Incredible Wildebeeste Migration Masai Mara

THE WILDEBEEST MIGRATION
The scenes of a million wildebeest jumping across the crocodile infested waters of the swollen Mara river has been beamed thousands of times on National Geographic. Cameras have captured the glorious images of the great wildebeest migration at the Maasai Mara. July is just around the corner and this year’s pilgrimage to the Mara by both man and beast promises to thrill and entertain.

The migration this year is two weeks early and started in earnest this last week of June.

Congregating on the banks of the massive Mara River is one of the last stages of the great migration by the wildebeests and zebras. The migration normally starts as early as February in the neighboring Serengeti as the herds pursue greener pastures. The Kenyan side of the Maasai Mara during the month of July time of the year is fresh with green after the rains.

The wildebeests, numbering 1.9 million or there-a-bout, are in pursuit of water and the lush green grass on the opposite side of the Mara where they go and breed. The roar of a million hoofs rumbling across the plains is a wonder to behold.

Save for the calving wildebeest cows that usually gather in huge groups to give birth to their young, no occurrence is of greater significance than this annual ritual in crossing the Mara. So famous is the event that lodges and campsites at the Maasai Mara are fully booked. Each one of them is strategically located for the guests to catch a glimpse of the event. You can book this Safari from Diani Beach where you will get to witness one event that is dubbed the 7th wonder of the world.

Some of the lodges include Sabora Plains Tented Camp, Kirawira Camp, Faru Faru River Lodge, Sasakwa Hill Lodge, Grumeti River Camp and Migration Camp which are all good options for viewing the migration. Seronera and Moru are some of the best campsites. Each of the destinations offers irresistible packages that entice tourists in thousands. However, the lodges are a story for another day.

Several factors help in heightening the tension and thrill in watching the actual crossing at the Mara with enough rain being the major component. When the rains pound hard, the grass is greener and the Mara River is almost busting its banks. Two things are bound to happen, the wildebeests will definitely opt to cross over after exhausting the grass and secondly the crossing spot is usually taken by the entire herd and this is where the drama begins.

The calves are still relatively young and may at times get lost in the massive herd just before the actual crossing begins. Off course with a million plus population, creating a bottle neck in the attempt to cross the waters, a stampede is bound to occur.

The spectacle features lost calves wildly searching for their mothers plus adults trampled upon and washed away by the roaring waters.

The crocs have a festival and will display their predatory tactics in capturing hapless wildebeests either caught by the waters or unable to scale the high banks. The big cats move with the herd as they are presented with the easiest meals they could ever have and follow the migrating herds like a shadow. The lions, cheetahs and leopards make easy kills of lost calves and animals injured in the stampede. This is one time you will see the greatest number of kills by the big cats. It is like a live performance of the big cat diary.

From a distance, groups of tourists perched on numerous tour vans capture every moment on their cameras as they relish the Eighth wonder of the world.

Seeing it on television and the real thing are worlds apart. If you follow the migration for an entire week you will see more than the cameras reveal. Among the wildebeest herd is several thousand zebras that are also caught up in the mayhem.

Without a doubt, the adrenaline rush derived from the wildebeest migration is worth the time and money and you shouldn’t be left out.

With daily flights from Diani Beach to the Mara, it is extremely easy to book,  hop onto a plane and get to witness this great spectacle in its full splendour.

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