Think of a migration, and your mind will undoubtedly whisk you away to the vast plains of East Africa, where wildebeest tumble into croc-laden rivers, perilous dice rolling, but Africa’s longest terrestrial journey actually happens to the west of the continent, in Northern Botswana. Here, tens of thousands of zebra and wildebeest begin to move as one, each quietly aware of what they must do – knowledge passed down through the generations. A wildlife explosion spurred by water.
The animals move from the Chobe and Okavango regions of Botswana as well as Hwange in Zimbabwe to the Makgadikgadi, and from Namibia to Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Streaming through this wild landscape from numerous directions to reach the fruits of the Kalahari where some 30,000 zebra and wildebeest will eventually congregate.
The movement begins as the first rains fall in November. These quiet droplets signal that the time has come for the creatures to commence their journey to find the mineral-rich grasses that will provide them with the nutrients they need to thrive. This, in turn, enables them to bear more young. Their arrival in the Makgadikgadi coincides with the vibrant Green Season, treating those in the camps there to extraordinary sights of zebra and wildebeest as far as the eye can see, with predators in hot pursuit beneath dramatic skies. If photography is your forte, this is the place to be. They move onward to the Boteti River beneath Meno a Kwena to satiate their thirst, and remain there until around October time when they venture back to their various starting points having delighted guests at the clifftop camp.
There was a time when this annual pilgrimage was likely as big or bigger than its East African counterpart – a sight that can number more than a million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra, but land use changes through the area in the 1960s meant that fencing was erected which blocked the migration, forcing it to progressively stop. This inability for the animals to move throughout the year and mix freely with one another is detrimental to their genetic diversity, and with increased pressure from climate change and human populations, it’s vital that the animals can move.
Astonishingly though, the animals did recommence their journey, decades after the migration had stopped. It’s unknown whether this was driven by genetic memory or the scent of rain, but against all odds, it happened.
You only need look at our logo to see our brand is synonymous with zebra, and our birth as a business happily coincided with the renewed migration, allowing the two to journey in tandem.
“Natural Selection was established just as this renewed migration was taking a strong hold, so it’s been one of our key conservation foci from our beginning,” explains Natural Selection Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer Dr Jennifer Lalley. “Our aim? To restore an unhindered path for migrating large mammals in the Makgadikgadi area.”
Just as Botswana’s wilderness areas change with the seasons, this annual expedition of monochrome equids, with wildebeest, elephants and predators in their wake, creates one of safari’s greatest spectacles. But as travellers rush the water’s edge in East Africa, far fewer even know about this parade through Botswana. This allows travellers ‘in the know’ to book a room at their preferred camp and enjoy both the migration and exclusivity in one heady hit. A rare prize indeed for the safari connoisseur.
