Best Wildebeest Migration Safari Accommodations. Stay in one of the best accommodations for the great wildebeest migration, experience the uniqueness of the endless plains, connect with Africa, and witness the greatest show on earth.
Known as the “World Cup of Wildlife,” the Great Wildebeest Migration is a thrilling and awe-inspiring wildlife spectacle that draws travelers from across the globe. Every year, over a million wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, and other herbivores follow their age-old migration route on a death-defying, 3,000-km (1,900-mi) journey from the Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya in search of fresh grass.
The Migration is a cycle of life, death, and survival that unfolds throughout the year. Guided by instinct and seasonal rains, the herds cover huge distances across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, creating one of Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles. The most impressive highlights are the calving season and the iconic river crossings where the herds plunge from the banks into the water and thunder across the river while dodging huge crocodiles.
There’s a wide array of exclusive, well-located camps and lodges both in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara to enable visitors to experience an authentic and unforgettable Wildebeest Migration safari. Staying at one of them places you right in the heart of the action. To help you be in the right place at the right time, we’ve prepared this helpful guide on where to stay for a Wildebeest Migration safari.
Where to stay to see the Great Wildebeest Migration (year-round)
1. Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp
The name Kichakani is a Swahili word meaning ‘in the bush.’ As the name suggests, Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp’s authentic, close-to-nature set-up invites guests to intimately experience the movement of a million-plus herbivores across the Serengeti plains.
The luxury mobile camp moves between two set locations: the Northern Serengeti for dramatic river crossings from August to November, and the Southern Serengeti for the calving season from December to March. Depending on the seasonal migration patterns, guests are assured front-row seats to the action.
2. Serengeti Under Canvas
Serengeti Under Canvas is an award-winning, luxury mobile tented camp that moves five times a year across the Serengeti following the herds. It brings guests as close to the action as possible as the herds gather, graze, and go. The intimate and exclusive mobile camp provides the luxury of a relatively traditional safari experience, featuring private butler service, chandeliers, silverware, plush beds with downy duvets, and en suite flush toilets.
3. Nyasi Migrational Camp
Operated by Legendary Expeditions, Nyasi Migrational Camp captures the romance of a bygone era while offering the comfort of contemporary luxury and modern conveniences. It is based in a picturesque location in Northern Serengeti, making it one of the best places to stay to see the dramatic wildebeest river crossings from June to October every year. The intimate, luxury mobile camp relocates twice a year to ensure you remain at the heart of the action.
4. Serengeti Sojourn
Serengeti Sojourn offers an immersive “glamping” experience that tantalizes the senses at every turn. The camp moves twice a year to highly exclusive locations. From June to October, it’s positioned in the Lobo area between the Grumeti River and the Mara River offering scenic river crossing events, while from mid-December to March, it’s perched on a hill in the Ndutu region providing an excellent vantage point for the calving season.
5. Serian the Original
Tucked away in the exclusive private Mara North Conservancy beneath a sleepy grove of olive trees, Alex Walker’s Serian “The Original” is undoubtedly for the “purist” safari-goer. The classic camp offers an authentic old-school safari experience in a serene setting allowing you to watch wildebeest herds pass by your quarters without compromising on contemporary luxury and modern comforts.
6. Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp
Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp is a luxurious, eco-friendly safari camp set on a private concession within the game-rich Masai Mara. It offers legendary Kenyan hospitality in comfortable, contemporary surroundings while maintaining an authentic safari atmosphere. The camp’s prime location in the path of the Wildebeest Migration places you right in the center of the action. The region experiences fewer visitors, allowing for exclusivity and more private wildlife viewing.
7. Angama Mara
Named after the Swahili word for “suspended in the air,” Angama Mara is strategically perched on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment overlooking the Mara Triangle in Masai Mara National Reserve, providing one of the most iconic views in Africa. This stunning, ultra-chic, designer cliffside luxury lodge delivers a sense of place that few safari lodges can match. You can easily watch the migration move across the landscape below from the comfort of your bed.