Journal03 December 2025
The Mara River count, November 2025
The rear edge of the migration moved north across the Mara in the second week of November. Numbers, data, and one surprising observation.
Most guests assume the migration is a single river of animals that moves north, eats, moves south, and repeats. The truth is messier. The herds travel in pulses — a leading edge, a body, a rear edge — and the rear edge of the 2025 migration crossed back north across the Mara in the second week of November, which is late by historical standards.
Why does this matter? Because the rear-edge crossings are less photographed, less crowded, and often more dramatic. The animals are thinner, the predators are hungrier, and the ratio of big cats to grazers is inverted.
The count
Between November 8 and November 17 we recorded 9,400 northbound crossings at three standard observation points. For reference, the typical August figure at the same points is 14,000 to 19,000.
Surprising observation: we tracked the same group of five lions following the rear edge for eleven days. They covered approximately 60 kilometers. This has not been documented at this resolution before, to our knowledge.