One of the greatest spectacles that you can witness while on your Tanzania Safari is the legendary annual Great Migration. This migration of the giant grazing herds of the Serengeti across northern Tanzania and Kenya can easily be described as impressive, but it is only when you have seen it first-hand that you can truly appreciate and understand how incredible it is.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration is a continual movement of the herds, there is not one time of year when the herds can be seen moving across the whole of the park. It is also important to remember that even though the Great Migration is comprised of over 2 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 350,000 impalas, Thompson’s gazelles and Grant’s gazelles, the Serengeti National Park is so vast that if you go to the wrong part of the park, you won’t be able to see the migration of the herds.

This spectacle of so many animals moving as one is something that can only be seen in the Serengeti and is an experience that should be on every bucket list.

Where you can stay in Serengeti to witness the great migration

December to March – There are only two permanent lodges that you can stay in where you can see the Great Migration between December and March. These are the Ndutu Lodge and Kusini. However, there is also the Dunia Camp which is positioned well if you are visiting at the start of December or the end of March as the herds pass by the camp.

April to May – The Dunia Camp is not only one of the best camps to visit in the area, but it is the perfect place to stay if you want to see the Great Migration during April and May. You can also stay at the central Serengeti hotels such as the Serena and the Sopa if you would rather stay in a hotel than in a camp. If you want to stay in the Western Corridor, you can stay at the Grumeti River Camp, the Mbalageti Lodge or the Kirawira.

May to July – Because of how spread out the herds become, there are a few places where you can stay and still catch a glimpse of the Great Migration on a Tanzania Safari. These places include the Grumeti River Camp, Faru Faru, the Mbalageti Lodge, Kirawira, Sabora and Sasakwa in the Western Corridor.

Location and Size of Serengeti

It is unbelievable and spectacular having to Witness the Great Migration through wilderness from Serengeti of Northern Tanzania to Kenya. Observe the congregation of more than two and half million beasts in the Serengeti National Park before they travel through the Massai Mara region. The surrounding countries of the park are Kenya, which are the nearest, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The sprawling plains of the Serengeti south, reaches towards the Ngorongoro Conservation region in Tanzania. The vast number of animals migrate to Lake Ndutu and gathers in groups spreading throughout the area. For those who have longed to join a Tanzania Safari, this is the greatest area.

From there on, you can Witness the Great Migration moving towards the north side of the Southern Serengeti. Passing over 11,500 km miles, and when the wild animals enter the area, one side of their respective herds edges the Western Corridor. Then a part of the beasts arrive at the SingitaGrumeti Reserves crossing the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor and into the Kogatende region. Others run through Serengeti and Seronera and Lobo grazing along the Bologonja River, which is the Eastern border of Loliondo conservation.

By this time, small herds of animals in large-scale graze all over the expanse creating wondrous sights for the Tanzania Safari makers. Serengeti National Park sprawls over an area of 14,763 km and Ngorongoro Conservation Park spreads over 8,288km. The Masai Mara region cover an area of land 1,510km2 in size.

Tanzania Safari participants who come to the Serengeti National Park can easily reach there by air. They can take flights from Kilimanjaro International Airport and reach Arusha from where the safari journeys to the park begin. Arusha is about 46 km from the airport. They can also reach Julius Nyerere International Airport, which is near Dar es Salaam and book a charter flight to Arusha Airport.

Alternately, they can fly to Nairobi and come to Arusha by a shuttle craft. The distance between Arusha to the Serengeti is about 325 km, and the road journey will take eight hours. The roads are sometimes impassable, and they lead through the wilderness where beautiful sights abound. A car drive takes more than a day to reach Serengeti. There are other wildlife parks on the way that visitors can enjoy as well before they reach Serengeti.

There are also a wide range of other activities that the lodges and hotels on the Great Migration trail offer so that not only can you see the sprawling herds of plain grazers passing by, but you can also see the other game that call the Serengeti home.

This includes between 3,000 and 4,000 lions in the park, as well as a high numbers of cheetahs, leopards and hyenas in the predator ranks. Along the river you will be able to see hippopotami and crocodiles as well as some species of water fowl.  There are also other plains creatures such as elephants, eland, hartebeest, serval, topi, bat-eared foxes, genet, hares, hyrax, caracal, aardvarks, jackals, porcupines, mongoose, monitor lizards, giraffes, aardwolves, as well as primates that include baboons, vervet and colobus monkeys and over 500 different species of birds.

The long, exhausting migration of wild animals brings them tremendous barriers that cause them to perish by the thousands. They give birth on the long journey, to more than eight thousand calves each year. Along the staggeringly long distance, they face armies of tigers and suffer from excruciating hunger. They also embark on one of the most dangerous river crossing in the jungle that animals in other parts of the world will never have to face. Attracted by the image of infinite lush green seen over the other side of the river, the animals cross the river sacrificing their lives to the vast columns of alligators and hippos that lay waiting.

It is probably the most spectacular animal show in the world to see them gather, overcoming the great dangers in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Most people who seek a Tanzania Holiday come to Serengeti National Park primarily to see the sights of the giant migration. Other than the great migration, visitors can witness one of the largest grasslands in the world where millions of hoofed animals feed. It includes gazelles, zebras, topis, buffalo, impala, and eland, to name a few. The vast plain is the playground for large predators such as the lions and tigers.

The savannah covers every bit of the Western Corridor of the region. The Grumeti River provides a great challenge for the migration where huge alligators and hippos awaits the easy prey. A large number of colobus monkeys and martial eagles inhabit surrounding areas. The Northern Serengeti mostly consists of woodlands and hills between Seronara and the Mara River at the border of Kenya. Besides, migratory animals, the northern park houses wild elephant, dikdik and giraffe.

There are no human residences in the park but the staff of the park. Research personnel reside in lodges, hotels, and campsites. Seronera is the main residential part of the park where researchers visit and where the headquarters of the park is located. Due to a possible threat to the wildlife from severe seasonal droughts, the Tanzanian government has decided to expand the park to the border of Lake Victoria.

Best time to visit Tanzania for the great migration

The rainy season in Tanzania begins from March and prevails until May. During this period, rain in the afternoon is common. Average temperature reaches 300F throughout the day. The dry season begins from June and prevails till October. Bright sunlight provides suitable weather conditions for people who seek to join a Tanzania Budget Safari. Rain begins again in November and prevails till end of December. January and February see sunny climate and the rain starts again in early March.

Many holidaymakers, researchers, and wildlife lovers visit the Serengeti National Park during the rainy seasons to witness the great migration. They can hear the thunderous hoofs of millions of wild animals and view fast running gazelles, elands, impalas and zebras. However, the great migration can happen at any time of the year. Therefore, visitors have to look for the best places rather than the best time if they need to witness the great migration.

What you need to know about the great Migration

Along the trek of the great migration, visitors on a Tanzania Safari can find accommodation at various lodges, hotels, and campsites. Holidaymakers can also hire mobile camps that they can shift from one place to the next following the migration. Seronera is the best place to view the migration, but it is also the most difficult area. In this region, many resident animals can be seen. April, May and November to June, the migration passes this region.

The Western Corridor of the Serengeti National Park has two rivers: Mbalageti and Grumeti. They flow along each other. The area is considered as the permanent playground for the wild beast who feed on less stronger animals than the others. In May and July, visitors here can see migratory beasts gather till others rally round before crossing the river Grumeti into its reserve. The Northern Serengeti is mostly a land of small hills and rivers. But the area shows many wild animals. The great animal migration happens in between August and October through this region. The Mara River flows through Northern Serengeti.

The guides and naturalists are provided and hotels in the surroundings by safari operators on request. Visitors rarely face accommodation difficulties in the region and meals are easily available. Other activities that they can enjoy in the park include walking safaris, swimming, bird watching, snorkelling, hiking and trekking. There are many water sports as well. The Serengeti National Park and the region surrounding it and the sprawling land to the Kenyan border are the only locations that people can witness the great migration of animals in the world.