10 most spectacular wildlife migrations

Published in CNN.com

Kenya's wildebeest make the list, but you haven't traveled till you've seen the bald eagles of Canada or red crabs of Christmas Island.

They journey hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of miles for food, shelter and to give birth.
And the annual wildlife migrations that take place around the world aren't just spectacular displays of nature, they're once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities.

Wildebeest, East Africa

The annual wildebeest migration between Tanzania and Kenya involves up to 1.5 million of these antelope traversing vast stretches of open plains in search of fresh, mineral-rich grasslands.
This isn't so much a time-oriented migration as it is a continual search for food, over a round-journey of 1,800 miles.

Along with zebra, gazelle and eland -- who join the wildebeest on their travels -- the journey attracts thousands of spectators, not to mention lions, leopards and carnivorous crocodiles, that wait for a chance to attack the prey.

While the animals move year-round, the start of the dry season -- typically late June and July -- is the best time for viewing wildebeest in Kenya's Masai Mara.

The reserve and its surrounds have dozens of camps at the center of the action. One of the best is Kicheche Valley Camp in the Naboisho Conservancy, just beyond Masai Mara's borders. kicheche.com

Flamingos, Kenya

Between April and June, Kenya's Lake Nakuru explodes with color, its shallow waters overrun with long-legged lesser pink flamingos who've come to feed on the lake's blue-green algae.
It's been described as a full-on fuchsia feast.

While their numbers have fluctuated in recent years -- from 6,500 to as many as 250,000 -- the display remains spectacular, especially if you have the opportunity to spot them soaring in flocks overhead.

Lion Trail Safaris runs day trips from Nairobi to the alkaline lake, located about two hours north of the city. Prices begin at US$175, www.liontrailssafaris.com