Africa Top Five: #4 Wildebeest Migration
This is what I went to Africa for.
When I first started researching African safaris, what immediately caught my attention was a description of East Africa's The Great Migration. Every year, one and a half million wildebeest make a giant 1,800 mile loop through the Serengeti of Tanzania and into the Masai Mara of Kenya. It's hard to predict the exact timing of the migration, so although I was really hoping to catch it, I knew it wasn't going to be a sure thing.
But the timing was perfect.
We arrived in the Masai Mara at just the right time to catch thousands of these beasties as they made their way north in search of water and greener pastures. They were not shy about going right in front of our vehicle either. (That's the top of our car at the bottom of the picture above.)
The migration line sometimes stretched for miles.
At one point in their journey, the wildebeest have to cross the Mara river. They come down to the river via a steep cliff (above, left side). At the river bank, a few brave ones dive in and swim across the river (below). Many others change their mind at the last minute, no doubt scared off by the crocodiles waiting for them in the water, and scamper back up the cliff (above, right side), to try again at another time. It was hilarious to watch them do this revolving-door thing!
Hundreds of wildebeest are eaten by crocodiles during this river crossing. There was a crocodile sitting on this bank (you can just barely make it out at the far right of the picture above) but he must have just eaten, because he didn't seem interested in these animals.
It is difficult to catch the actual river crossing, since they seem to do it in spurts. A herd will cross for a few minutes, then hours or even days will go by before they do it again. Our vehicle arrived just at the moment when a crossing was in progress. My view of the river was partially blocked by a bush, so I was a bit frustrated at not being able to get a clear shot (you're not allowed to get out of the vehicle), but you can see some of them swimming across the river.
After the river crossing, they try to put the crocodiles behind them with a mad stampede onto the other side.
Wildebeest are related to antelopes and are sometimes called gnus.
Zebras often migrate with the wildebeest, providing a splash of stripy contrast.
Not all wildebeest migrate. This one stayed behind with a herd in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.
TOP FIVE AFRICAN MOMENTS