The Masai Mara Wildebeest Migration

The Masai Mara Wildebeest Migration Safari

The Masai Mara Wildebeest Migration, the wildebeest Great Migration, is one of the most spectacular, thrilling displays of the greatest behavior of wildlife in the world. It’s considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The Maasai Mara Wildebeest Migration event is remarkable annually in the history of tourism, where guests come closer to observe the different natural character of wildlife at its top.

The Maasai Mara Wildebeest Migration takes place between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya between July and October when the Masai Mara savannah vegetation is green, attracting millions of Wildebeest, thousands of zebras, gazelles, and other animals crossing the Mara River under the survival of the fittest.

This is the same time when the Wildebeest come to mate, the bull Wildebeest attracts the Wildebeest cows through calling ritually; the dominant bull always gives a distinct calling sound through the noise, like that of a resonant frog. They will cover all the plains as they are distributed throughout the open, endless plains.

These animals start their journey back in mid-October after the vegetation has been fully eaten up, and the wildebeest then move south as they cross back to Serengeti National Park to seek more fresh green grass. This great wildebeest migration is a circular movement and a process that repeats itself every year, rotating between the three national parks of the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro.

The Wildebeest cross down to Ngorongoro to prepare for the calving season, where they go and produce. The wildebeest cows start giving birth around January to February, with over 1000 newborns per day. This is done in short grasses at the southern part of Ngorongoro Crater and sometimes spreads even to the Northern part of the crater around Olduvai Gorge.

The calving process attracts a lot of predators in the area, especially Hyenas, lions, leopards, wild dogs, and others, but due to the high number born every day, this gives them an added advantage for many to survive, as few are eaten up.