There is a particular window in the African calendar that we think deserves more attention. From September into mid-October, the Great Migration is moving through the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara, with the possibility of the famous Mara River crossings. At almost exactly the same time, southern right whales gather along South Africa’s Cape coast to mate, calve and nurse their young.
They are very different experiences, separated by thousands of kilometres. Yet put them together and you have the makings of an exceptional African journey. This also means you don’t have to choose between East and Southern Africa. Rather than treating the regions as separate safari choices, we can plan them as different parts of one journey.
Start with the dry grasslands, big skies and great moving herds of Kenya or Tanzania. Then fly south to Cape Town, where spring is arriving and the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet around a coastline of mountains, fynbos and sheltered bays. Add a few days on the Whale Coast and the whole journey changes gear. Done properly, it doesn’t feel like two holidays joined together – it simply shows you more of Africa.
September is an exciting time to be in the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara. Huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra are moving through the region – closely followed by big cats – and herds may cross the Mara River in either direction as they follow rain and fresh grazing.
The crossings are the moments everyone has seen in photographs and wildlife documentaries: wildebeest gathering on the banks, sometimes in enormous numbers, before one animal finally commits and thousands follow.
But it’s important to be realistic. Nobody can tell you exactly when a crossing will happen. A herd might gather at the river for hours and then turn away. The animals may cross while you are elsewhere. Rain can alter their movements and the migration itself doesn’t follow a fixed annual timetable. That uncertainty is not something to work around. It is part of being on safari.
We would allow at least four nights in the migration area and preferably five. It gives you a better chance of being in the right place at the right time, but it also takes the pressure off.
Because the migration is much more than a river crossing. There is something extraordinary about simply seeing the scale of it: wildebeest spread across the plains, zebra mixed among them, predators never far away and animals continually moving through the landscape. That deserves time.
Then comes the change of scene. From East Africa, travel south to Cape Town and swap safari days for mountain, ocean, restaurants, vineyards and a completely different kind of wildlife encounter in South Africa.
Southern right whales migrate from their Antarctic feeding grounds to the warmer waters off southern Africa each year. From around June through October, they can be seen along the Cape coast, with September falling right in the heart of the season. In fact, you can track movements and live locations of satellite-tagged southern right and humpback whales off the South African coast using the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit Live Tracking Map.
Hermanus is the best-known base for whale watching, and for good reason. The deep water of Walker Bay brings whales remarkably close to shore, which means you may see them up close while walking the cliff paths rather than heading out on a boat.
Travel further east and the coastline becomes quieter. In De Hoop Nature Reserve, long beaches, dunes and fynbos overlook waters used by southern right whales as important nursery areas. In September and October, mothers and calves are among the whales seen here.
We like the contrast with the safari that comes before it. In the Mara or Serengeti, you are up early, out in a vehicle and following whatever is happening that day. On the Cape coast, you can walk, stop for lunch, sit above the ocean and keep half an eye on the water. Someone sees a blow. Perhaps a tail rises and disappears again. A dark shape breaches offshore, again and again. In some areas where the sea shelf drops steeply into the depths, the whales are so close you can hear them too. The pace is entirely different.
This journey works best when you give it enough time. We would look at roughly 12 to 14 nights overall. Allow four or five nights for the migration safari, three or four nights in Cape Town and another two or three nights on the Whale Coast, with travel time built in.
Could you do it faster? Yes … but we wouldn’t. Trying to squeeze the Whale Coast into a quick outing from Cape Town misses much of the point. Spring weather at the Cape can also be unpredictable and whale-watching boat trips depend on sea conditions. Staying for a couple of nights gives you flexibility if the weather changes. It also gives you time to enjoy where you are.
Cape Town deserves several days in its own right, particularly if this is your first visit. From there, Hermanus is an easy drive and can be combined with the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, famous for its superb wineries. If you continue to De Hoop, slow things down further and stay for two or three nights.
The distance between East Africa and Cape Town looks considerable on a map, but the journey can be surprisingly straightforward. If the safari begins in Kenya, Nairobi is particularly useful as an international hub, with direct air services to Cape Town available on selected schedules. From the Masai Mara, a light-aircraft flight connects back to Nairobi before the onward journey south. A Tanzanian itinerary can work equally well, although the routing may involve an additional connection depending on current airline schedules and where the safari ends.
We would always build the itinerary around the best flight options available for the dates rather than forcing a predetermined route. Flight schedules change, and a connection that looks good on paper is only useful if it makes the journey comfortable. The aim is not to cover as much ground as possible. It is to move between the two regions without wasting valuable holiday time.
There is no getting around the fact that September is an expensive time to visit the Great Migration areas. This is peak season, and the camps best placed for the northern migration are in demand. If seeing the migration is central to the trip, this is one area where we wouldn’t make compromises purely to bring down the nightly rate.
Where you stay affects how much of each day is spent driving to reach the herds. A camp chosen for its location can mean less time in transit and more time actually watching what is happening.
The South African leg gives us more flexibility with the overall budget. Cape Town has a wide range of excellent places to stay, and whale watching doesn’t necessarily require an expensive excursion. Some of the most memorable sightings happen from land.
The important thing is to decide what matters most to you, then spend accordingly.
There is another reason we like this journey. Both experiences are about movement. The wildebeest are travelling in response to rain, grazing and the ancient demands of survival. Southern right whales have made their own long journey north from colder feeding waters to the sheltered Cape coast.
You witness one migration from a safari vehicle on the plains and the other from a cliff path, beach or boat on the edge of the ocean. And between them lies Cape Town: great food, wine country, mountain walks, galleries, beaches and a few slower mornings after the early starts of safari.
For travellers coming a long way to Africa, that variety makes sense. You have already crossed continents to get here. With a little more time, the journey can take in two regions at a particularly good moment in both their calendars. September into mid-October gives us that opportunity.
Go north first, while the herds are moving through the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Then turn south, slow the pace and watch the Cape coastline for whales. No competition between East and southern Africa, and no need to pick a favourite. Just a very good time to see both.
Take a look at our suggested journey below to whet your appetite, or get in touch to let us know your special requirements and we’ll tailor the journey around you – where you’d like to go, what you’d love to see and, importantly, how you like to travel.
Nights 1–4 | Masai Mara, Kenya
Arrive in Nairobi and fly by light aircraft into the Masai Mara for four nights in a well-positioned migration camp. These days are deliberately unstructured around wildlife: early starts when worthwhile, long game drives when the herds are moving and time simply watching the plains when they aren’t. The Mara River crossings may be the headline act, but this is also a superb time for predators and the sheer spectacle of thousands of wildebeest and zebra on the move.
Night 5 | Nairobi
Fly back to Nairobi for an easy overnight before heading south. Rather than forcing an awkward same-day connection, we’d use this as a natural pause – a good dinner, proper sleep and no unnecessary rushing.
Nights 6–9 | Cape Town, South Africa
Fly to Cape Town for four nights and change pace completely. There’s no need to programme every day. Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula deserve time, as do the city’s restaurants, galleries and neighbourhoods. We’d also leave room for a day in the Cape Winelands – perhaps Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, or a quieter route tailored around your interests.
By now, safari alarm clocks should feel pleasantly distant.
Nights 10–11 | Hermanus and the Whale Coast
Drive the beautiful coastal route to Hermanus for two nights overlooking Walker Bay. September and early October fall within southern right whale season, and the joy here is that sightings can happen from the cliff paths, your hotel terrace or over lunch, as well as on a boat trip.
We’d book a whale-watching excursion but keep the schedule loose enough to work around Cape spring weather and sea conditions.
Nights 12–13 | De Hoop
Finish somewhere quieter. Continue along the Overberg coast to De Hoop Nature Reserve, where fynbos, dunes and long beaches meet one of the Cape’s important southern right whale nursery areas.
Walk, cycle, watch the ocean, eat well and do rather less. After the drama of the Mara, these last two days give the journey somewhere lovely to land.
Day 14 | Homeward
Return to Cape Town for the international flight home – with enough time built into the routing that the final day doesn’t become a race to the airport.
Image: Photo by Matthias Wesselmann on Unsplash