General Information

The annual wildebeest migration is a real wildlife spectacle on a huge scale.  Every year, vast numbers of wildebeest migrate in search of good, fresh grazing and water: from birth, it is a relentless quest for better food.  Large numbers of zebra and gazelle (especially Thomsons), and smaller numbers of antelope accompany the wildebeest.  A high proportion of these animals, whose nomadic lives are based in the Serengeti, engage in the annual migration, but not all.  Current estimates of the numbers involved in the migration are up to 1.5 million wildebeest, 500,000 gazelle and 250,000 zebra.

The somewhat circular journey of the wildebeest migration follows fairly predictable routes, tracking north through the Serengeti from April-time, arriving in the Masai Mara around August-time, and returning south to the Serengeti around November.  However, these timings are approximate as their specific timing is much less predictable, as it is determined by where and when the rainfall occurs (and consequently, where and when the new grass will appear).