She Traveled 10,000 Miles to Complete Her Lifelong Dream of Witnessing the Great Migration and Very Nearly Missed It (Exclusive)

Saja Fadda on her way to witness the Great MigrationCredit: Saja FaddaNEED TO KNOWSaja Fadda traveled nearly 10,000 miles from Texas to Tanzania with her husband, Farhad Nesari, and friends to experience the Great Migration in person

After a four-hour drive to the Northern Serengeti, Fadda and her husband watched the first wildebeest cross, saying that it occurred 10 minutes after they arrived

Fadda shared a video of the once-in-a-lifetime moment online, where it quickly went viral

Saja Fadda had always dreamed of visiting Tanzania, and experiencing the Great Migration was at the top of her bucket list.

The annual wildlife spectacle is the largest mammal migration on Earth, according to the Serengeti National Park website, with millions of wildebeest and large groups of zebras and gazelles moving through Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Maasai Mara in a roughly 500-mile clockwise cycle.

While the migration generally follows a predictable annual pattern, the exact timing and location of the herds can vary — meaning there is no guarantee visitors will be in the right place to witness one of the migration's famous river crossings.

Saja Fadda and her husband during their trip to TanzaniaCredit: Saja Fadda

Hoping to get lucky, the 31-year-old cosmetic dentist from Austin, Texas, traveled nearly 10,000 miles in July 2026 with her husband, Farhad Nesari, and their friends to try and see the natural spectacle in person.

"It was one of those experiences we knew we had to see at least once in our lifetime," Fadda tells PEOPLE.

Saja Fadda documents her experience seeing the Great MigrationCredit: Saja Fadda

The group started their trip at Serval Wildlife, an animal sanctuary, before heading to the Ngorongoro Crater. There, they took in the dramatic landscape and saw an array of wildlife before continuing on to the Serengeti.

Upon arriving, they went on a hot air balloon safari together. Fadda soon realized just how massive the Serengeti was, with travel between destinations taking hours. While they flew for much of the trip, some areas could only be reached by car.

Saja Fadda exploring TanzaniaCredit: Saja Fadda

"Some of those drives were long, but they were also part of the experience, as you get to take in the incredible landscapes and see wildlife along the way," she says.

Fadda and her husband split off from their friends to explore more of the Serengeti on their own. They stayed at the Melia Serengeti, where they met their safari guide, Lawi. He warned them that visitors sometimes wait for hours to witness a wildebeest crossing. Even then, he said there was no guarantee that it would happen.

Knowing the risk, the couple still decided to make the journey to the Northern Serengeti. After driving approximately four hours, they finally reached the area where the wildebeest were gathering. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long.

Just 10 minutes after they arrived, the first wildebeest stepped into the water.

Saja Fadda with her husband during their trip to TanzaniaCredit: Saja Fadda

Saja Fadda documents her experience seeing the Great MigrationCredit: Saja Fadda

"When you're sitting there watching the wildebeest, you see them walking back and forth along the riverbank. You're constantly thinking, Are they going to do it? Are they actually going to cross? You're just waiting anxiously for that first wildebeest to take the leap," she says.

"The coolest part was watching the very first one step into the water and then seeing the others follow, one by one," she adds. "It's incredible because all it takes is one wildebeest to take that first step. If none of them go, none of them follow."

"Then, all of a sudden, everything happens at once," she continues. "You see the dust kick up as hundreds of wildebeest start running, and you're just sitting there taking it all in. It's hard to describe how beautiful it is until you've witnessed it yourself. It's like you are watching the real life Lion King."

Saja Fadda documents the Great MigrationCredit: Saja Fadda

After witnessing the crossing firsthand, Fadda wanted to share a glimpse of the experience with others. Her husband had long encouraged her to post more of the travel videos she captures on their trips, so she decided to share footage of the crossing online.

The video quickly reached far beyond the people Fadda initially expected. Since being posted, it's received over 730,000 views on TikTok and hundreds of comments.

"It also made me happy knowing that I could share a little piece of such an incredible experience with people who may have never seen anything like it before," she says.