Wildlife Event · June to October
The Great Migration
Two million animals, one river, one crossing you never forget.
Serengeti — Western Corridor & Northern Serengeti (Mara River)Peak: Late July to early September, when the herds mass at the Mara River
The event
Between June and October roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle push north through the Serengeti and pile up at the Mara River. We camp where the herds actually are and move as they move.
The migration is not a single event on a single day — it is a year-long circuit, and the part travellers come for is the northern push. From June the herds string out through the Western Corridor and cross the Grumeti; by late July the front has reached the Mara River in the far north, where thousands of animals gather on the bank and then, without warning, go.
Timing is everything and nobody can promise a crossing on a named date. What we can do is put you in the right part of the park with a guide who reads the herds daily, and give you enough nights in the north that patience pays. Our migration camps sit within striking distance of the traditional crossing points, so a radio call at breakfast can change the whole day.
Because the north also holds resident lion, cheetah and leopard drawn by the sheer volume of prey, migration season is the strongest predator viewing of the year — the crossings are the headline, but the hunting around them is the story.
What you actually get
- Mara River crossing vigils from the northern Serengeti
- Predator concentration at its annual peak — lion, cheetah, hyena, crocodile
- Mobile camps that follow the herds rather than waiting for them
- Optional balloon flight over the moving front at first light
- Pairs naturally with Ngorongoro Crater on the drive in or out
Timed to this event
Journeys built around it
These itineraries run in or overlap the June to October window. Dates flex to your flights — tell us your arrival and we route backwards from it.
Elsewhere on the calendar
See all events →January to March
Calving Season on the Ndutu Plains
On the short-grass plains around Ndutu the wildebeest drop nearly half a million calves inside a few weeks. It is the most concentrated wildlife spectacle in Africa and the best big-cat action of the year.
- Season
- January to March
- Where
- Southern Serengeti & Ndutu, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Journeys
- 4 built around it
Late February
Kilimanjaro Marathon
Full marathon, half and 5km through the coffee country below Kilimanjaro. We handle Moshi logistics, race-week acclimatisation, and the safari or summit climb that follows.
- Season
- Late February
- Where
- Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro
- Journeys
- 6 built around it
Hold your place for The Great Migration
June to October fills earliest. Tell us your window and we will confirm what is still open.