The Great Serengeti Migration

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Day 6

We have just finished this late afternoon our first viewing of the annual great wildebeest migration from Tanzania over to the greener grass of Kenya.   I was aware of the unpredictability of reaching one of the known crossing points at the exact time these large animals were urged by their male leader to start their swim across the Mara River and therefore I was not invested in experiencing this event.  I try to enjoy myself in the moment when traveling and do not have an intense “fear of missing out” or a bucket list that must be checked off – although I do have an insatiable thirst for travel to other cultures.   But the truth its that the amazing sight of the thousands and thousands of wildebeest clustered on the green grassy plains, young and old, was an intense experience.  All would seen serene and then suddenly one of these massive creatures would start to run and then one or more, sometimes many more, would begin to follow, with thundering feet and bellows.  

And it is not only wildebeests. Zebras accompany their brethren in the migration, often following in the rear – so the crocodiles will get the wildebeests first.

But this sight of the large numbers of grazing wildebeest was vastly surpassed by the incredible vision of a thousand of these very large heavy antelope jumping 8-10 feet from a cliff edge into the fast moving river and swimming in a line about 200 feet across to the other side.  They then had to scramble up steep muddy and rock cliffs requiring intensive effort. Some of the animals did not initially make it and would fall back into the river.  What could be seen was an solid mass of glistening black bodies on a cliffside while others a bit upstream took an easier route up the hillside.

Wildebeest Migration

There were mothers and babies and some discovering their parent or child were still on the other side would swim back to reunite with them.  A few animals lost their sense of direction and seemed to be swept downstream.   And then there was the large crocodile in the river, waiting to pick off and bring down a more vulnerable animal, which it did.

We could see from our excellent viewpoint, with only about 6-8 other vehicles near us. Suddenly the numbers jumping in dwindled and at some point some already swimming animals turned around and went back to the original shore, looking uncertain what to do, from which, we assume, there will be another large group crossing at many other times as there remain thousands and thousands of additional wildebeest on the Tanzanian grassy land.

We understand from our guide that the migration happens from July-September with groups swimming across to Kenya and then swimming back.  I had previously thought there was only one very large crossing in each directions so your chance of experiencing it was slight.  But today, with so many wildebeest gathered on the lands near the river, there are a number of opportunities to catch more crossings, although it is still luck how close you can get to the animals.

Our journey earlier in the day had its own wonders.  Due to the sharp eyes of Dhara, Shira and Drake, we spotted a Serval cat who had just caught a mouse and was carrying it in the high grass.  Our guide said it is very unusual to see this animal as it is nocturnal and rarely seen during the day.

Then there were the large birds, elephants, many zebras, hippopotamus and giraffes along the way.  Lunch was at the entrance to this portion of the park, carefully controlled and well managed. 

Elephant Family (photo by Judy)
Zebras (photo by Judy)
Hippos in Rear with Croc in Foreground
Hippopotamus (photo by Drake)

This was certainly a day to remember. We arrived just as the sunset in our Migration Camp and were taken to our tents, which are built up every June and taken down in September and moved to another location the next year. Our camp tonight has its problems but we have large tents with attached toilets and comfortable beds and food to keep us (mostly) healthy and well.  The weather has been cool and often overcast and it seems to have rained at the camp sometime during the day.  All is well and our group seems to all be enjoying themselves immensely.