Chasing the Great Migration: month by month
By Across The Wild · 12 March 2026
Where the herds are - and why timing your safari matters more than you think.
The Great Migration is not a single event. It is a year-round choreography of 1.5 million wildebeest, 300,000 zebra and countless gazelle moving in a loose clockwise loop across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
January to March: the herds calve on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti. Half a million calves in six weeks - and the predators know it.
April and May bring the long rains. Herds begin to move north-west through the central and western corridors.
June and July: the drama sharpens as the front of the migration reaches the Grumeti River.
August to October is peak season on the Mara. Mara River crossings are extraordinary in person.
November and December: short rains draw the herds south again through eastern Serengeti and Loliondo.
Tell us when you can travel and we will point you at exactly the right camp for the exact right week.
