Has East Africa's Great Migration Become Too Popular?
Episode description
In July 2025, a video from veteran safari guide Nick Kleer went viral, showing more than 150 safari vehicles crowding a single wildebeest crossing in Tanzania's Serengeti. The chaotic scene sparked outrage and raised urgent questions about overtourism in East Africa's most iconic wildlife destinations. But the issue is much more nuanced.
In this episode of View From Afar—the first in a larger safari series that will continue into 2026—Afar senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers speaks with two veteran safari industry leaders about the crisis threatening the Great Migration and what can be done to ease overtourism, while protecting wildlife and local livelihoods.
Guests
- Nicky Fitzgerald - Co-founder of Angama, with 45 years in the safari industry
- Joss Kent - CEO of &Beyond, lifelong Kenya resident and conservation advocate
In this episode you'll learn
- How social media's "seven-second soundbites" have reduced the year-round Great Migration to a single Instagram moment
- Why guides face enormous pressure to deliver river crossings, even when it harms wildlife
- The role of government regulation, park fees, and resource management in controlling crowds
- How global hotel brands entering the safari space are changing the landscape
- What travelers can do to experience the migration responsibly
Key moments
- [03:13] How the industry arrived at this moment
- [07:56] Why this isn't just about river crossings - every major wildlife sighting faces vehicle pressure
- [10:16] The complex question of who's responsible: guests, operators, guides, or governments
- [20:28] The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara controversy and environmental impact concerns
- [30:05] How to encourage travelers to see the migration responsibly
- [33:42] The role of social media
- [39:33] What's at stake if the industry doesn't change course
Resources
- Read Jenn's full interview with safari guide Nick Kleer (who filmed the viral video)
- Read the transcript of the episode
- Learn more about Angama's safari lodges
- Explore &Beyond's lodges and experiences
Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our other podcasts, Unpacked, where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.
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