Tanzania has no bad season, only trade-offs: game viewing against crowds, price against rain, migration drama against predator density. Here is what each month actually feels like on the ground.
The two-line version
June to October is the dry season: the easiest game viewing, the clearest skies, the Mara River crossings, the highest prices and the most vehicles. January to March is the green season on the southern plains: calving, dramatic light, superb predator action, fewer people and lower rates.
Month by month
January — warm, green, quiet after the holidays
The short rains have finished and the southern plains are green and full. Herds gathering at Ndutu; first calves arriving. Rates drop sharply after the first week of the month. Good for Zanzibar too, with hot, still weather and clear water.
February — our favourite month
Calving peak on the short-grass plains: roughly 8,000 wildebeest born a day at the height of it, with cheetah, lion and hyena in constant attendance. Green landscapes, huge skies, perhaps a third of the July vehicle numbers, and camp rates well below high season. If you are flexible, come now.
March — the shoulder tips over
Calves are strengthening and the herds begin to drift. Rain becomes more frequent towards the end of the month. Still excellent, and increasingly good value. A fine month for Kilimanjaro in the first half.
April and May — the long rains
Heavy afternoon rain, tall grass, some camps closed, some roads difficult. Rates fall 30–50 per cent. The light after a storm is extraordinary and photographers love it. We recommend it to people who have been to Africa before, and not to first-timers.
June — the season opens
The rain stops, the grass shortens and the herds move into the western corridor. Cool mornings, dust returning, prices climbing. Tarangire begins its dry-season concentration. One of the best value-for-conditions months of the year.
July — the crowds arrive with the herds
Peak dry season begins. Front-runners of the migration reach the Mara River in the far north. European and North American school holidays begin. Book eight to ten months ahead for the northern Serengeti. Cold mornings on the crater rim — genuinely cold, near freezing before sunrise.
August — the busiest, and for good reason
Mara River crossings at their peak. Tarangire's elephant concentrations are extraordinary. Everything is dry, everything is visible, and everything is booked. Expect vehicles at sightings in Seronera and the crater. This is when it pays to have an operator who will drive further.
September — August without the school holidays
Crossings continue, conditions stay excellent and the pressure eases slightly from mid-month. Many of our guides name September as the single best month to be in the northern Serengeti.
October — the last of the dry
Hot, dusty and still excellent. Final crossings; herds beginning to drift south. Superb in Tarangire, where the river is the only water for miles. Rates begin to ease at the end of the month.
November — short rains, short crowds
Brief, sharp afternoon showers that rarely cost you a drive, and one of the quietest months of the year. Herds moving south through Lobo and Seronera. Excellent value, and a good month for Rongai on Kilimanjaro.
December — two different months in one
The first three weeks are green, quiet and good value, with herds arriving on the southern plains. From about the 20th the Christmas peak arrives and rates jump to their highest of the year. Book festive travel a year ahead.
And for the other things
- Kilimanjaro: January to mid-March and June to October. Avoid April, May and early November.
- Zanzibar: June to October is dry and breezy; December to February is hotter with the clearest diving water. Avoid the long rains from late March to May.
- Calving: late January to mid-March, peaking in February.
- Mara River crossings: late July to late October.
- Birding: November to April, when the Palearctic migrants are in and the resident species are breeding.
If you have complete freedom, come in February or September. If you have children in school, come in August and let us plan around the crowds rather than pretending they are not there.
Written in Arusha by Sarah Kileo. Questions? Ask us directly.