Migration Safari Advice
How to time a migration safari, and what no itinerary can promise.
Migration travel advice
For health questions, a travel clinic has the final word. For visas, check the embassy of each country on the route.
1.Month by month
January to March: calving on the southern Serengeti plains. April to June: the herds move north and west, with the Grumeti crossings around June. July to October: the Mara River crossings in the northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara. November and December: the drift south with the short rains. The herds do not keep to this calendar exactly.
Travel by month2.River crossings are luck
A crossing happens when the herds decide, not when the vehicle arrives. Staying three or more nights near the river in July to October gives you the best odds. No itinerary on this site promises one.
3.Mobile camp or lodge
Mobile camps move with the herds two or three times a year, which keeps you close in most months. Fixed lodges have more comfort and a known location. Many routes use one of each.
4.Kenya, Tanzania or both
From July to October the Masai Mara and the northern Serengeti are both excellent; a border crossing at Isebania or a flight via Nairobi joins them. Outside those months, Tanzania holds the herds. The quote confirms any border formalities and light-aircraft fares.
5.Book early for peak months
River-crossing season fills a year ahead at the best-placed camps. If your dates are fixed, start the quote early.
Quick facts
Migration safaris follow the wildebeest between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. Where the herds are depends on the month you travel. A date on the page is not a promise of a river crossing.
The month chooses the park
Use the travel-by-month notes beside the itinerary. Southern Serengeti, the western corridor, the north, and the Mara are not the same month.
Camps sit on different stretches
The stay name tells you which part of the route you are on. Mobile camps move. Fixed lodges do not. The quote holds the room.
Drives, not a guaranteed crossing
Full safari days include a morning drive and an afternoon drive. A crossing, if the herds are at a river, is luck and timing.
Kenya and Tanzania on one trip
Some outlines cross the border. The quote confirms the border formalities and any light-aircraft fare.
What every trip on this site includes
- Published rates are per person sharing, in US dollars, shown in the currency you choose while browsing.
- Nights, meals and the activities named on each stay are inside the rate. International flights, visas, insurance, tips and unlisted drinks are not.
- No single-room supplement is charged, and children pay the same per-person rate as adults.
- Wildlife sightings are never promised. Guides, parks and seasons are chosen to give the best chance; the animals decide the rest.
- Gorilla itineraries include one permit per person per trek unless the page says two.
- A written quote comes first. Nothing is booked and nothing is paid until you accept it.
From the journal
Wildlife
20 Best Places to Stay to See the Wildebeest Migration
20 Best Places to Stay to See the Wildebeest Migration is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Wildlife
How the Wildebeest Migration Works
How the Wildebeest Migration Works is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Planning
What to Pack for a Great Migration Safari
What to Pack for a Great Migration Safari is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Wildlife
What You Didnt Know About the Wildebeest Migration
What You Didnt Know About the Wildebeest Migration is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.