East African Magic: Giraffe Manor, the Great Migration & Zanzibar

January to March
This is the perfect time to be based in the southern Serengeti. Having traversed the eastern edge of the Serengeti, the migration moves into the deep south of the Serengeti and into the Ngorongoro Conservation area and Olduvai Gorge for calving season. The short-grass plains provide plentiful nourishment to sustain the animals, with almost 8 000 calves born daily for up to three weeks. Of course, they are easy pickings for predators, making for dramatic big-cat action.

April and May
As the grasses in the south become depleted, the herds start a leisurely cycle northwest towards the central Serengeti. The end of May sees the beginning of ‘the rut’, and male wildebeest battle head-to-head during the mating season.

June and July
The start of the dry season in June sees wildebeest concentrated in the western Serengeti and starting to cross from the southern banks of the crocodile-infested Grumeti River. As July approaches, vast numbers of wildebeest and zebra continue north along the western edge of the Serengeti towards the Mara River, where tense and dangerous river crossings make for dramatic viewing. July is high season in the Northern Serengeti, and toward the end of the month the herds are also found in the Masai Mara.

August
By August, the herds are spread throughout the Masai Mara’s northern region although many remain in the northern Serengeti.

September and October
The migrating columns gradually move eastward.

November and December
Late October and early November is the season for the short rains in East Africa. After this, the wildebeest, zebra and smaller herds of antelope move down from Kenya and into the eastern limits of the Serengeti. As they make their inexorable way south, they once again have to ford the Mara River, facing crocodiles and predators.

December finds the herds throughout the eastern and southern reaches. As January starts they seek out the rich grasses of the deep south, and the cycle begins again.

The timing of the migratory movement is influenced by annual rainfall variations. Depending on the time of year you wish to visit – and what is happening on the ground at the time – Nziza Hospitality will advise you of the best safari camps for optimal Great Migration viewing for your personal bespoke itinerary.