It begins with just one crossing the river… splatter and then within minutes the spatter turns into roars of thunder and sounds of movement of a huge herd of animals both young and old. In creeps the hungry crocodiles seeking to make their gourmet meal out those who could not make a successful crossing. If you are privileged to be in their presence you can feel the earth below you tremble, it moves with a force, strong enough to shake you off your feet and yet great feeling from within to create a face of owe and wonder. It’s a great sensation and sight to see them jump after each other and make their journey across the vast Savannah. It is almost like they have practiced to have a synchronized dance by the pool area with an orchestra playing guarding every move they make with such precision.
Experiencing one of the greatest wonders of the world is being in the presence of the great Wildebeest migration. This movement is greatly dominated by the Wildebeest (Gnu) but we also have the Zebra and Antelope in this trek. These number about 1 million animals that cross between the Kenyan (Mara River) and Tanzanian (Grumeti River ) within the East African Region. The wonder is not necessarily the actual crossing because that in itself is a miraculous spectacle but it also attracts a large number of various predators that feed on them.
The main reason for this movement is the innate search of food (pasture) and water for these animals. Thus, when either region of the river has the pasture that is required to survive, then they move and consume it and eventually seek better and greener grounds, hence the great migration will continue to for a long time.
This amazing phenomenon is not restricted to a specific time of the year. This is because it is such a natural occurrence and is mostly determined by the weather patterns of that country that they move to and from. So we could recommend a chat with your travel agent in the respective country to ensure you are here at the specific time. Its amazing how these animals are wired to think because when the time is right they will move either north or south in order make this migration to happen. They will graze, fatten, mate and reproduce and give birth along the way. The new ones are born and are up an running within minutes. Their intellect shows them to keep within the herd or they become a meal for the group of predators that follow to make a meal out of them. Along the path they will pass numerous lakes and smaller water bodies but they are not deterred and keep trudging on. This therefore epitomizes the full cycle of life for the animals in the wild by the birth, the life and the ultimate death of these grass eating beasts.
Taking into consideration that they move in large groups, they cross the great rivers and yet there grave danger to both the older, more experienced animals and the new born. Its imperative to have them regroup in-order to proceed to the next pasture. They are known to try and go back the cliff and river edges to seek the young ones who may be stranded and not yet consumed by the awaiting predators.
When you choose to be in the Kenyan side of the migration, this may be between July and November. These migratory times are dependant on the weather patterns of the region that they will be migrating to and from. This migration is also visible from satellite photos when it happens…ask guys at the space stations!!!.
The hotels will arrange for your expeditions along the migration path and thus create panoramic memorabilia. This is such that you can experience only when you visit the East Africa region and be part of the Great Migration.