The year · ranked by WEI
When to goon safari.
A month-by-month guide to wildlife peaks worldwide. Migrations, calvings, marine windows, dry-season drama — all independently ranked by the Wildlife Experience Index.
Right now
It's August.
What's peaking this month, where to go, and why timing matters more than location.
08Triple peak · three destinations all at 86–88
The year's most consistent global peak.
Pantanal 87.7, Serengeti 87.4, Península Valdés 86 — the most consistent month across all published destinations. Wherever you go, you win.
The wildlife calendar
The year, on one strip.
Seven recurring wildlife events, plotted across the calendar. Hover a bar to see why it peaks when it does.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Wildebeest birth + intense predation (WEI: Jan 87 · Feb 89.5)
Mara crossings · river drama (WEI: Jul–Oct all 87–88)
Brazil dry season · riverbank cats (WEI: Jul 87.3 · Aug 87.7)
Southern right + orcas off Valdés (WEI: Sep 90 · Oct 91)
Bandhavgarh · Ranthambore peaks— destination not yet live
Dry, stable trekking conditions— destination not yet live
Mirissa · year's largest cetaceans— destination not yet live
Each bar represents a recurring wildlife event. Bars overlap because the world's best months are dense with simultaneous peaks across regions.
Twelve guides
The full calendar.
Each month is its own page — with ranked destinations, signature species and seasonal context.
January
Ndutu calving begins · Serengeti
The wildebeest calving season opens on the Ndutu plains — newborns draw lion, cheetah and spotted hyena in relentless pursuit.
February
Peak calving · Serengeti WEI 89.5
The year's highest WEI score globally: Ndutu calving at maximum intensity, with the greatest density of predator-prey interactions of any month.
March
Patagonia season opens · Valdés 82
Península Valdés peaks: southern sea lions, Magellanic penguin colonies and the first southern right whale arrivals off the Patagonian coast.
April
Southern right whales arrive · Valdés
The first southern right whales move into the sheltered gulf of Valdés. Sea lion pup season continues; Magellanic penguins in full colony.
May
Pantanal dry season · jaguar window opens
Water levels in the Pantanal begin their annual retreat. Riverbanks expose; jaguar sightings surge as cats patrol the shrinking waterways.
June
Dual peak · Serengeti 83.7 + Pantanal 83.1
Two continents reach high WEI simultaneously: the Great Migration assembles in northern Tanzania while jaguar activity surges across the Pantanal.
July
Twin peak · Serengeti 88.1 + Pantanal 87.3
The richest month globally across our index: Mara River crossings begin in the Serengeti while Pantanal jaguars reach peak frequency on the riverbanks.
August
Triple peak · three destinations all at 86–88
Pantanal 87.7, Serengeti 87.4, Península Valdés 86 — the most consistent month across all published destinations. Wherever you go, you win.
September
Valdés peak · right whales + orcas 90 WEI
Península Valdés reaches 90 WEI — the heart of southern right whale season, with orca beachings at Punta Norte and the biggest whale congregation of the year.
October
Valdés annual maximum · 91 WEI — index high
The highest WEI score of any published destination in any month: Península Valdés 91. Serengeti also peaks at 88.1. The two strongest parks in the world, simultaneously.
November
Valdés finale · Serengeti short rains
Southern right whales conclude their season at Valdés (WEI 82). The Serengeti short rains arrive — new calves are born and the plains turn vivid green.
December
Serengeti peaks again · WEI 87
As the short rains end, the Serengeti returns to 87 WEI. Fresh green plains, dispersed herds, young animals everywhere — a dramatic close to the wildlife year.
Quick-pick by quarter
Grouped by season
Wildlife rhythms cluster by quarter more than by single month. Browse the four broad windows.
Northern winter
Calving · marine peaks
Northern spring
Transition · early dry
Northern summer
Peak migration · drama
Northern autumn
Marine + dry-season finale
Why month matters
Wildlife sightings are time-bound. A great park in October can be a quiet one in May. The WEI scores every month independently — so you pick the window that actually delivers.
How we score every month →