Serengeti National Park Safari
Endless plains, big cats and the Great Migration — Tanzania's flagship park.
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Great Migration Safari
1.5 million wildebeest, one moving target. Here is where the herds are each month — and how we build a safari around them.
Great Migration
Following 1.5 million wildebeest around the Serengeti
The Great Migration is not an event but a continuous clockwise circuit. Around 1.5 million wildebeest, joined by a quarter of a million zebra and large numbers of gazelle, follow the rain between the southern Serengeti, the western corridor, the northern Mara river country and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, then back again — a journey of hundreds of kilometres each year, shadowed by lion, hyena, cheetah and crocodile.
Seeing it well is a matter of being in the right sector at the right time, which is why we build migration safaris around your travel month rather than a fixed route.
Month by month
Where the herds usually are
- December–March — southern plains and Ndutu: calving season, dense predator action
- April–May — central Serengeti and western corridor: long rains, lush, quiet, cheapest
- June — western corridor and Grumeti river crossings begin
- July–August — northern Serengeti, Mara river crossings build to their peak
- September–October — Kogatende and the Lamai wedge; crossings continue, herds begin drifting south
- November — short rains pull the herds back through the central and eastern Serengeti
How to plan it
Three rules for a migration safari
First, stay in the right sector — a lodge two hours from the action wastes half of every day. Second, allow at least three nights where the herds are; wildlife does not run to schedule. Third, consider a mobile tented camp that relocates with the migration, which keeps you close without the cost of fly-in luxury.
- Mid-range mobile camps, all inclusive, that move with the herds
- Fly-in from Arusha to Kogatende saves two long driving days
- Balloon safaris operate over the southern plains and Seronera year-round
Photographs
What it looks like
Questions
Questions about this trip
When exactly does the Great Migration cross the Mara river?
Usually between mid-July and early October, with peak crossing activity in August and September. Rain drives the herds, so no operator can promise a crossing on a given date — staying three or more nights in the Kogatende area dramatically improves your odds.
Where is the migration in January and February?
On the southern short-grass plains around Ndutu and Kusini, where roughly half a million calves are born within a few weeks. Predator action is at its most intense — this is arguably the best time for photography.
Do I need to go to Kenya to see the migration?
No. The herds spend roughly eight months of the year inside Tanzania. The Mara river crossings happen on both sides of the border, and the Tanzanian bank at Kogatende is less crowded than the Kenyan side.
Is April or May a bad time for the migration?
It is the long-rains season and the herds are strung out through the western corridor, harder to find. Prices drop sharply, the landscape is lush, and the parks are empty — a good trade-off for flexible travellers who are not fixated on river crossings.
Enquiry
Request a free, no-obligation quote
We do not publish fixed prices, because no two trips are the same. Tell us your dates and what you would like to see, and a local guide — not a call centre — will send you a tailored itinerary and a personal quote.
- Reply within 24 hours from our Arusha office
- Itineraries built around your dates, pace and budget
- Free quote, no deposit and no obligation
Email info@rutalegacysafaris.com
WhatsApp / Call +255 670 912 578 (0670 912 578 in Tanzania)
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