Any time - go whenever you can, there's always a special place awaiting you.
Go also for your honeymoon, for that big birthday, or for your anniversary. Africa is waiting to enhance your celebration.
“The migration”
The Migration
- 1,500,000 wildebeest
- 500,000 gazelles
- 250,000 zebra
All prey for - 10,000 hyena
- 3,000 lion
July to Sep:
Northern Serengeti / Maasai Mara
Dec to May:
Southern Serengeti
Book with a seasonal camp which will be located for the best opportunity to view the migration.
The migration is not a single event which happens in a regular month. It is the daily movement of millions of wildebeest and zebra moving round the ecosystem in search of water and grass. During December they are moving slowly through the short grass plains of Tanzania. Here the nutrients in the grass prepare them for calving, and, mainly in February, in a rush of life, hundreds and thousands of newborn wildebeest find their feet in the plains around Ndutu.
By May they are rutting, the males displaying their strength to their collection of females. Soon, the rain clouds draw them north, and by July and August they are throwing themselves recklessly into the Mara river, braving crocodile assault and lion ambush to fill the Maasai Mara. By November the rains have gone, and the herds move south again to the Gol Mountains, the Salei Plains and the Serengeti grasses.
Read "Migration Madness", a Rekero Newsletter
Seasonal Camps
Sayari Seasonal Camp is an example of a semi-permanent camp which moves between two locations throughout the season. Staying in a camp such as this helps to ensure that you have the best chance possible to see the migration as it moves around the Serengeti eco-system. Staying at the Sayari Mara River camp provides an alternative to staying in the Maasai Mara during the months of June to September when the migration is in the north.
Map credit: Asilia Lodges and Camps and Sayari Seasonal camp
“Reverse migration”
Not all wildebeest migrate; there are always herds of wildebeest in the Ngorongoro, and zebra who choose not to follow their species.
In the Tarangire a "reverse" migration takes place, with herds counted in the tens of thousand. During the dry times from May to November the grazers seek the waters of the Tarangire river, and predators and prey can be seen throughout the park. In these times, the south of the Tarangire National Park is home to giant herds of buffalo, three thousand or more filling the Silale swamps. With the rains in December, the animals disperse eastward to the Maasai Steppes and it is time to seek the game further north, reluctantly leaving a land refreshed by rain and bursting with new leaf and flower.
Don't be deterred by the thought of rain. Even in the wet season showers are brief and dramatic, but the sun always shines through. Overnight storms can cause a seismic shift.
It is the arrival and the duration of the rains which has the most profound impact on the wildlife.
Following my philosophy of longer stays in fewer places you will have time to observe and understand the primal impact of rain on the behaviour of all creatures, from gazelles now able to graze on new grass to the lion prides now replete after hunting the new arrived herds.
Climate
When is the best time to go?
There is no best time! Tell me when you are able to travel, and I'll tell you what you can best experience. But be prepared for me to suggest an alternative time which will better match your budget to the opportunities of East Africa.
There is no best time! There are twelve months of opportunity, with the seasons influencing the movements of the game, the state of the roads and the availability of activities. There is always a perfect place at every time of the year.
So tell me when you are able to travel and we will plan a safari that discovers the very best opportunities for you.
I offer no set itineraries; only the safari of your dreams.
Overall, the climate of East Africa is fabulous - warm by day and cool enough at night to sleep under a blanket. Since the Equator cuts through East Africa, there are not the seasonal changes associated with temperate zones like you find in South Africa. East Africa's altitude means that the humidity normally expected in the tropics is experienced only at the coast.
There are usually two annual wet seasons, but, as in the rest of the world, these days the weather is upside down in East Africa. Generally speaking, the "long rains" fall in April and May, and the "short rains" fall in November.
Rain, far from inhibiting safari travel, actually enhances it: the rains hold down the dust, create fresh grasses for the migrating herds, and inspire magnificent bursts of wildflowers. For these reasons, November is my favorite month to go on safari. And a long-standing dream of mine is to travel in May when the Serengeti is a blanket of wildflowers and the wildebeest are in full rut mode.
However, where roads are bad and access is difficult, and maybe the game is dispersed, some bush homes and camps may be closed in the wettest periods.
Some places, such as the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater are high - 8,000 feet. Nights and early mornings are distinctly chilly. Take plenty of layers, and by mid-morning you will be warm as toast.
photo credits: Paul Oliver, David Marsh
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