The Great Wildebeest Migration

The river flowing through the dense forests of Masai Mara has some crocodiles waiting eagerly. On one of the river banks, some thousands of wildebeests are grouped, waiting anxiously to cross. Responding to some unspoken, atavistic commands, a few of the wildebeests jump in, in a frenzy and blindly swim/rush through, followed by the complete horde. In the melee, some of them fall prey to the crocodiles and are dragged away. Most of them cross and continue on the journey that has been imprinted in their genes, from having been repeated a million number of times. 

What is the Great Wildebeest Migration? 
Every year 1000s of wildebeests and zebras run kilometres in search of greener pastures between Masai Mara and Serengeti. Over two million Wildebeests and zebras migrate annually through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems. They run their whole life following the rains, in the hope of eating the fresh grass. Wildebeests have a great sense of smell compared to zebras, who is gifted with a sharper vision. The two creatures are often seen migrating together in jungles of Maasai Mara

If you wish to see the great Migration's river crossing in Mara, you must be prepared to be patient to wait an entire day too with your guide. All it takes is one brave wildebeest to take the plunge, so to speak literally, and then they will all follow!  But wildebeest gathering at the riverbank does not always mean a river crossing - frustratingly, they have also been known to graze around on the bank for a few days before attempting to cross!

People from all over the world come and wait for this phenomena. With cameras, binoculars, and a lot of patience.

The best place to watch the Migration is in the Masai Mara jungles between July to November. 

Tips for planning a trip to see the Migration

You must book early (Read: 4-5 months before ) as all the tours get booked out. 
The rates to travel and stay in Masai Mara are more than usual. To avoid this, you must plan a visit at the end of the Migration or the start of the Migration, thus avoiding the crowd and price hike

You can see the Migration from the road, and the hot air balloon and I strongly suggest you must try both.
When in Masai Mara, I strongly suggest staying in one of the beautiful jungle lodges. You get to go glamping in the wild with just a cloth separating you and the wild jungle.

The challenge is working out where and when you can catch the best of this Great Migration. Make sure to get the best safari guide who would know the latest intel on the crossing and would make sure you get to see the magic without much wait. 

Guide
The best time to visit Maasai Mara to see the migration is between Jul- Early November. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest arrive here from Serengeti Plains, Tanzania. They return to Serengeti by October. 
Masai mara is roughly about 4 hours drive from Nairobi. There are a lot of international flights from and to Nairobi.
It’s advisable to travel in a group of 4-6 for better rates as you can share the safari van.