Safari Guides — 6 min
When to see the Great Migration
18 June 2026
The herds move on rainfall, not a calendar. A month-by-month reading of where to be, and why the river is only part of the story.
The migration is often described as an event. It is closer to a continuous circuit — well over a million wildebeest, joined by zebra and gazelle, following rainfall around the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem across the whole year.
From December to March the herds are on the short-grass plains in the south, calving. It is a quieter spectacle than the crossings and, for many travellers, a better one: thousands of births within a few weeks, and predators concentrated around them.
By June the columns are moving north and west. July to October is the Maasai Mara's season, when the river lines become the crossing points that most people picture. Crossings cannot be scheduled. What can be arranged is position — camps close to the river, an early departure and a guide with the patience to wait.
The practical advice is simple. Travel with a private vehicle so that waiting is your decision, allow more nights than you think you need, and treat any crossing you see as a gift rather than an itinerary item.