The best time to see the Wildebeest Migration and the Calving season In Tanzania

Sunday, 30.Apr 2023

The Serengeti migration is one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife events, where millions of wildebeest and other herbivores journey across Tanzania and Kenya in search of fresh and grazing lands.

The calving season period typically occurs in the southern Serengeti from the late January to March, where hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth within a short period. This make it a prime time for predators such as lion to hunt, making for some exciting wildlife viewing opportunities.

The Serengeti migration is unique because it involves millions of animals, including wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles, traveling together in search of fresh grazing lands. This creates one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife events and attracts visitors from all over the globe. It’s an opportunity to witness incredible matural phenomenon and see some of the most amazing animal behavior close.

The 800-kilometer trek of the immense wildebeest migration on earth. The timing of the migration coincides with greening of nutritious grasses with greening of nutritious grasses on the short-grass plains during the wet season. These areas are safer because predators can be easily sported making it an ideal place for calving. However, the plains dry and the wildebeest are forced to move in search of greener pasture in the western corridor. The northern extension of the ecosystem has the highest rainfall, but the grasses are least nutritious. This is the dry season retreat for the wildebeest, at least until the south becomes green again. The result is a clockwise-movements from the south, west, north, and back to the south.

A better representation of circle of life probably cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The journey starts in southern Serengeti when wildebeest calves are being born. Predators like lions and hyenas are constantly hunting for babies, and thousands and thousands of calves are born within a couple of weeks of each other a feast for the eyes of wildlife enthusiasts.

When the drought comes in May, the herd moves north towards the Maasai Mara in Kenya. chomping down the high green grass, quickly followed by the gazelles and zebras. The migration is not without risk: crossing rivers means facing about 3,000 Crocodile, patiently waiting for a kill. Not to mention the famous Serengeti lion population, by far the largest in Africa. Despite the abundance of hoofed meat in this area, life is not easy for these big cats in this unforgiving landscape. but seeing a group of lions collaborating to hunt down a wildebeest is an unforgettable sight.

Mid-June to November: great Migration River Crossing season.

The heeds head towards the north of the Serengeti. The river crossings, considered by some to be the most exiting events of the Great Migration, usually start in July, but timing all depends on the rain.

The herds can be found in the Northern Serengeti as well as in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Daily river crossing can be seen at the Mara Talek river - both often central to highly dramatic scenes.

Later, the herds usually cross back to the Serengeti from the Mara and head towards the now fertile southern Serengeti. The herds travel fast and cover long distance in a single day. By the beginning of December, Ndutu stars seeing the herds return to calve, and the whole process begins again. 

·      July – the migration gathers momentum and huge herds of wildebeest can be seen spread out across the huge herds of wildebeest can be seen spread out across the western corridor as they continue the journey north. The first herds will begin to arrive in the North in early July.

·      August – as the dry season approaches, the wildebeest face the second challenge of their trek: Great Mara River. Many will perish but the thousands of calves that are born more than make up the number.

·      September – the herds are mostly concentrated in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, the northernmost range of the trek, but many still remain in the Serengeti.

·      October – the wildebeest face the swollen water of the Mara River for the second time as they cross on their journey back south.

·      November – the short rain arrive, propelling the wildebeest down south to the rejuvenated grasses of the Serengeti.

 Calving Season Begins

The wildebeest calving season is one of the most popular times to visit Tanzania. This is when huge herds of wildebeest give birth in the southern Serengeti. The calving season usually take place between late January and early February, but it can start as early as December and last until March.

During the great migration the annual migration takes a standing in Tanzania where hundreds of thousands of pregnant wildebeest give birth during the first few month of the year. The event occurs during the green season, and it’s a spectacular time to go on a migration Safari.

The great wildebeest migration does not necessarily have a beginning and an end as the herds move across the endless plains in search of fresh food and water in a clockwise direction. Nature has no ruler, as they say and so it’s not possible to give exact dates when the next calving season will take place

However, the annual calving season typically occurs during January and February, so if you’re interested in seeing a wildebeest calf, make sure to book for these months, to be aware that the beginning of January is considered the peak safari season in Tanzania.

The calving season mainly take place in Serengeti , but the herds stretch all the way into the Ngorongoro Conservation area in Ndutu during this event. These are perhaps the most famous areas in Tanzania, as they offer outstanding wildlife experiences.

The concentration of wildlife is particular breath-taking during the calving season, where you can witness hundreds of thousands of new-born calves on a game drive.

The Calving season is it also for other Animals?

If you would like to see lots of baby animals types, the this is the time. Large numbers of zebras foals and gazelle fawns are also running around on the southern plains, using the cover of hundred of thousands of wildebeest calves to avoid predators.

The sudden growth of greenery prompts many resident animals into their birth season suddenly the open woodlands are home to warthog piglets and baby and baby baboons, wobbly-legged giraffe, and baby elephants with trunks they can’t quite control yet.

The equally abrupt abundance of herbivores means Africa’s large carnivores ensure their birthing season coincides with the arrival of the migration. Lions, cheetahs and leopards generally have their cubs at this time of the year, sightings of which are among the popular for photographers.