The Maasai Mara National Reserve
Kenya’s famous reserve, with big cats year-round and crossings along the river from about July to October.
- Go
- July to October
- Best for
- Classic Mara safari
The river crossing everyone waits for
Dust, thundering hooves and a herd that finally decides to jump. Here’s how to give yourself the best chance of seeing it.
By the Global Escapes travel team · Updated
- Best time to go
- July to October for river crossings
- Where
- Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s northern Serengeti
- Trip length
- 3 to 4 nights near the river, plus a second camp
- Getting there
- Short bush flights from Nairobi or Arusha
- Weather
- Warm days, cool mornings and evenings
- Book by
- Nine to twelve months ahead, more for top camps
The greatest show on the savanna
Each year, more than a million wildebeest, along with zebra and gazelle, follow the rains in a great loop through Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara.
The year begins in the southern Serengeti, where the herds give birth in the short-grass plains, usually from January to March. As the grass dries, they move west and north, and by mid-year they reach the Mara River, which runs along the border between the two countries.
From about July to October, the herds cross the river, sometimes again and again, chasing fresh grass on the other side. These crossings are the moment travelers dream about, and they’re one of the most dramatic wildlife scenes on earth.
What a crossing is really like
No one can schedule a crossing, and that’s part of what makes it unforgettable.
The herds gather at the riverbank, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, pacing and hesitating. Then one animal goes, and suddenly thousands follow, leaping down the banks into the water while the dust rises behind them. Crocodiles wait in the river, and the whole scene is over in minutes, or goes on for an hour.
Your guide reads the herds, watches where they’re gathering and decides when to wait. The best days often look like this: an early start, a packed breakfast, a quiet spot above the river and a lot of patience. Even the waiting is part of the magic, with lions, elephants and giraffes going about their day around you.
Where to see it
Both sides of the river offer crossings. Where you stay shapes how many other vehicles you’ll share them with.
The private Mara conservancies
Land around the reserve where camps limit the number of vehicles and can offer night drives and guided walks.
- Go
- July to October
- Best for
- A quieter, more private safari
Tanzania’s northern Serengeti
The Kogatende area along the Mara River, where the herds cross into and out of Tanzania.
- Go
- July to October
- Best for
- Remote camps close to the river
The southern Serengeti
Not a crossing, but the calving season, when thousands of young are born and the predators follow.
- Go
- January to March
- Best for
- A different side of the migration
Good to know
The small things that make a migration safari feel easy.
Pack soft and light
Bush flights have strict weight limits, often around 15 kilograms including your carry-on, and bags need to be soft-sided.
Dress in layers
Mornings and evenings are cool in an open vehicle, and afternoons warm up fast. Neutral colors work best.
Bring binoculars
A good pair for each traveler makes a huge difference, especially when the herds are gathering on the far bank.
Book early for peak weeks
The camps closest to the river book up well ahead for July through September. Planning a year out gives you the best choice.
Plan two camps
Pairing a river camp with a second area, like a conservancy or the Serengeti plains, gives you more than one chance at the herds.
Talk to a travel clinic
Ask your doctor or a travel clinic about vaccines and malaria precautions well before you go.
Planning the whole trip?
Our East African safari guide
Month-by-month timing for the Great Migration, where to go in Kenya and Tanzania, gorilla trekking in Rwanda and finishing on the beach in Zanzibar.
See the East Africa guideLet’s plan your safari
Tell us when you’re thinking of going and who’s coming along. An advisor will take it from there.