HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE WILDEBEEST TO CROSS THE MARA RIVER – The great wildebeest migration is an annual event that takes place between Serengeti national park in Tanzania and Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya.
This circular movement of over 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebras, hundreds of gazelles and other antelopes has become famous among travel enthusiasts.
The migration journey covers almost 1000 kilometres each year and over 2500 wildebeests die during the journey with the main causes of death being starvation, drowning and predation. About 400,000 wildebeests are born at the beginning of the year at Ndutu plains.
The wildebeest migration has no start and end point since it’s a continuous occurrence but most people refer to the birthing season from January to early march as the start of the wildebeest migration and late November as the end of the migration when they start moving back to Serengeti national park.
How long does it take for the wildebeest to cross the Mara River?
The river crossings are spectacular and highlights of the great wildebeest migration attracting over 50% of tourists who come to witness the migration. The outstanding river crossings take place annually in Grumeti and Mara rivers. The exact time of day when the migration herds are likely to cross is not easy to predict but the crossings start from June at the Grumeti River and the crossings at the Mara River take place from July to early September.
The river crossings can take up to several hours or even a whole day as the animals tend to cross back in confusion sometimes. The time the animals take crossing will also depend on the numbers in herds, the larger the herds, the longer it will take for them to cross. It should be noted that however much there are over 1.5 million animals migrating, they still move in small and large herd close to each other and each herd moves without living any of its members behind.
Tourists who want to witness the river crossings must book accommodation at the lodges situated near the rivers and also book to stay for many days in order to have high chances of watching the stunning river crossings. You must also travel in the months of July and August when the river crossings take place. Before the river crossings start, wildebeests first conjugate on the river banks enjoying fresh and nutritious grass, once one brave and courageous animal jumps to the water to cross the rest follow and the dramatic action begins.
