Witness theWildebeest
Migration
Witness the
Great
Migration
The Greatest Wildlife Spectacle on Earth
This is nature in its most crude and bloody form. It is spine-chilling, completely harrowing but extraordinary in all its candor. Nature in its purest form and the greatest show on earth. A heroic journey which is a never-ending event, as the life of a wildebeest is a constant search for food and water. As grasses are depleted from overgrazing the herds are forced to move, following the rains.
"Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations."
Beryl Markham
The animals follow a clockwise movement through the Serengeti and Masai Mara. The over 500 kilometers across treacherous terrains is not without its perils. Many predators including lion, cheetah and crocodile prey on the vulnerable. Over 250,000 wildebeest will die as a result of injury, fatigue or predators every year.
There is nothing quite as humbling and awe-inspiring as witnessing a spectacle as grand as this.
Wildebeest have a terrifying fear of water and the predators it may hold, yet they have an inherent instinct to travel in a certain direction even if it involves crossing three major rivers. Most of the year these 3 rivers are placid but once the rains come, they become forbidding obstacles that the wildebeest must cross. They arrive at the Mara River in their tens of thousands and gather along the edge waiting to cross.
For days their numbers increase and the anticipation of the river crossing is high but sometimes for no apparent reason they wander away and wait for another day. The Mara river is not only deep and wide but is home to one of the largest crocodile populations in Africa.
The sight of this courageous crossing will be etched into your memory banks forever. The sheer volume of wildebeest that take the almost suicidal leap into what may look like a placid river is enormous. Dramatic scenes unfold in front of your eyes as the herd begins the descent into the river. Your emotions will run the gamut of anticipation, excitement, heartache and inspiration and you know that this moment in time will have touched your soul forever.
Where determination meets survival, on an extraordinary scale.
Not only do these magnificent beasts have to contend with the jaw snapping of the Nile crocodiles in the Mara River but waiting nearby are other predators. Lion & cheetah remain hidden in corpses along the banks and vultures and marabou storks wait on the sidelines for their share of the feast. Thousands of wildebeest amass along the edge of the river, and you can feel the energy in the air as the animals battle for the safest path through the river to the opposite bank. With no apparent cause, a few will embark on the journey across, quickly followed by thousands more.
The game viewing is undeniably breathtaking, ferocious, and grisly all at the same time and the chaos surrounding you can become hushed as quickly as it all began.
One thing’s for sure, witnessing the Great Wildebeest Migration will be one of the most haunting & indelible experiences of your life.
Join our next scheduled journey
MASAI MARA / NGORONGORO CRATER / SERENGETI
An epic journey combining the rugged beauty of East Africa with the greatest show on earth, the great migration. This journey has been planned to the finest detail and will be escorted by experienced and knowledgeable Premier Africa hosts.
