Aherdofzebraisastrikingsight,particularly
whenacolumnofthousandsareaccompanied
bypeckishpredators.Youcanexperiencethis
equineextravaganzaatthestartoftheyearin
Botswana,whenaseasonalmigration,discovered
asrecentlyas2012,seesupto25,000plains
zebrahoofitsouthfromChobeNationalPark
andMoremiGameReservetotheNxaiPanand
MakgadikgadiPans,respectively–round-trip
journeysofatleast500km,longerthanthe
famedGreatMigrationofwildebeest.
Thistwin-prongedmigrationdependsonthe
rainsinthepans;ifgood,thepreviouslyglaring
whiteexpanses
lood,andthezebraarriveen
masstograzeonlush,protein-richgrass;pink
massesof
lamingoarrivetonest,too.Naturally,
lions,cheetahandhyenafollow,andyou’ve
agoodchanceofwitnessingahunt.Beautiful
safaricampsaredottedaroundtheBotetiRiver
atthewestoftheMakgadikgadiPans,aswellas
thatpark’scentralareaandNxaiPantothenorth.
Toptip:ThemigratingzebrausuallygrazeinNxai
PanandMakgadikgadiPansfromroughlyJanuary
toMarch,butthisisdependentonrains.
Alsotry:WildebeestmigrationinLiuwaPlain
NationalPark,Zambia;sardineruninSouth
Africa;monarchbutter
liesarrivingtooverwinter,
Michoacánstate,Mexico.
116
WHEN?
Botswana is cooler
and drier from May
to September, when
zebra start to congregate
around the Chobe and
Okavango Rivers;
the Okavango Delta
tends to be looded from
June to September.
Naturepl; Shutterstock
The classic: Observe ungulates circling
theplainsoftheSerengeti-Maraecosystem
The alternative: Follow zebra
across Botswana’s wilderness
102 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019
