Background on the Wildebeest migration watching safaris

The name wildebeest (“wild animal” or “cattle”) stems from South African Dutch and Afrikaans. An alternate spelling is “wildebeest.” The wildebeest, also known as the gnu, is a large ungulate (hooved) antelope (genus Connochaetes)."Gnu" is likely an imitation of the wildebeest’s characteristic grunting in the Khoikhoi language

Where to go for Wildebeest migration watching safaris

You've heard of the Serengeti plains of Tanzania and Kenya’s Masai Mara, well, you can watch the wildebeest migrate throughout most of the year - it's just a matter of knowing where they are. But be warned, you will need to book a long way ahead and once there may well end up in a giant "car park" as hundreds of tour operators vie for the view !!

Track the wildebeest migration at Ultimate Africa for your wildebeest migration watching safari.

Each year around the same time the 'Great Wildebeest Migration' begins in the Ngorongoro area of the southern Serengeti of Tanzania.

Read about the various stages of the wildebeest migration at Kenya Travel Ideas for your wildebeest migration watching safari.

In all, around 250,000 wildebeest die during this 1,800-mile journey especially the sick, the lame, the old and the very young, but the next calving will produce around 500,000 new calves who must then take their chances along with the adults on the following 'Great Migration'.

The great Wildebeest migration watching safaris exploitation ?

The wildebeest is not really an endangered species, but it potentially fits well with this type of ecotourism related activity - HOWEVER - there are signs that the indiginous Masai tribes are getting fed up with the multi million dollar tourist invasion and complain that they are getting next to nothing back into their communities. If these claims are true, then it is going AGAINST the values of true ecotourism - see "what is ecotourism" - and be very sure that when you consider booking your wildebeest migration watching safari, that you ask the approriate questions about what the local community gets out of it. Please be a responsible ecotourist - thank you.

The wildebeest migration watching safaris.