Journeying from Ndutu up to Moru Kopjes

Wednesday evening last week, the migration were en masse on the big open plains around Ndutu; thousands of them in every direction. We had one of those 'parting of the waves' moments...Cornelius drove us right into the midst and then for about an hour we watched them passing, an amazing site and rather on the noisy side!!

Thursday morning we woke early, packed up our Wilderness Mobile Camp and headed north and west up to Moru Kopjes; what an epic drive that was! We had a huge stormy black sky to our right and brilliant sunshine to our left. We left the southern grass plains way behind, they're drying up now as the long rains haven't been good to us this year, and arrived in the Kopjes around sunset.  The following morning, at sunrise, the migration arrived. Literally! I think I even saw the first wildebeest in the procession; a thick fat 'snake' of wildebeest and zebra pouring in below us.

Since then, our camp headman says they're still coming through, but due to only gentle rains in the evenings, they may well keep heading up north and west. This is unusually early, but then it's all about the rains and they've been somewhat lacking so far.

Where to find a million wildebeest

The word just in from the Serengeti - there's a large group of Wildebeest around Makao in the Ndutu area and then another large group seen heading towards Moru. It hasn't rained in Ndutu for several days now,  despite cloudy weather, and so it looks like that lot might be heading off to find greener pastures. Generally they all seem to be spread out in a wide area, some have been seen around Nasera and Olduvai; this is very normal behaviour at this time of year.

Lions lions everywhere....

Monday morning, this week, we watched the first of the migratory herds arriving back into the Ndutu area after several days of heavy rain. They had started to go north-west towards Moru and Maswa, as the southern grass plains were drying up. Now, with all this rain and the area greeing up nicely, they are heading back. By Tuesday morning the plains were filling up: lots of wildebeest and zebra and plenty of cats.

We spent a good hour with a small pride, a beautiful dark-maned lion and his three lionesses; fat and happy after a recent wildebeest kill. The next morning, Nomad guide Jacob, out even earlier than us, saw three cheetah take down an adult wildebeest. By the time we got there, the cheetah were sprawled in the mud (had been very rainy Monday night) next to the kill. Fantastic to see the southern grass plains teeming with activity.

What a sight!!

Serengeti Migration Update: there have been very good rains around Ndutu and the wildbeest are heading south from the Moru area, loads of calves with them and the usual bunch of cats following looking for an easy dinner!

Nomad guide Alikea saw a Marshall eagle engage in a spectacular aerial display against a Kori Bustard, diving at it over and over until he killed it. This is not something you see every day!!!

Halifa reported mating zebras, not quite at every turn, but seemed to be a lot of them – and plenty of wildebeest giving birth, and young calves.

Emmanuel and the Leopard

The wildebeest are concentrating around the Hidden Valley & Miti Mitatu area with some headed to Kusini due to lack of rains this past week around Ndutu. Nomad Tanzania guide, Emmanuel, has been seeing cats everywhere and a leopard that walked right in front of his car, stopping right on cue to pose for happy photographers in the vehicle, before climbing up a nearby tree.

He said it was one of the best close-up sightings he'd ever seen. Halifa has been seeing lots of newborn wildebeest and even a wildebeest giving birth. The guests with him, first-timers on safari, were suitably awed by it all.

"Like Moses parting the waves"

The wildebeest had started to divide up, some in the Hidden Valley area and then some starting to heads towards Maswa and the central Serengeti. However recent heavy rains in the Ndutu area, and the prospect of more rain coming, is expected to bring them all right back down again.

Nomad super-guide Richard Knocker, just back from a Serengeti Safari Camp safari, says “migration was fabulous and calving in full swing; big herds close by camp and game drives right into the middle of them, like Moses parting the waves. Also incredible cheetah sightings almost every day”.

Stacks of cats

Migration Update: big herds seen around Kusini & towards Maswa. Ndutu is currently dry and windy and generally there isn’t much rain around. All the guides report seeing stacks of cats and elephants whilst they’re out amongst the herds.