Wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park : The wildebeest migration is the largest movement of wildlife in the world and it takes place in Serengeti national park annually.
Serengeti national park apart from being a destination known for the wildebeest migration is also a famous safari destination. This national park is found in the northern part of Tanzania and can be visited during the different months of the year.
More than 2 million wildebeests move around the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem as they search for greener pastures and water. The wildebeest migration follows a cycle and the herds move in a clockwise direction although the prediction of where the herds currently are is difficult since the wildebeests follow their own paths.
During this wildebeest migration, different obstacles are faced by the wildebeests including predator attacks where lions, leopards, cheetahs attack the wildebeests by hiding in the nearby grazing grounds of the wildebeests.
The wildebeests also face a challenge of the Mara river which is also an obstacle which the wildebeests have to cross from the northern part of Serengeti national park to the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. This river has crocodiles and they also attack the wildebeests as they cross the river.
Another river where the wildebeests cross during the wildebeest migration in Serengeti national park is the Grumeti river which is found in the western part of the national park.
Other wildlife species such as gazelles and zebras also move with the wildebeests during the migration around Serengeti national park in Tanzania. During the wildebeest migration in Tanzania, the herds of wildebeests can also be seen around the Ndutu area.
The movement of the wildebeests during the wildebeest migration around Serengeti national park is as follows during the year;
From January to March
The months of January to March are for the calving season during the wildebeest migration and it is a time for giving birth to the calves. The calving season is a time when over 8000 calves are born daily around the Ndutu area in the southern plains of Serengeti national park and the Ngorongoro conservation area.
These first months of the year are also a good time to see predators around Serengeti national park which attack the wildebeests. The young calves are targeted by these predators and during a safari around the Ndutu area around February and March; you can be able to enjoy seeing the lions hunting the wildebeests in the savannah plains.
April and May
To catch the wildebeest migration during a safari in Serengeti national park around April and May, you can visit the central parts of the national park where the wildebeests can be spotted grazing in the open savannah and around the kopjes.
April and May are part of the rainy season however and rains are received during safaris around Serengeti national park and the vegetation is greener which makes photography amazing and wildlife viewing is also good despite the rains.
June and July
These months during the wildebeest migration are for the river crossings along the Grumeti river in the western part of Serengeti national park. After this river crossing, the wildebeest herds continue their movement to the northern part of Serengeti national park.
August
In August, the wildebeests move to the Mara river where the major river crossing takes place. Safaris are common in the northern part of Serengeti national park during this month as tourists hope to catch the great spectacle as the herds of wildebeests cross the Mara river into the Masai Mara reserve in the south western part of Kenya.
After crossing into Masai Mara reserve in Kenya, the wildebeests will later return to the southern part of Serengeti national park and the wildebeest migration will start all over again.
Different camps move following the wildebeest migration so as to offer their guests a chance to stay in a place where they can see the wildebeests during a safari and also close to their place of stay as they engage in a safari around Serengeti national park.
Safaris are organized through the year in different parts of Serengeti national park for a number of days to give tourists a chance to see the wildebeest migration around the destination during tours in Tanzania. Serengeti national park is made up of the north, south, central and western parts of the park.
There is more to Serengeti national park to see during safaris including a variety of wildlife species like the big five which includes elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalos which are also sort after by many tourists during their safaris in Tanzania.
Serengeti national park is also home to many other wildlife species which can be seen during safaris and they include waterbucks, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, hartebeests, hippos, warthogs and many others. There are also various bird species in Serengeti national park.
Activities which can be done during safaris around Serengeti national park include game drives, walking safaris, hot air balloon safaris and also bird watching excursions.
You can get to Serengeti national park by flight or by driving from Arusha town. The drive from Arusha town in Tanzania to Serengeti national park takes about 7 hours. 4×4 safari vehicles are used during safaris around the national park.
When getting to Serengeti national park by flight, you can fly using any of the domestic airlines which offer flights around destinations in the northern part of Tanzania like Regional Air, Coastal Aviation, Flight link among others. The airstrips in Serengeti national park are found in different parts of the national park and they include Seronera airstrip, Kogatende airstrip, Grumeti airstrip, Lobo airstrip, Sasakwa airstrip among others.
To get to Serengeti national park to take part in a wildebeest migration safari in Tanzania, you can book flights to Kilimanjaro International airport and from there choose to spend the night in Arusha and drive to the national park the next day or proceed to Arusha airport for a domestic flight to the national park.
Visit Serengeti national park and enjoy a wildebeest migration as your on Tanzania Safaris .
