The great migration is an ongoing natural migration cycle which involves over 1.5 million wildebeest, 500k zebra and 250k gazelle. The migration passes through 3 main regions, Ngorongoro, the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. Many tourists come from all over the world only to witness it in action, and it is a fantastic opportunity to see the circle of life in action – as many predators take this opportunity to hunt for easy meals from the weaker of the herds.
Here is a small guide to an estimate of where the migration is each month, and what they are doing. This is not 100% correct, as the migration pattern changes slightly each year according to the weather, but gives a good idea if you are interested in seeing how the cycle works.

January
During January, the herds are located in the South of the Serengeti. The female wildebeest will be preparing to give birth in the next month, and will be making the most of the volcanic soils of the area which are rich in phosphorus – which is good for the pregnant animals.

February
In February, the herds are spread between the Southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro. The female wildebeest begin to give birth in the masses, and over the month around 400k calves are born into the world – they are expected to learn to run within 10 minutes to stand any chance of survival.

March
The mass birthing continues into March, and this is an excellent time to see predators such as big cats in hunting mode – taking every opportunity to have an easy meal of a young wildebeest that doesn’t join the herds in time.

April
The herds will begin to head to the Western Serengeti during April, as the pastures of South Serengeti will have been exhausted nearly completely.

May
Once the herds reach the Western Serengeti in this month, some will even spill over into the Lake Victoria region.

June
During June, the herds will start heading towards the Grumeti River. This is one of the river crossings of the great migration, that sees some of the animals falling prey to hungry crocodiles, and even drowning in the deeper areas of waters.

July
The animals continue to cross another river during July, but it is the Mara River that they are crossing this time. The same obstacles face them as did within the previous month, and many of the herd are lost at this point.

August
In August, the herds will begin moving into Kenya’s Masai Mara – which is rich in fresh grazing pastures. This is another opportunity to see big cats hunting the herd members as they advance into the Mara.

September
The herds are well and truly settled in the Masai Mara at this point, but that still doesn’t stop the predators from stocking up on easy meals from those weakening and tired animals.

October
By October, the grazing pastures of the Masai Mara will be starting to become exhausted, and the herds will be starting to slowly move South.

November
The herds will now be exiting the Mara, and making their way towards the Serengeti.

December
Reaching the Southern Serengeti, the herds relax and graze upon the fresh pastures there for the time being, in preparation for the whole process to begin again.

Author Bio: If you are interested in going on your own safari Tanzania and seeing the great migration in all its glory, then get in touch with East African experts Ziara Safaris – who specialise in tailor made tour packages around the greatest National Parks and Game Reserves in the world.

Category: Travel
Keywords: great migration,annual,wildebeest,zebra,gazelle,serengeti,masai mara,tanzania,kenya,africa,safari