The hundreds of millions of wild animals crossing a river at the same time are fantastic scenery. However, that sight is not common in the world. However, if you stay near the River Mara in the African continent Kenya, from August to October every year, you will see millions of wild animals crossing the Mara river at the same time. As a traveler, this experience should be gained once in a lifetime. This is the world’s most massive animal migration ever happened last for months.
Millions of wildebeest cows, Zebra, and gazelle deer, cross the Mara River during that period. Their annual journey starts from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Maasai Mara National Reserve. Masai mara national reserve is a preserved Savannah wilderness enriched with green pastures. Migratory animals encounter River Mara at the mid of their migratory track.
This phenomenon is called Great migration, and it is considered as one of the seven wonders of the African continent.
There are an estimated 1.5 million wildebeest cows, 300,000 Zebras, and thousands of Antelope animals crossing the Mara River at this time annually. The peculiarity of this river crossing is all individuals come together in a plain and cross the River.
By January, the rain is starting to fall on the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, which is considered as the breeding season for this wildlife.
In March, April, the animals begin heading towards the north as thousands of swarms with their newborn babies.
By June-March, these swarms reach to the enriched green pastures of near Lake Victoria and spend the rest of their mating season.
From there, they will not stop their moving and continue further northward for months and end up in the Serengeti Maasai plain of Kenya, overlooking the Mara River.
Then the entire plain is filled with millions of wildebeest cows, Zebras, and Gazelle deer, adding an aesthetic value to the surrounding of the plain.
When the summer heat comes in August, millions of herds in the plain begin to cross the River.
Crossing the Mara River is the biggest challenge these animals face in their lifetime. Because when a vast crowd is going to cross the River in the same place. However, most poor individuals dead by trampling and drowning. Some others caught to the Crocodile colonies that are aiming to the taste of fresh flesh.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is well known for the largest lion populations in the world. In addition to that, Reserve is a kingdom for the carnivorous like Cheetah, Hyena, and Leopard.
Accordingly, a considerable number of migratory animals will also be killed by carnivores awaiting their arrival. Hunters of some African tribes living in this area also aiming to this migratory animals.
After arriving at the green pastures of the Masai Mara National reserve by crossing the Mara River, these herbivores spend there until November, December.
Then heading southward and return to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania in January to spend the rainy season there.
Throughout the year, wild animals wander between these two Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystems and struggle to find food and water.