Best time to see migration
We are looking at the K&T Safari. Wondering if anyone knows the best month to go in order to see the migration?
Thanks
Jim L
0
We are looking at the K&T Safari. Wondering if anyone knows the best month to go in order to see the migration?
Thanks
Jim L
Comments
It is impossible to predict with certainty as it is dependent on the rains. There are many websites that discuss the general migration patterns and websites that discuss current conditions. They generally predict some time in late July, August and early September for the Maasai Mara.
There are a number of safari websites with that info, some even have neat interactive moving map displays, but as Lotusgirl said, great migration timing is variable in the Serengeti and Maasai Mara; it is a continuous clockwise circuit- the wildebeest, zebra, etc. are always moving somewhere.
If you are specifically interested in seeing one of the Mara River crossings, timing there can be even more problematic since now timing is down to hours and minutes. The animals might gather and dither for days and hours near the rivers before deciding to make their mad dash.
My suggestion is to take the Great Migration: Tanzania & Kenya tour vice the K&T, Classic Safari and you'll have a much better chance of seeing the great migration while staying in one of the GM:T&K mobile camps (they are more correctly relocatable camps- your camp doesn't pack up and move during your stay).
Thanks Lotusgirl and AlanS. Something to think about
We went on the K&T classic safari the beginning of September, 2018. According to all the interactive maps, it should have been prime time to see the migration when at the tented camp in the Mara. But then it rained in the Serengeti and the migration was delayed. We only saw the very beginning and no river crossings. There were thousands of wildebeest and zebras in the Mara, but our guide said usually at that time of year the plains would be filled with hundreds of thousands. So, it is very hard to predict. It was still an amazing trip!
But if seeing the migration is your priority, then as Alan S. said, consider the Great Migration safari.
How many thousands of animals do you have to see to justify that really extra expensive Great Migration Tour? For me it’s not worth the extra expense.
A bit of false equivalency, British. People pay extra for the same reason(s) you go to Africa to see animals in the first place or pay even thousands more for a special K&T add-on just to see a few Mountain Gorillas, when you can see them all at your local zoo.
Ok Alan and yes I’ve seen Gorillas at my local zoo and a really tiny baby one there too. One love to you.🤪
But, that is the price to see Gorillas in Rwanda, especially as it is $1500 each for the permit alone to get one hour with the gorillas. We’d be going on the K and T again anyway so the Gorilla bit was a good add on. It will not be the last time we go to Africa.
By the way, just finishing the last day of a Tauck tour, resting up before the Farewell dinner. Hope to do a report soon, watch out for it. I hope it will be helpful for future travelers
We were on the K&T trip in July 2019..we had no expectation of seeing the migration. However, one day our fear-lessly ‘wicked’ TD Chris offered us an optional ‘excursion’ to possibly see the migration . He made no promises, said that it would be an extra 4-5 hours of being in the vehicle - this after having risen quite early in the morning — making for a very long day! Suffice it to say, the entire group went. We were NOT disappointed. The scene was breathtaking! The river crossing was amazing Wildebeests were everywhere- they foolishly kept going back and forth the river, narrowly escaping the jaws of the crocodiles! This unexpected excursion merely added to our already extraordinary trip. Bottom line: you never know when you’ll encounter the migration. As with many opportunities, there are no guarantees!!
The above link was July 2014. We went again in July 2018 after a flood, and there was no migration to speak about. I think they are having a serious drought right now.