The Great Wildebeest Migration is about to get underway

Those lucky enough to be on an overland adventure in east Africa over the next couple of months may get the chance to witness one of the greatest natural spectacles anywhere on Earth.

Every year at around this time, an event known as the Great Wildebeest Migration gets underway.

Typically lasting from the end of July through to October, this incredible phenomena sees hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and other animals make a journey from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

Around 1.5 million wildebeest, some 350,000 Thomson's gazelle, 200,000 zebra and 12,000 eland take part in the mass migration, making for a truly spectacular sight.

But it's not just the migrating animals that make this event so intriguing, it is also the other animals, and particularly predators, that they will encounter along the way.

One of the most dramatic aspects of the migration is when the herds have to cross the Mara River in the Maasai Mara where crocodiles will prey on them.

They will also have to contend with one of the densest lion populations in the world in the Maasai Mara, as well as hyenas, leopards, cheetahs and other lesser predators.

CNN recently included the Great Wildebeest Migration on its definitive list of the top 27 most amazing spectacles on Earth.

"No sight in the world replicates the timeless drama of tens of thousands of wild beasts charging across the African plains in search of food and water while pursued by their predators," it said.

Of course, the behaviour of wild animals is impossible to predict and there are no guarantees as to when the migration will begin or what exact path the herds will take, but anyone on east Africa overland trips over the coming months could be in for an experience of a lifetime.