THE GREAT MIGRATION

Best for: One of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife phenomena

DURATION: 10–14 days ROUTE: Mara North Conservancy • Masai Mara • Northern Serengeti WHEN TO GO? July–october, to see the herds massing and crossing the Mara River East Africa’s Great Migration is a rambling clockwise circuit lasting all year. Vast wildebeest herds, seeking fresh water and grass, head north from their calving grounds in the shortgrass plains of the southern Serengeti to the Grumeti River, continue towards the Mara River in the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara, then loop south again via the eastern Serengeti.

The first time I witnessed a river crossing, the experience filled me with shock, awe and concern: shock at the swift demise of a Thomson’s gazelle that was plucky enough to lead its companions into the Mara, only to be snapped up and death-rolled by a huge crocodile; awe at the spectacle of dozens of wildebeest galloping across in a struggling, plunging mass; and concern at the sheer numbers of safari vehicles jostling for the best sightlines on the opposite bank.

The best way to avoid the congestion is to limit your time in the Masai Mara National Reserve, where traffic bottlenecks regularly occur, in favour of the quieter adjoining conservancies. Here, some camps (such as Sanctuary Olonana and Ngare Serian) perch right on the banks of the Mara. For a fresh perspective, try an expert-guided walking and fly-camping experience with Serian, one of the few outfits permitted to explore the northern Serengeti on foot.

Predator & prey(right) A lioness preens her cub; (below) wildebeest run the gauntlet of crocs and other predators to cross the Mara River during the Great Migration