Experience the Thrilling Mara River Crossing on Tanzania’s National Day October 2nd

To pinpoint the exact river crossing, I meticulously documented all the details. On October 2nd, on the southern bank of the Mara River in Tanzania, at the 7B crossing point, I reviewed the first photo in my camera, captured at 12:28, and the last one at 13:04. Along the way, we encountered a police officer who was diligently recording the crossing events in a small notebook. With a knowing smile, he declared, “This is the biggest one this year,” whether you choose to believe it or not.

Today, we witnessed a total of four river crossings. The earliest occurred at 6:58 (I also heard there was a minor one at the 0-2 crossing points around eight or nine o’clock). Then, two more crossings happened around noon, both at 6A, and the most spectacular one was at 12:28 at the 7B crossing point.

We first spotted the vanguard of the wildebeest herd around nine in the morning, as they moved back and forth between 7A and 7B, seemingly indecisive. Around eleven, a larger group suddenly emerged from 6A and 6B, eventually merging into the final crossing group. At the crucial moment, they were incredibly cautious.

It seemed that only the accidental guidance of the hippos by the shore gave the wildebeests the confidence to finally make the crossing.