Planning a Great Wildebeest Migration Safari 2026 – 2027
There is a lot to consider when planning a great wildebeest migration safari in 2026 – 2027. Migration safaris in East Africa take place both in Kenya’s Maasai Mara across the mara river and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park
Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve is a more wallet-friendly location to see the wildebeest migration. Despite having a shorter migration season, Kenya has more flights, more tourists, stiffer competition, and a greater variety of affordable accommodations than Tanzania.
Tanzania’s size means that traveling beyond the Northern Circuit normally requires internal flights, so getting to the parks in the south and west is more expensive but generally much more exclusive.
Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is far bigger than the Maasai Mara, with more exclusive lodges and camps in less crowded areas. That being said, the central regions of the Serengeti can still get very busy, so selecting your camps carefully is key.
Generally, Kenya is the better option for family safaris, those on a budget and those with less time to spend. If you want to splurge, get away from the crowds and visit multiple locations, Tanzania could be your best bet.
Where do the wildebeest migrate from and to?
The rhythmic migration has no real beginning or end, it’s more a perpetual cycle that repeats, with variations, year after year. Perhaps it’s better to think of the journey beginning with each calf’s birth in the Ndutu plains beyond the southern Serengeti.
From there the herd moves north through the Serengeti before reaching the Mara River and eventually crossing into Kenya’s Maasai Mara, before heading back to the southern plains.
Why do the wildebeest migrate?
Wildebeest migrate around the Serengeti-Mara region following the fresh grasses that sprout after the rains. We don’t know for sure exactly how they know where it’s raining – theories include the smell of the rains, a change in air pressure, and evolutionary instinct.
It’s not just the wildebeest that migrate. Among the herd are thousands of zebras, gazelles and impalas. These mega herds bring advantages beyond merely safety in numbers. Zebras feed on the long, coarser grass, preparing it for the wider muzzles of the wildebeest, who prefer shorter grass. Predators like lions and leopards do not migrate with the herds – their interactions occur when their paths cross.
When the herds start moving, a wavy front has been observed, suggesting a level of coordination among the wildebeest. How they communicate this is unknown.
The major predators that prey on wildebeest include lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and crocodiles. However, a fully-grown wildebeest is no easy meal and adults can seriously injure most predators, including lions, using their great strength and horns to impale or toss attackers.
With a top speed of 80km per hour, a wildebeest is also not the easiest animal to catch. When faced with a predator, they will mass together, with younger animals screened by adults. They also employ lookouts as they move, who will call out to alert the herd if they spot a predator. Once alerted, the herd runs in the same direction to deter the attack.
River crossings are one of the most dramatic moments in the migration. While it might seem that the wildebeest choose an arbitrary moment to jump into the water, causing a frenzy of activity, research shows it might be more planned than first thought. A herd of wildebeest appears to have ‘swarm intelligence’ as they systematically explore and overcome obstacles together.
Is the wildebeest migration in danger?
When it comes to conservation, the wildebeest migration is a complex interplay between humans and wildlife. The survival of the entire ecosystem hangs delicately in the balance.
Local communities, development, and tourism
Historically, the Maasai were semi-nomadic herders who could coexist with wildlife. But tourism has encouraged greater settling around parks such as the Serengeti National Park.
The creation of private wildlife conservancies around national parks have been a modest success, allowing local people to earn a stable income from their land, while creating well-managed grazing areas. But booming tourism and population growth have contributed to further expansion, putting pressure on park borders and leading to human-wildlife conflicts.
A changing climate
Another big threat to the area has been the more intense variations in seasonal flooding and drought, which might be the result of climate change. As the Indian Ocean warms and prevailing winds transport moisture over East Africa, more intense periods of rain and drought result, raising the prospect of a new threat to the Serengeti’s keystone species and its migration.
