River Plains Grumeti Corridor Animals

The Western Corridor is a funnel shaped piece of land running from the Central Serengeti west to the park boundary near the shore of Lake Victoria.

Another very beautiful area, particularly when you get off the main road. Ranges of hills including the Nyamuma and Simiti Hills run east to west forming a high sided corridor. The Mbalageti River to the south and Grumeti River to the north drain the area towards Lake Victoria. Within the corridor are vast flat plains framed by the ranges of hills, Nyamuma and Musabi on the eastern end of the corridor, Ruana to the north, bordering Ikorongo and Ndabaka to the west running up to the shores of Lake Victoria.

These plains are totally different in character to the southern plains, they are dotted with numerous patches of woodland and river lines, with the Grumeti River forming a backbone around which much of the game activity revolves. The soil is quite different, with a lot of black cotton instead of lava ash, so as you'd expect the grasses which grow here are different species - many of them appearing much softer than the grasses which you find further south. In many places where there is poor drainage, the plains are covered in patches of whistling thorn acacia and dotted with solitary balanites and acacia trees.

Migration highlights - This is one of the spots where the migrating animals are forced to cross a river, in the instance the Grumeti River. The time when this happens is after the animals leave the southern plains and begin heading north and west, which is usually July. By the late dry season the Grumeti dries up into a series of pools, but after a good rainy season the river can be still be fast flowing and a serious hazard to the migrating animals.

As mentioned in the section about the Mara River, actually seeing a crossing is largely a matter of luck. However, even if you don't find a crossing there are many opportunities to get into the middle of seriously large herd of animals. They often gather in the mid mornings around waterholes in such densities that they look like ants swarming round a nest.

Other highlights - Throughout the dry season, sporadic thunderstorms near Lake Victoria produce enough rain to keep certain parts of the area green. As a result there is a large herd of resident wildebeest numbering some 50,000 (not always in one cohesive group) which remain in the western corridor rather than joining the rest of the migration in heading north.

Besides the wildebeest there are numerous other resident species and they are drawn regularly to the river and tributaries to drink. Here, as usual, the lion wait in ambush.

The Grumeti River is also good place to find large pods of hippos and some good sized crocodiles. There's good birdlife along the river as described in the upper reaches near Lobo in the Northern Serengeti.

See also serengeti itinerary ideas.

print page email page

Quick Navigation
Safari Parks: Safari Camps:

Knowledge
Culture:
History:
Natural History:
Travel Info:


The Western Corridor home > knowledge > serengeti > the western corridor	+44 (0)1747 898104 about us contact us