Wildebeest Crossing of the Mara River

Trip Start Jul 16, 2008

Trip End Aug 12, 2008

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Where I stayed

Lemala Mara Camp

Flag of Tanzania Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Thursday, July 31, 2008

We did another day of game driving on July 31 with the highlight beging watching a herd of 2000 + wildebeest cross from the southern bank to the northern side of the Mara River. The herds of wildebeest from 1000 to 5000 were everywhere in the area. As soon as you'd stop seeing one herd the next would appear. The "crossing" is an amazing spectacle. The herd walks and runs generally parallel to the bank for a time and then for reasons known only to them one turns into the river and begins to cross. As the guides told us, once one goes the rest will follow and so they do. Sometimes one at a time, sometimes 3 and 4 abreast they leap into the river and begin swimming across. Often the crocs take some as they cross, but in this case all seemed to make it across except one calf which turned back to the southern bank and became separated from its mother and the herd. Their instinct to stay together and keep moving is incredibly powerful. After watching the crossing we drove north of the river to the Tanzania - Kenya border. A view of the Mara grasslands and looking north into Kenya was a great end to the day.