they never fail to gather in the Ndutu plains at this time of year.
Mkama Tours to Tanzania would advise visiting the Serengeti at these times if the Migration is on your bucket list. However, the Migration is a complex and unpredictable event. It is important to know the pros and cons for each time of year, which you can find in our month-by-month migration blogs on our chart to the right.
The Serengeti Great Wildebeest Migration
The Great Wildebeest Migration – the annual migration of giant herds of grazers across Northern Tanzania and Kenya is a truly spectacular event. Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of green pasture, in a regular pattern. This is surely one of the greatest wonders of the natural world.
Great Migration Safari Holidays the basics
You can see the Great Migration in Tanzania all year round – they migrate in a circular motion around the Serengeti National Park as such it is an ongoing event. Below we will dissect where the wildebeest usually are at different times of the year.
The Great Wildebeest Migration is rarely in the Masai Mara Kenya; the herds only ever venture there as an extension of their grazing lands in the northern point of Tanzania if they need to for fresh pastures. You can only find the migration in Kenya within a few months of the year when they head towards the border, and even then, most of the herds are still mulling around the northern parts of the Serengeti anyway.
The Annual Migration overview the best times to visit the Serengeti Migration
July – October: This is when the wildebeest are in the northern Serengeti plains, and you have a chance of seeing up to thousands crossing the great Mara River. As the sight of the wildebeest crossing the so dramatic, it is considered by many the most desirable time to see the migration.
December – March: Currently the wildebeest are in the southern area of the Serengeti, more specifically in Ndutu which is actually in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and it is calving season. Along with the river crossings, this is a real highlight of the wildebeest’s journey and a fabulous time to see the herds congregate on the dramatic sweeping plains of the south. February is the only time of year when you are almost guaranteed to see the big herds all together as they always come south for calving season.
The rest of the year: In November, April, May and June the migration is “in between” locations and as such these months are slightly transitional times to see the herds. November is the short rains, April and May are the long rains and as such the grass is green in these months across the Serengeti, so the wildebeest are more dispersed than in the prime time of July – October and December – March. Thus, you don’t get as many of those condensed big herds which people get excited about!
Although we try to be as comprehensive as possible, something that is quite difficult to express on paper is a lot easier to explain over the phone, so please do just give us a call for a simple overview of the Migration’s route.
Wildebeest facts: Why does the Great Migration occur and why do the Wildebeest Migrate?
The wildebeest migrate around the Serengeti and into the Masai Mara for the sole purpose of following the rainfall. For their calving from December – March they always begin their cycle in the Southern Serengeti area of Ndutu and follow wherever the grass is greener… Whilst we have a good idea of where the wildebeest should be at any given time of year, it really does depend on where the rain falls. The wildebeest are notoriously unreliable, as although they generally all head from south to north Serengeti and back around again, they often zig-zag along the way, making it sometimes impossible to predict where the big herds will be at any given time.
The type of Migration the Wildebeest make
The migration Safari is undertaken by the wildebeest is an annual event which sees one and a half million wildebeest accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebras and numerous other antelope species as they search for pastures greener. The animals follow a clockwise movement through the Serengeti following the rains for the lushes of grass. The five hundred kilometers is fraught with danger with many predators such as lions, cheetahs and crocodiles preying on the animals. It is a truly amazing spectacle.
Although we do our best to be as informative as possible, it really always is best to give us a call and chat to an expert who can give you the low-down on where the wildebeest are right now.
Serengeti Migration | When is the Great Migration in the Serengeti
The Wildebeest Migration is often thought to be the star of the show on a Tanzania holiday. Contrary to popular misconceptions, the herds can be seen in the Serengeti all year round. There are some better months to visit to get the full impact of the sheer size of the herds such as in July – October when they are crossing the mighty Mara River in Northern or in February when they all congregate for calving season in the southern Ndutu plains.
The Wildebeest Migration: A Guide To The Great Migration Africa
When does the Great Wildebeest Migration happen in Tanzania and when is the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara, Kenya?
Throughout the entire year, the wildebeest herds are always in Tanzania. For a short time of the year some of the herds are in Kenya. This time period is from July – October when the wildebeest are always crossing the Mara River in Tanzania between Kogatende and the Lamai wedge (the land between the Mara River and the border to Kenya). The herds are sometimes crossing the Mara River from one side of the Masai Mara to the other (all in Kenya). So the famous river crossings are most likely to be seen in Tanzania. Tanzania also has far fewer tourists on any one crossing, so we would always recommend basing yourself in northern Serengeti as opposed to the Masai Mara to catch the wildebeest crossing the Mara River.
Great Migration Map – Kenya Migration and Serengeti Migration
Please see our migration map of the Tanzania/Kenya border and where the Mara River cuts through each country. The popular misconception is that the river acts as a border of the two countries, but as you can see this is not the case! Instead of crossing the river from Tanzania into Kenya, the wildebeest only ever cross in between Kogatende and the Lamai Wedge (Tanzania to Tanzania), or in Kenya from the Masai Mara into the Masai Mara (Kenya to Kenya).
Great Migration Safari Holidays: where to stay for The Great Migration Tanzania
There are many places to stay in Serengeti which include tented Camps, Lodge Accommodation or basic Camping for all the accommodation in the park. If you would like to safari at the heart of the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, the best approach is to book one of the Serengeti’s famous mobile camps. The mobile camps are erected at set locations throughout the year, and often move either two or three times a year depending on where the herds usually are at that particular time.
Two mobile camps in particular set themselves apart from the others for their commitment to keeping up with the herds – Nomad Tanzania’s Serengeti Safari Camp and &Beyond’s Serengeti Under Canvas. These are the two mobile operations which we consider truly mobile and will be located near or amongst the herds at any time of the year as they move to more than two locations (which is the standard route of most the other mobile camps).
If going mobile is a little too adventurous for you, then the Serengeti has various permanent lodges that will offer all the creature comforts you need together with a good location to see the herds on your Tanzania safari. Here is an overview of the movement of the herds, and the best permanent lodges to stay at for each time of year.
Month By Month Migration
The annual Great Wildebeest Migration dates and seasons: a month by month explanation of the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration
December to March
The Southern Serengeti’s huge grass plains extend into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From December to March the Serengeti Migration congregates in large herds around Lake Ndutu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. When it reaches the area the herd splits up and spreads out leaving wildebeest herds as far as the eye can see. Ndutu Lodge and Kusinare the only permanent lodges in the area; Kusini is best towards the end of the period whereas Ndutu Lodge works throughout.
April to May
This is rainy season in Tanzania. The Wildebeest migration moves north into the plains of the southern Serengeti with front runners stretching out to the Western Corridor and centre of the park at Seronera. The tented camps is a great option at this time as are any of the central Serengeti hotels such as the Serena or Sopa. Early herds may well have pushed up to the Grumeti River Camp,Kirawira and Mbalageti Lodge area of the Western Corridor.
June and July
June is mating season for the herds, so can be very noisy if you catch many together. By June there are wildebeest herds spread from the Western corridor through the heart of the park. One group tends to head west into the Western Corridor and crosses the Grumeti River before leaving the park and entering the exclusive Singita Grumeti Reserves. This herd will then head up through the Ikorongo game reserve on the Serengeti’s Western corridor before the front runners arrive into the Kogatende area in July. The other herds head directly to the north of the Serengeti, passing straight up the middle through Seronera, Lobo and up to the Bologonja river area near the Eastern border with the Loliondo reserve at Klein’s. It is true to say that at this time herds can be anywhere from the Western corridor through to the Eastern side of the park. Splinter herds will break from the main herds, covering huge areas in their search for fresh grasses.
August through to October
From August through to October the herds are in the Northern Serengeti at Kogatende as well as in Kenya’s Masai Mara. River crossings often happen daily here. With only a fraction of the visitor numbers that flock to the Mara, Kogatende is an exceptional destination. Given that the herds are simply following local rainfall, some move north, some move south… and many moves in both directions in the same day. The sprawling mass moves in a circular fashion throughout these months – and as a result this is a fantastic time of year to see the herds.
People who do not aware of the specific movements of the Migration often make the mistake of assuming the herds head north from June, cross into Kenya and stay there until October, only returning in November when the pastures are all grazed. This would be a logical thought, but it is simply not the reality! You will see at the river crossings, they may cross over, then suddenly cross back the other way – it is not a structured single mass movement but a series of hectic snap decisions “to cross or not to cross”!
If one wildebeest takes the leap of faith, many may cross too, and similarly if one decides to turn back and cross over again, many will most likely follow suit; there may be 10 which decide to cross or 10,000. This means that there are excellent opportunities to see a crossing in Tanzania due to the amount of different crossings (and various crossing points along the Mara River), and due to the fact that they are always in the northern Serengeti from July – October (as opposed to them only sometimes being in the Masai Mara at this time!).
November
In late October and November the herds start their second Great Migration south towards the fertile lands of the Ndutu plains where the rains will have rejuvenated the grasses since the herds were last there earlier in the year. This can be a tricky time to catch the mega herd, as it covers vast distances every day. However, this is not set in stone as one of our team caught this mega crossing in November a few years back…
By the beginning of December, the herds are returning to Ndutu to calve, and the whole process is ready to start all over again.
We must reiterate….wildebeest is not the most predictable of animals! The Migration is also entirely dependent upon rain, with the herds constantly searching for fresh grasses. As a result, it is a challenge to predict with any confidence where the herds will be during any particular week, and therefore to decide where best to stay. Choosing a permanent camp or mobile camp for your Tanzania safari that is located in the ‘right’ area for the time of year will clearly increase your chances, but there are no guarantees.
