Masai Mara Widerbeest Migration – A Wonder to Behold

by Straus Karl-Heinz

It is once again the time for the great wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of the highlights of a safari in Africa . But before that, some background information about the Masai Mara would put it all in perspective.

To reach Masai Mara by road will take you about 5 hrs from Nairobi. For those that prefer to travel by air, there are scheduled flights from the Wilson Airport that fly twice daily and take about fourty to forty five minutes. Masai Mara is a popular national park because it offers its visitors a vast and varied wildlife for them to see. These include the lion, cheetah, black rhino, hippo, blue wildebeest, thomsons gazelles which are easily seen in the reserve.

For bird watchers there are a wide variety of birds like the Helmeted Guinea Fowl,Vitelline Masked Weaver and Woodland Kingfisher.

Throughout the month of July, the herds of Wildebeests cross the Sand River , a mostly dry tributary of the Mara which roughly follows the boundary line between Kenya and Tanzania . The parade takes the eastern sector of Masai Mara, surrounding the Keekorok Lodge area. The trek follows westward, leading the herds to face the major challenge along their quest: crossing the Mara river and frequently also its tributary, the Talek. By then, the rains at the Mau Escarpment, where the Mara rises, have fed the stream to its highest levels.

Huge crocodiles whicha are basking in the hot sun give the impression as if they are waiting for their annual banquet to begin. Crossing the rive is the most dangerous time in the whole migration process. The animals get restless and will only relax once they make the dangerous crossing. Trekkers, which walk along the Eastern side of the river scout for an appropriate place to make the crossing.

Certain areas on the river bank are preffered by the animals due to lack of vegetation on these places and also due to the depressed sections and deep grooves made by the animals as they cross. The animals seem to sense that these are the best places to cross the river. Most of the time, the “perfect” planning of the animals seem to disintergrate as the nervous wildebeests make the terrible mistake of choosing areas on the river bank that are too steep for them and as a result many of them break their legs falling down the cliff and into the water.

The animals come together at appropriate places and move about nervously, their noises sounding loudly in the air. After a while, the couragious beast goes upfront and approaches the time and scanning to see if their is any danger. After it jumps into the river, the whole heard follows in. They all follow in a single line across the river, anf the ones behind throw themselves towards the stream until the rear guard urges the animals to move ina frantic pace that causes some of them to be trampled to death, lying aside the course.

By October, the rains are heading south back to the Serengeti. This is when the pace of the march reverses, bringing the herds to face once more the quest for the southern grasslands. The rite of fording the river is again part of nature’s call. In the last days of October, the migration heads towards the vast plains of the southern Serengeti, where a new generation of calves will be born to start the cycle of life all over again. Normally the route is down the eastern side and the pace is fast. Quite often a million animals can be seen stretched out.

About the Author:

Straus Karl-Heinz is the Managing Director of KenyaOneTours.com, a company that sells discount Kenya safaris. Before you go on safari to Kenya, also more information on Nairobi hotels.

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