The Great Migration is not an event, it is a continuous movement. Close to two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle circle endlessly between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, following the rain and the grass it raises. So there is no single date to book, only a place to be at the right moment.

The cycle, month by month

• January to March: calving, in the southern Serengeti and on the Ndutu plain. Hundreds of thousands of calves in a few weeks, and the predators that follow
• April and May: the long rains, the herds move up into the centre and west of the park
• June: the Grumeti crossings, less famous than the Mara ones but just as tense
• July to October: the Mara River crossings, on the Kenyan side, the image everyone has in mind
• November and December: the move south with the short rains, and the loop begins again

These markers shift by two to four weeks every year, sometimes more. No serious operator guarantees a crossing on a given date: what can be guaranteed is being in the right sector.

What to know before booking

Tanzania requires a visa from Canadians; it can be obtained in advance or, as a single entry, at the main ports of entry, and the passport must remain valid six months beyond the planned date of departure. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required from travellers arriving from a country where the disease occurs. The country carries a Government of Canada advisory to exercise a high degree of caution, with regional warnings that do not affect the parks on this circuit.

Book early, genuinely early

The Serengeti and Ngorongoro camps have few tents, and crossing weeks are often booked a year ahead. If your dates are fixed, the sector adjusts; if your dates are flexible, it is the other way round, and you will see more.

Voyages Synergia and Voyages AquaTerra are the exclusive supplier of East Africa Camps in Canada. See also the Nyota Classic Safari, Gorillas in the Mist and bush flights between parks. Talk to an advisor. Quebec permit 702703.