A safari vehicle parked among a large herd of grazing animals on open golden grassland under a cloudy sky

Right now · November

The Great Migration in Tanzania

It never stops. It only moves.

Around 1.5 million wildebeest, and the rain they follow. Here is where they are now, and where they will be next.

Begin the conversation Follow the herd

The loop

Follow the herd round the year

Pick a month and watch where the herd is. The loop is schematic, and the timing moves with the rain.

The herds in

January

Where

Southern plains, around Ndutu

What is happening

Calving begins. The herds gather on the short green grass of the south, and the first calves arrive.

Good to know

Warm and green, with showers passing through.

The herds in

February

Where

Southern plains, around Ndutu

What is happening

Peak calving. Hundreds of thousands of calves are born within a few weeks, and the predators gather to match.

Good to know

A popular month, so the best camps fill early.

The herds in

March

Where

Southern plains, drifting to the central Serengeti

What is happening

Calving tails off. As the grass dries, some herds start to drift north while others linger on the plains.

Good to know

The rains begin to build.

The herds in

April

Where

Central Serengeti, around Seronera

What is happening

The long rains begin and the herds start moving north in long columns.

Good to know

Quiet roads and green country, with a few camps closed for the season.

The herds in

May

Where

Central and western Serengeti

What is happening

The rut begins, with males holding territories and calling. The herds keep heading towards the Western Corridor.

Good to know

The wettest weeks of the long rains.

The herds in

June

Where

Western Corridor

What is happening

The rut continues, and the first herds reach the Grumeti River, where crossings begin.

Good to know

The rains ease and the dry season starts.

The herds in

July

Where

Western Corridor and the far north

What is happening

Grumeti crossings continue while the front-runners arrive in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara River.

Good to know

Peak season begins.

The herds in

August

Where

Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River

What is happening

Mara River crossings are at their most frequent. Herds gather at the bank, hesitate, and sometimes cross in thousands.

Good to know

Peak crossings, and the busiest and driest weeks.

The herds in

September

Where

Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River

What is happening

Crossings continue and the grazing is thick on both sides of the river.

Good to know

Peak season continues.

The herds in

October

Where

Northern Serengeti, then turning south

What is happening

Late crossings, including herds crossing back, before the move south begins as the short rains approach.

Good to know

Crowds thin towards the end of the month.

The herds in

November

Where

Eastern and central Serengeti

What is happening

The herds head south through the eastern plains, following the first short rains.

Good to know

Quieter, with some camps open for the festive season.

The herds in

December

Where

Southern plains, around Ndutu

What is happening

The herds settle near the calving grounds, a few weeks before the calves arrive.

Good to know

A quieter safari, though the coast is busy at Christmas.

This opens on the current month. See the Serengeti or plan a safari for this month.

How it works

A loop with no one in charge

No wildebeest has seen the whole route and no leader calls the move. The route survives in the herd itself, and it follows the rain and the grass round a clockwise circuit that takes in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. It does not keep to a calendar. It keeps to the weather.

A loop

The herds travel clockwise through the Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara, and spend much of the year on the Tanzanian side.

Rain, not dates

The herds go where the rain has made fresh grass, so the timing shifts by a few weeks from one year to the next.

Company on the move

Zebra and gazelle travel with the wildebeest, in the hundreds of thousands, and the mixed herds are part of the picture.

Predators follow

Lion, hyena and cheetah work the edges of the herds, and crocodiles wait at the rivers.

Crossings are never guaranteed

Herds can gather at a river for days, cross all at once, or turn back. Nobody can promise a crossing.

More than crossings

Calving, in the early months of the year, brings hundreds of thousands of births in a few weeks, and it is just as dramatic.

What happens when

The year at a glance

Five things people come for, and the months they usually fall in. Dates are ranges that move with the rain.

Event	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
CalvingSouthern plains	Active	Peak	Active	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
The rutCentral and western	No	No	No	No	Active	Active	No	No	No	No	No	No
Grumeti crossingsWestern Corridor	No	No	No	No	Early or late	Peak	Active	No	No	No	No	No
Mara River crossingsNorthern Serengeti	No	No	No	No	No	No	Early or late	Peak	Peak	Active	No	No
Fewest vehiclesAcross the park	No	No	No	Active	Active	Active	No	No	No	No	Active	Active

PeakActiveEarly or late

Five movements

The year, in five movements

This is how the migration usually reads on the ground. Treat every window as a range that can slide by a few weeks.

Jan–Mar

Ndutu and the southern plains

The calving

The herds gather on the short-grass plains of the south, and the calves arrive in a rush, mostly within a few weeks around February. Predators gather too, because the open grass gives young animals nowhere to hide. The plains hold more life, and more danger, in view at once than anywhere else on the circuit.

Mind the predators

Calving peaks around February. It is tender and hard to watch in equal measure, so tell us if you are travelling with children.

Apr–Jun

Central Serengeti towards the Western Corridor

The long rains, moving north

As the south dries, the herds string out and head north-west through the central Serengeti. In May and June the rut begins: males hold small territories and call day and night. Fewer visitors come now, and the green country is at its best.

Harder to predict

The herds are spread out and moving, so a good guide matters more than a good camp. Some camps close for the long rains.

Jun–Jul

Western Corridor

The Grumeti crossings

The first big river lies in the west. The first herds can reach it from late May. The Grumeti is narrower and less crowded than the Mara, with large crocodiles in its pools, and its crossings are smaller but no less tense. It is a good rehearsal for what comes next, in a quieter setting.

Smaller, quieter

Not every herd crosses here, and some take other routes. Private reserves on the edge of the park, where night drives and walks are allowed, add variety between crossings.

Jul–Oct

Northern Serengeti

The Mara River crossings

The front-runners reach the north in early July, and crossings build from late July into August. Peak weeks are August and September, when herds gather on the bank, hesitate, and sometimes commit by the thousand. Some herds cross back in October.

No promise

A crossing can take minutes, or never happen on a given day. We plan several days in the north and fill the gaps with everything else the area offers.

Oct–Dec

Eastern and central Serengeti

The return south

The circuit closes. As the short rains arrive, the herds turn south through the eastern plains and settle near the calving grounds by December, a few weeks before the calves arrive. It is a quiet window, with few vehicles and soft light.

A calmer window

Fewer visitors and fewer camps open, but the herds are easy to reach. The coast is busy over Christmas, so book that end early.

Wildebeest cross a river, with more herds on the bank

At the river

How a crossing day usually goes

Patience is the whole skill. A full day at the river is a choice, not our standard pace, so tell your guide if you want one.

Early

Leave camp while the air is cool, so you are at the river before the herds start to move.

Mid-morning

The herds gather on the bank. They hesitate, retreat, and gather again. Your guide reads the signs and picks the spot.

Midday

Lunch, usually in the vehicle or nearby, while the herds make up their minds.

Afternoon

Often the moment, though never a certain one. A crossing can last minutes, and the quiet before it can last hours.

Evening

Back to camp, with the day’s stories, whether or not the herds crossed.

Month by month

The Great Migration, month by month

Where the herds usually are, what is happening, and what it means for a visit. Approximate, because the rain decides.

Month	Where the herds are	What is happening	Good to know
January	Southern plains, around Ndutu	Calving begins. The herds gather on the short green grass of the south, and the first calves arrive.	Warm and green, with showers passing through.
February	Southern plains, around Ndutu	Peak calving. Hundreds of thousands of calves are born within a few weeks, and the predators gather to match.	A popular month, so the best camps fill early.
March	Southern plains, drifting to the central Serengeti	Calving tails off. As the grass dries, some herds start to drift north while others linger on the plains.	The rains begin to build.
April	Central Serengeti, around Seronera	The long rains begin and the herds start moving north in long columns.	Quiet roads and green country, with a few camps closed for the season.
May	Central and western Serengeti	The rut begins, with males holding territories and calling. The herds keep heading towards the Western Corridor.	The wettest weeks of the long rains.
June	Western Corridor	The rut continues, and the first herds reach the Grumeti River, where crossings begin.	The rains ease and the dry season starts.
July	Western Corridor and the far north	Grumeti crossings continue while the front-runners arrive in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara River.	Peak season begins.
August	Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River	Mara River crossings are at their most frequent. Herds gather at the bank, hesitate, and sometimes cross in thousands.	Peak crossings, and the busiest and driest weeks.
September	Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River	Crossings continue and the grazing is thick on both sides of the river.	Peak season continues.
October	Northern Serengeti, then turning south	Late crossings, including herds crossing back, before the move south begins as the short rains approach.	Crowds thin towards the end of the month.
November	Eastern and central Serengeti	The herds head south through the eastern plains, following the first short rains.	Quieter, with some camps open for the festive season.
December	Southern plains, around Ndutu	The herds settle near the calving grounds, a few weeks before the calves arrive.	A quieter safari, though the coast is busy at Christmas.

Choose your window

If you want one thing, here is when

The migration has no single best month. It has a best month for each kind of wish.

Jul–Oct

To see river crossings

July to October, in the northern Serengeti. August and September are the peak. Most guests fly in, and the best camps fill nine to twelve months ahead.

Jan–Mar

To see calves being born

January to March, on the southern plains around Ndutu. February is the peak. It is reached from the Ngorongoro highlands, and it is popular, so plan early.

Apr–Jun · Nov–Dec

To have more of it to yourself

April to June, or November to December. The herds are on the move, fewer vehicles are about, and the country is green. Some camps close in the long rains.

Two zones

To see a bit of everything

Two zones in one trip, such as the southern plains and the central Serengeti in the first months of the year, or the west and the north in mid-year. Three nights in each is a good rhythm.

Planning it

You do not book the migration. You book where to stand.

The herds decide where they are, so we choose the camp and the zone to match the month you can travel. Most trips work best in one or two zones, with three or four nights in each, rather than a long tour of everything.

Some zones are quickest by air, and others by road from the Ngorongoro highlands, so the route is built around the herds first and the transfers second.

The Serengeti, zone by zone →

The Northern Circuit →

A route built for the plains →

A balloon flight over the Serengeti →

When the migration is where →

What if the herds are not where you are →

Who is watching

Choose how you will watch it

The same herds look different depending on who is beside you.

Honeymoon

A dawn balloon over the plains, then a table for two.

Couple

Two people, one wide plain, and a very large audience.

Family

Calving season brings young animals to the plains, with short drives and a long rest at midday.

Solo

Your guide, your vehicle, and as long at the river as you like.

Friends and small private groups

One sighting, two vehicles, and plenty to argue about at dinner.

Great Migration questions, answered

When is the best time to see the Great Migration?

It depends on what you want to see. River crossings are mostly from July to October in the northern Serengeti, with August and September the peak. Calving is from January to March on the southern plains, peaking around February. April to June and November to December are quieter, with fewer vehicles.

Where is the migration right now?

The panel at the top of this page opens on the current month. In general the herds follow a clockwise loop: south in the early months, north-west through the central and western Serengeti in the middle months, the north from July, and back south from October. Allow a few weeks either way, because the rain sets the pace.

Does the migration keep to fixed dates?

No. The herds move with the rain and the fresh grass, so the timing can shift by weeks from one year to the next. A good plan allows for that and chooses the camp and zone to match.

When do the Mara River crossings happen?

They usually begin in late July and run through August and September, with some late crossings in October as herds cross back. They are never guaranteed, so we plan several days in the north.

Are river crossings guaranteed?

No. Herds can gather at the bank for days, cross suddenly, or turn back. We plan for several days at the river and for everything else the area offers.

Is the Great Migration in Tanzania or Kenya?

Both. The herds live in the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystem, and they spend much of the year on the Tanzanian side. Some herds cross into Kenya in the later part of the dry season, and then return.

When is calving season?

From January to March, with a peak around February, on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti near Ndutu. Hundreds of thousands of calves are born within a few weeks.

How many animals take part?

Around 1.5 million wildebeest, with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle moving alongside them. Counts vary between sources and between years.

How long should we stay to see the migration?

Three or four nights in each zone, and no more than two zones on one trip. Three nights in a camp is about when a place starts to make sense, and it gives the herds time to turn up.

Is it crowded in the peak months?

July to October is the busiest time, and river crossing points can draw several vehicles. We plan the day around the herd and the light, and we choose camps that keep the vehicle count down, but we cannot promise an empty river.

Beyond the herds

If the migration is not what you are after

Tanzania holds three other circuits that never see these crowds: Ruaha and Nyerere in the south, Mahale and Katavi in the west, and Zanzibar and Pemba on the coast. If stillness matters more to you than scale, they are worth a separate conversation.

See the other circuits →

Tell us the month you can travel, and we will find the herds.

A rough month is enough. We will tell you where the herds should be, and which camps to stand beside.

Begin the conversation

+255 753 744 283 · hello@easguides.travel