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Best time to see the Great Migration in Tanzania

Best time to see the great migration in Tanzania is something to seriously consider for an opportunity to witness one of the most amazing and natural wonders of the world. Many people may think that the Great Migration in Tanzania happens only once in the year but no, that is not the case. The Serengeti National Park migration happens throughout the year, moving in different cycles in the different parts of the Serengeti National Park. The Great migration is the movement of over 1.5 million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of herbivores like zebras, gazelles, and others making the iconic river crossings of the Grumeti River and Mara River infested with crocodiles and hippos, while predators like lions and leopards, hyenas are ready at the shores to pounce at their fleeing prey. The great wildebeest migration is the world’s largest land animal migration, a natural phenomenon that is recorded as one of the greatest spectacles and natural wonders of the world; be sure to book a Tanzania safari tour for an opportunity to witness the great wildebeest migration.

Knowing the best time ti see the great migration in Tanzania is very crucial lest you booked your Tanzania great migration safari anticipating to witness the great migration in Tanzania only for you not to. It is therefore important for you to know the best time to see the great migration in Tanzania, that you shall be amazed by the spectacular views of the great migration.

Tanzania receives two seasons in a year, the dry season and the wet season, with short wet and dry seasons occurring in between them. The dry season in Tanzania happens in the months of June to September, where temperatures are warm with very little to no rains at all. The wet season happens in the months of October through April and May, with rains falling though not the whole day and every day that you may not be able to take part in any activity at all.

The best time to see the Great migration in Tanzania is during the dry season between July and early October. During this time, the weather is quite stable and warm, with overhead skies and clear night skies filled with stars. During the dry season, animals in Murchison Falls National Park are abundant and with the vegetation dried up, you can easily spot the wildebeests and other herbivores as they make way during the great migration, as well as easy to see predators with their kill.

During the wet season, in the months of November and December you can still see the great wildebeest migration, but the movements then are very spontaneous. The months of April and May are however a hard time to visit for a great migration safari for most a times the torrential rains sometimes flood the Serengeti National Park and the wildebeest migration at this time still hasn’t left the southwest of Serengeti National Park.

Below is a brief about month by month great wildebeest migration that may be helpful to you;

January: the great wildebeest migration has the animals congregating at the southern part of Serengeti around Lake Ndutu and Kusini.
February: the wildebeests and other herbivores during the Great migration are seen devouring the rich vegetation cover, and also the calving season takes place, also in the southern plains of Serengeti National Park Tanzania.
March: the great wildebeest migration starts moving across the southern plains in search of greener pastures and move as far as the northern parts of the Serengeti National Park Tanzania.
April: the great migration in Serengeti National Park still continues moving northwards as they search for pasture, all the way to the western corridor.
May: the great wildebeest migration moves to the western corridor, with easy sightings at the Grumeti River to embark on one of the greatest and iconic river crossings.
June: dramatic sights of the great wildebeest migration crossing the Grumeti River as the predators do prey on them
July: survivors of the predator attacks continue to the northern Serengeti National Park Tanzania and have to cross the greatest obstacle of the Mara River infested with crocodiles and predators. This is the best place to see the great migration in Tanzania. Depending on the weather patterns, the great migration iconic crossings can take place from June or even start late in the month of august.
August: the iconic Mra River crossings are well underway and the best time to witness the great migration.
September: some of the wildebeests and other herbivores can still be seen in the northern Serengeti, and can still be making their way to Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya.
October: most of the wildebeests and the other animals do start making their way back to the Serengeti National Park.
November: the herds are seen making their way to the southern plains of the Serengeti National Park, to find the grass in the south sprouting and thus availing food for them.
December: the wildebeests and herbivores of the great migration are back to the Serengeti National Park Tanzania fully, in the southern Serengeti National Park plains. And the cycle continues.

Over and above, most travellers do take the best time to see the great migration in Tanzania being in the months of July and August when the over 1 million wildebeests and other herbivores do cross the Mara River infested with crocodiles, crossing to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Given that the Great Migration is an annual and cycle-moving spectacle, be sure to talk to your travel planner or tour operator to help advise you better on which side of the Serengeti National Park you can stay in and visit for the great wildebeest migration in Tanzania.