|
THE MIGRATION BEGINS...
The annual migration of the wildebeest brings nature’s greatest spectacle to the Masai Mara.
It is often said that “the journey is the destination”- and this is never more true than during the Great Wildebeest migration from the Serengeti to Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Just as the rains draw the massive herds across the border, so the sheer spectacle of this event draws visitors keen to witness one of the planet’s largest and most fascinating natural cycles. An integral element of this vastly complex ecosystem, the Migration brings new life to the rolling grasslands of East Africa.
|
|
The central migratory herds of over 1.3 million wildebeest spend much of the year grazing throughout the plains of the Serengeti. The herds calve in January to March, the young born ready to make their first, epic journey. In June, as the dry season withers the grasslands and a distant scent of moisture brings promise of rain in the north, they begin to gather, massing together to form a single vast herd.
They pour northwards, a pulsing, surging column of life. The sound of the approaching herd is a deep, primal rumbling of thundering hooves and low grunts. This endless grey river of life is mottled with black and white as zebras join the throng, drawn onwards in the search for the rains and fresh life giving grass.
The herds reach the Northern Serengeti and cross the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The passing of the herd brings the plains to life as predators are drawn to this perfect opportunity for easy hunting. Lions frequently attack the herds from the side - especially at night - dragging down straggling individuals. Hyenas freely weave throughout the herds, singling out and separating the young and the weak.
The Lions of the Mara are currently focused on the newly arrived herds. Rising at sunset each day they survey a plain filled with opportunity. As the sun touches the horizon, the lions slide into the grass and approach the herds.
At the edge of the Masai Mara the herds face their greatest obstacle, a series of rivers that must be crossed. At the Mara River the herds will gather at the banks, piling together in front of the broad fast flowing waters. As the pressure built the herds finally surged into the river, many animals hurling themselves off high banks.
As they struggle across the rivers many are drowned or swept away by strong currents. The crossing attracts massive crocodiles who each year await this season of bounty. There is always great frenzy in the waters as the crocodiles plunge into the herds and pull down the prey, as the mounting pressure on the shore pushes more and more animals into the water.
As they reach their goal, the herds spread out to graze across the expanse of the Mara. October will see the herds turn southward and repeat the same journey back to the Serengeti, where the renewed grasslands await.
The Migration is an epic of life and death, an incredible display of nature at work. Of all the calves born in the Serengeti, two out of three will never return from their first and most demanding migration. It is the inextricable binding of renewal and sustenance, feast and famine, life and death that makes the Great Migration one of nature’s greatest wonders.
A safari to witness this event is an unforgettable experience. You will see the forces of nature at work in a massive complex system that has always existed, and continues oblivious to the influence of our modern world. This is life at it most elemental and enigmatic- without doubt the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle.
|
