Mara River Crossing Tips for Your Serengeti Safari

A Mara River crossing is one of the great wildlife spectacles: thousands of wildebeest and zebra massing on a steep bank, hesitating, and then plunging into a river patrolled by crocodiles. It is noisy, chaotic and unforgettable.

It is also unpredictable. Herds can gather for hours and then turn away. These tips, drawn from our guides' experience in the northern Serengeti, will help you set realistic expectations and improve your odds.

When and where crossings happen

Crossings in the northern Serengeti typically take place from around July to October, when the herds are moving between Tanzania and Kenya's Maasai Mara. Because groups cross back and forth, there is no single crossing; there can be many over the season, or several in one day.

In Tanzania, the main crossing points are in the Kogatende area and the Lamai Triangle. Your guide will monitor herds building up on the banks and use radio reports from other guides to decide where to wait.

Patience is everything

The single biggest factor is time. Wildebeest can approach the water, retreat, and return many times before one animal finally commits. It is common to wait for hours.

We recommend at least three nights in the northern Serengeti, with full-day game drives and a packed lunch. Leaving the herds for a lunch break at camp is one of the most common ways people miss a crossing.

Waiting is easier when you are comfortable. Wear layers, because early mornings in the north can be cool and middays hot, and keep binoculars handy so you can watch the far bank, where the first animals often appear on the skyline. Your guide may move between crossing points if a larger herd builds elsewhere, so trust their judgment.

Vehicle etiquette at the river

Rangers and guides try to keep vehicles back from the banks so herds are not pushed away from their chosen route. Crowding the edge can stop a crossing completely.

Stay seated, keep voices low and avoid standing up suddenly through the roof hatch when animals are approaching the water. Your guide will move into position once the crossing has clearly started.

Photographing a crossing

Crossings move fast and the dust and spray make focusing tricky. Set your camera up before the action begins so you are not changing settings at the critical moment.

• Use a fast shutter speed, around 1/1000 sec or faster, to freeze leaping animals
• Switch to continuous autofocus and burst mode
• Try a few frames with a slower shutter and panning for motion blur
• Bring a zoom lens around 100-400mm to cover close and distant action
• Remember to put the camera down and simply watch for a while

What else the north offers

Even on days without a crossing, the northern Serengeti is beautiful and full of life. Rolling hills, kopjes and river woodland hold lions, elephants, giraffe and plenty of plains game. Some of our guests' favorite moments come from quiet afternoons away from the river.

The northern Serengeti in the green months, outside crossing season, is also quiet and lovely, and worth considering if you prefer fewer vehicles.