Tanzania Mid-range Lodge Safari

Good To Know

Comfort & private – Transportation will be in comfortable private 4 x 4 safari jeep with photographic roof thatch driven by a well experienced local safari driver guide who will take you to the areas which will leave you breathless with wonder & excitement. Accommodation is a combination of a nice budget lodge safari & a mid-range tented camp in Serengeti.

Destination: Northern Tanzania

Location: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara.

Dates: Year -Around

Physicality: Easy

FAQs

The wildebeest migration is often punted as the “greatest show on earth”. Also known as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. It doesn’t have a simple start or end, just a dynamic cycle of wild movement throughout the year. It’s never the same each year either. Not very predictable but easy enough to witness if you plan around some key points. People usually refer to this as the Serengeti migration, but you can also see it on the Masai Mara in Kenya.

December: The migration leaves the Mara. It moves quickly down the Loliondo boundary. Rains have started. Fresh grass covers the plains.

January: Settled in the short grasslands on the southern plains. The Game moves into the Ngorongoro Crater. Zebra are foaling.

February: Over 2 million wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, eland and predators are in the Serengeti plains. Wildebeest are dropping foals.

March: The heavy rains are approaching and the short grass plains are starting to take the strain.

April: The migration starts moving slowly through woodlands towards the western corridor as the long or heavy rains set in.

May: The migration follows the Mbalageti river towards the Grumeti. Long grass plains and woodlands provide food.

June: Rains are ending as the dry season approaches. The Grumeti crocodiles enjoy their annual feast.

July: The migration moves north east through the Grumeti towards the Ikorongo . Some move towards the Lobo area.

August: Most of the migration is in the Ikorongo area where the Mara is crossed.

September: The migration moves into the Mara in search of water and fresh grazing.

October: The Serengeti is near the end of the dry season, water is available in the Masai Mara.

November: The migration starts moving south as the new season of rain started.

The migration itself involves around 1.5 million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra, always on the move. Generally in a great clockwise sweep around the larger Serengeti ecosystem. Resident game (predators and other mammals) are generally fixed to territorial areas. Predators don’t follow the great herds much beyond their home ranges.

If you’re interested in seeing specific resident game species (eg, elephant, wild dog, leopard, etc) then destinations other than the Mara or Serengeti could be better.

When the migration is “on” during high season, you’ll find that the best space gets sold out quickly, so book early to get the best availability and reasonable prices.

How the migration really works!

The theory is simple. Seasonal rains and the availability of grazing determines the “clockwise” movement of the migration. The larger eco-system includes Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara. A few physical barriers like the Simiti and Lobo hills, the Grumeti and Mara rivers hinder and alter this “circular” path. Well in reality it’s not quite that simple!

Here’re some notes gleaned from Richard Knocker. One of the original Nomad Guides in East Africa.

Between the short and long rains – November to April

The wildebeest want to be in the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti. That’s near Ndutu, Gol and Southern Loliondo, but the water and grazing cannot support them all year round. This is where they choose to give birth to their young with rich grass to support them. That’s usually February and March. Within a short space of time, perhaps 4 to 6 weeks, several hundred thousand calves are born. This is where and when we see much of the dramatic predator action.

The wildebeest migration moves off in search of sustenance in response to periods of dry weather. They leave this sweet area as late as possible and come back as soon as they can. But the rains are unpredictable. So every year is different and, in fact, every week can be different.

The migration is also not a continually forward motion. They go forward, back and to the sides, they mill around, they split up, they join forces, they walk in a line, they spread out, they hang around. You can never predict with certainty where they will be.

So, soon after the short rains start we expect the migration to be in the sweet grass plains area around Naabi, Ndutu and Gol. That’s from December through to April. Depending on local rainfall, they might be anywhere from Moru Kopjes through to the slopes of Ngorongoro.

After the long rains into the dry season – May to October

From May, the rains stop and the herds gradually start moving. Usually, as the plains of the south and east dry out, there is a movement to the north and west. That’s because there are more grass and more dependable water.

Not all the wildebeest and zebra will follow the same route though. This means that while part of the migration will head to the western corridor and the Grumeti River before heading north, significant numbers may also go up through Loliondo, or via Seronera and Lobo.

In a dry year, the first wildebeest could be near the Mara River in early July as this is the only decent permanent water in the ecosystem. In a wet year, as late as mid-August. If conditions are very good, with plenty of grass and water the herds will be spread out all the way from Seronera to the Mara River.

The wildebeest migration as a whole need not all pass into Kenya. Many stay behind in Tanzania then cross and re-cross the border areas. This carries on through till October into November when they start thinking of heading back. Again this will be dependent on the rains.