Wildebeest begin to gather in the southern plains, from Moru south to Naabi, Kusini and Ndutu. The short grasses here are rich in phosphorus and magnesium due to the volcanic ash of the calcrete layer just below the plains’ shallow soil. Pack your waterproof items, as there may be intense thunderstorms throughout the region. You may be rewarded with a few early calving sightings.
February is peak calving month, and there’s nothing quite like the sight of hundreds of thousands of newborn wildebeest taking their first steps amid stationary herds. You can spot them from the Ndutu and Kusini plains, all the way toward the Ngorongoro Highlands. This is the driest month of the rainy season, although sparse showers still occur.
Toward the end of the calving season, the herds are mostly still stationary in the Ndutu-Kusini area, with some animals permeating even further south into Maswa and east in the direction of Namiri Plains (prime predator country, so keep your camera close). The last of the wildebeest calves are born amid heavy, regional thunderstorms.