Tracking The Herd, Joining The Migration

One of the most captivating natural events takes place on the plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara every year, and it has so rightfully been dubbed the great migration. This spectacular event sees a 2 million strong herd of wildebeest and zebra traverse the croc-infested waters of the Mara River from the Serengeti onto the Masai Mara.

The Great Migration usually takes place during the dry season from late June to October, however this year the herd began to cross the river at the beginning of June and the questions remains; why did the great migration arrive early?

The Dry Season

As seasonality goes, the Great Migration commences with the dry season, however this year the dry season has come sooner and it’s obvious with the recent heat wave we have experienced on the Mara.

Once the dry season commences bodies of water on the plains of the Serengeti and Masai Mara begins to dry up, leaving the Mara River crossing itself one of the main sources of water.

Climate Change & Human Intervention

Although the migration didn’t start that much earlier, this is an early sign pointing towards the effects of climate change and global warming. In essence, the migration pattern itself has already begun to change.
This small change paints a bigger picture of migration patterns changing on a drastic scale in the future. Eventually, wildebeest, zebra and other migratory animals will have to change when they search for food and water, as well as where they search for it.

What we are witnessing is a shift in season and we could expect an earlier rainy season, seeing the wildebeest and zebra moving back to the Serengeti slightly earlier.

What this means for our guests:

This doesn’t really change much in the near future, however, guests who intend on travelling to the Masai Mara for the Great Migration this year should book their stay at our lodge sooner rather than later.
As it stands, the best booking period is set to be between July and August 2019, because the majority of the herd would have crossed over.

In future, should seasons continue to shift, the Mara Engai Lodge are committed to tracking and communicating movement so that you can enjoy what has been dubbed one of the 7 wonders of the world.