Wildebeest Calving Season – Southern Serengeti
The herds spend the majority of their time in the Ndutu and Ngorongoro Conservation Areas, but not in the crater itself. Once a year, this is when the great wildebeest migration begins.
The Ndutu area is known for its short grass plains, which produce grass that is especially high in nutrients and sustains migratory animals while they give birth. This migration path occurs because they follow the rains and, as a result, the new grasses emerge quickly. These grasses are aid wildebeest mothers in lactating and ensuring that their milk contains all of the nutrients required to raise strong and healthy babies.
During this green season, half a million calves are born between late January and March. You can see a lot of predators during these months, who are more interesting in the herds and their calves. Over two million migratory animals, including wildebeest, zebra, eland, and Thompson gazelle, migrate clockwise from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania to the Northern Serengeti in Kenya and back.
Wildebeest Migration River Crossing – North Serengeti
The stunning river crossings are thrilling to see, but you must be patient to see this natural phenomenon. Wildebeest can take hours to days to cross the Mara Rivers from Serengeti to Masai Mara. The wildebeest await the first step of one of their comrades to cross so that they can follow. There are predators to watch out for, with crocodiles in the river and lions and other big cats waiting on the other side of the river to pick off the weakest of the herd.
Due to the presence of hungry crocodiles and a fast-flowing river, wildebeest, and zebras find it most difficult and risky to cross the river. There is a life-or-death struggle between predators and prey, and this dramatic crossing occurs often when herds cross the Mara River. The migration travels south again in October, passing through Loliondo and the Lobo region on its way to the Southern Serengeti, where the cycle begins all over again.
