By Nickola Bales

The Great Migration is one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles, but experiencing it well requires strategy, timing, and insider knowledge. In this article, we talk about where to stay for the best viewing opportunities in the northern Serengeti, and how we plan migration itineraries with intention and precision.

We also explore the real differences between the Lamai Triangle and Kogatende, two regions separated only by the Mara River, yet offering profoundly different safari experiences. And, we introduce you to another remarkable migration that few travellers have ever heard of, hidden deep within the wild heart of Zambia.

Lamai Triangle vs. Kogatende: What’s the Difference?

A favourite amongst our clients is Nyasi Tented Camp, located in the Lamai Triangle, a quieter and more exclusive area in the far north of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Bordered by the Mara River to the south and the Kenyan border to the north, Lamai covers roughly 600 square kilometres of pristine savanna, rocky kopjes, and woodlands.

Another exceptional option located in this region is Alex Walker’s Serian Lamai Camp, renowned for its authentic guiding, prime migration positioning, and deeply immersive wilderness atmosphere. Both camps offer outstanding access to major crossing points while maintaining a luxury, low-impact safari ethos.

By contrast, Kogatende lies just across the river, forming the southern section of the Mara ecosystem and serving as one of the most popular bases for witnessing the famous crossings between July and October.

Here’s how they differ:

1. Fewer Camps, More Solitude

The Lamai Triangle hosts only a handful of carefully managed camps, including Nyasi and Alex Walker’s Serian Lamai, creating a far more exclusive atmosphere than Kogatende, where lodges are more concentrated. This means fewer vehicles and uninterrupted wildlife encounters, where sightings frequently unfold with no one else around.

2. Strategic Positioning for the Migration

The movement of the herds is highly dynamic and influenced by rainfall patterns and grazing conditions. Throughout the season, wildebeest cross the Mara River multiple times, shifting between the Lamai and Kogatende sides in search of fresh grazing.

As a general pattern, crossings tend to move from south to north in July and August, followed by back-and-forth crossings over the next several months, depending on where rain has fallen and which grasslands have recently burnt and regenerated. From late September into October, movement is predominantly north to south, as the herds begin their return toward the central Serengeti.

During your stay, most herds were moving from Lamai southwards toward Kogatende, giving you a front-row seat to the drama as they crossed and continued their journey.

3. Exceptional Wildlife Year-Round

Even outside peak migration months, Lamai remains rich with wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo, and a dense population of resident plains game. The quieter setting creates space for slower, more meaningful encounters and photography sessions without a single other vehicle in sight.

4. Similar Pricing, Different Feel

Contrary to what many expect, there is little or no difference in cost between staying on either side of the river. In fact, some Kogatende camps can be more expensive. Legendary Expeditions’ Nyasi Camp and Alex Walker’s Serian Lamai remain two of our preferred choices for their guiding expertise, exclusivity, and exceptional positioning during Migration season.

Crafting Migration Itineraries with Intention

When planning safaris around the Great Migration, we carefully balance two key priorities:

Exclusive, low-density safari experiences
Proximity to potential river crossings

Because wildlife is wonderfully unpredictable, we work closely with our partners and on-the-ground guides to anticipate herd movements, ensuring you are always best positioned for the drama, beauty, and stillness that define this spectacle.

Our goal is to give you both extraordinary wildlife moments and a deep connection to the wilderness, where silence, not crowds, is the soundtrack of your safari.

The Migration You’ve Never Heard Of: Liuwa Plains, Zambia

Most travellers know about the Great Migration, the awe-inspiring circular journey of roughly 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara. It is spectacular and deservedly famous, but also crowded during peak viewing months.

What few people realise is that Africa hosts another migration, smaller in scale, yet every bit as remarkable.

Africa’s Second-Largest Wildebeest Migration

In Zambia’s remote western region, more than 45,000 blue wildebeest undertake an annual migration across Liuwa Plain National Park. It is the second-largest wildebeest migration on the continent, yet remains almost entirely unknown to mainstream safari-goers.

Each November, the herds arrive with the first rains, gathering for the calving season. By December, the plains are alive with newborn calves taking their first wobbly steps. Through the wet season, the herds wander across the shimmering grasslands before dispersing once the land dries.

A Landscape of Silence and Space

Standing in Liuwa feels like standing in the Serengeti before the world discovered it. Endless grasslands stretch to every horizon, dotted with wildflowers and shallow lagoons. As the wind ripples through the elephant grass, the only sounds are bird calls, the rustle of hooves, and the distant grunts of wildebeest, a quiet symphony of the wild.

During the wet months, the plains become a mosaic of water channels and glistening floodplains, home to pelicans, crowned cranes, hyenas, lions, and cheetahs. The park’s isolation ensures a sense of solitude now rare in Africa, a true wilderness immersion.

The Serengeti Experience, Without the Crowds

In the Serengeti and Masai Mara, the migration’s most dramatic moments can draw dozens of vehicles. In Liuwa, you may spend days without seeing another soul.

Lions here are descendants of a single matriarch, the legendary Lady Liuwa, whose story became a symbol of resilience and conservation. Watching her pride’s successors hunt beneath vast skies feels intimate, personal, and humbling.

*Ker & Downey’s King Lewanika Lodge, Liuwa National Park, Zambia*

Why Liuwa Remains Untouched

Liuwa’s remoteness is part of its magic. Located in Zambia’s far west near the Angolan border, it requires a private charter flight or extended road transfer. Infrastructure is intentionally minimal, and the park welcomes only a few hundred visitors annually, preserving its wild integrity. This low-impact approach offers travellers something priceless:

A front-row seat to nature, without the audience.

Our Approach to Curating Extraordinary Safari Experiences

At Wildscapes Travel, we believe in showing our guests the full spectrum of Africa’s migrations, from the iconic drama of the Serengeti to the quiet majesty of Liuwa Plains. Both embody the same truth:

The wilderness is not a performance, but a rhythm of life best experienced in its purest form.

Whether you long for the thunder of hooves along the Mara River or the gentle whisper of wind across Liuwa’s plains, our team curates each journey with intention, artistry, and deep respect for the land.