HERDTRACKER

Safari guide Karim Saadun captured the great migration on the Ndutu plains close to the Nasikia Mobile Camp. 

Located in the Ngorongoro Conservation, bordering the southern Serengeti plains, Ndutu thrives with wildlife especially December through to March annually with the Great Wildebeest Migration.

The multiple land-use philosophies in the area are to maintain the peaceful co-existence of humans and wildlife in a natural and traditional setting. Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek form shallow basins where water accumulates from the nearby areas of slightly higher altitude. The water in both lakes are extremely saline, too saline for human consumption. Lake Ndutu becomes alive with animals during the migration because it is surrounded by the Ndutu woodlands and the short grass plains, which provide ample cover and food, especially during the calving season between late January to February. Ndutu is the place to be and Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp is in the heart of the action!

The journey towards the Ndutu woodlands continues. The great migration was captured on the Ndutu plains. 

The Great Migration herds were spotted arriving on the Ndutu plains. 

The flamingos are back and so are the majestic beasts of Africa! All the action is happening in and around the Ndutu Safari Lodge. 

Be ready for the incredible season! 

Reliant on the rains across what is an absolutely vast area, their exact location can fool even the best guides!

Their movements at the beginning of the month can be notoriously difficult to predict, as they often spread out across the entire southern Serengeti from Kusini to Namiri! In our opinion, you cannot go wrong with focusing around Moru and Kusini at the beginning of the month, while towards the end of December the best game viewing is around Kusini and Ndutu as the Ndutu Plains literally come to life.

And it’s back home! The majority of the herds have reached the southern Serengeti plains by December and are rewarded with those all-important new shoots.

Feasting begins, the predators come out to play and the cycle of life begins again…

December is a busy and wet month, but you can still track the herds in the Serengeti.

The November short rains disperse the wildebeest herds across the Serengeti as they head south in preparation for calving season, which kicks off towards the end of the month and lasts through until March. Generally, the main herds may linger in Namiri Plains (just southeast of the central Serengeti region, Seronera) or in Kusini which is towards the southwest of the central area. Some as early as December may have already made it to the fertile Ndutu Plains in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in preparation for the calving season.

The rains in the Serengeti are calling the great herds to return to the south and east of the Serengeti.

Central and southern Serengeti where the new grass is waiting for the wildebeest and zebra to return is the best place to be for the migration at this time of year. 

Mobile camps are set up around the central and southern part of the park in anticipation of the return of the great migration.

Safari guide Cr Ian captured the great wildebeest migration on the move following the heavy rains in the southern and eastern Serengeti.

However, a large herd of the great migration had been seen moving from Naabi Hill heading towards the Gol mountains. It is predicted that the great migration might arrive early than expected in the Ndutu area due to the heavy rainfalls. 

Travelling to Tanzania during the calving season is a sight to behold and something unique to the region

Zahirah Marty seeing hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest move across the Serengeti was one of the most incredible experiences of her life. 

They were grazing in the grassland and mobilize into a single file to crossroads as a form of protection. 

You can't but marvel at the beauty of nature and creation - whether from the ground or in the air. 

Willy witnessed a group of wildebeest and zebra from the Masai Mara ecosystem to Serengeti in search of green pastures. 

River crossings in the Northern Serengeti are now rare, so we often suggest that clients focus on areas around the central Seronera river valley and Moru (south of central). 

Yesterday, a huge number of wildebeest was spotted migration towards the Naabi Hill from Masai Kopjes on the eastern side of the Serengeti and Makoma Hill plains. 

If you’ve ever wondered why nearly two million wildebeest put themselves through the ordeal of the migration every year, then the Serengeti calving season will show you why.

The southern plains of the Serengeti turn green after the November rains and fresh grazing is just what the wildebeest need for their energy-demanding calving season: several hundred thousand wildebeest are about to be born and it’s going to get busy.

The season is short-lived but epic in scale. In December, great waves of wildebeest come spilling out of the Masai Mara and into the southern Serengeti. The animals then fan out into adjoining areas such as the Ndutu region, Lake Masek and even the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

It’s an amazing scene, the last great concentration of large, wildland animals in the world, and the surrounding landscape is a beautiful one: short-grassy savannah studded with rocky outcrops – koppies, the favourite haunt of the Serengeti’s leopards.

From the bird's eyes, Capt Abeid saw the migration in the southern Serengeti stretching towards the main road all the way to the Simba Kopjes. 

He also flew over a big parade of elephants, wildebeest, lions, gazelles, ostrich, jackals, warthogs, hartebeests, African hare and hyenas. 

The dash of survival at the Makutano crossing from northern Serengeti to southern Serengeti continues!

'Makutano' wildebeest crossing point means 'crossing' in Swahili. This is a great base to witness the migration roughly from August to the end of November.