Witness the thunder of hooves in Masai Mara Kenya – Great Wildebeest Migration in Africa
Witness the thunder of hooves in Masai Mara Kenya – Great adventure safaris will take you on a safari to Masai Mara to witness the thunder of hooves as million and millions of wildebeest and thousands of zebras trek from the Mara plains towards the Mara River as they cross to the Serengeti plains of search of green pasture.
Watching the floods of wildebeest are one of the must do things on earth that travellers must put on their bucket list of African safaris.
What does the thunder of hooves mean?
Many people wonder what is the meaning of “thunder of hooves” when millions of wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, elands and other ungulates move from the dry plains of Masai Mara to the serengeti plains across Mara river, the hooves make a sound “tutututututu” which can be heard from a long distance and it sounds just slightly like the thunder.
This has made the great wildebeest migration a very popular safari product in Kenya’s Masai Mara national reserve.
All you need to know about wildebeest migration in Masai Mara.
Every year, around 1.5 million wildebeest; 350,000 Thomson’s gazelle; 200,000 zebra; and thousands of eland and other ungulates (hoofed animals) participate in what has been called ‘the greatest show on Earth.
The three groups of migrant grazers have different grass-eating habits: as one group eats the top of the tallest grass, the next group will eat away some of the medium-height grass, until finally it is almost completely eaten, and the herds move on. This means each group sticks to their own kind with only a small overlap in their distributions. The grasses of the plains have the highest protein content in the whole of the Serengeti, as well as being high in calcium.
It is unclear how the wildebeest know which way to go, but it is generally believed that their journey is dictated primarily by their response to the weather; they follow the rains and the growth of new grass. While there is no scientific proof of it, some experts believe that the animals react to lightning and thunderstorms in the distance. It has even been suggested that wildebeest can locate rain more than 50km away.
Best time to witness the wildebeest migration in Masai Mara.
The best times to see the migration are between December and March or between May and November. The migration is largely driven by the rains. Just remember that the rains are unpredictable so the wildebeest migration doesn’t operate on a set schedule. Contact Great Adventure safaris to book a safari to witness the thunder of hooves in Masai Mara Kenya, can be combined with gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda.