Mara River crossings peak August – September · limited northern camps remain
Tanzania · Choose Your Star
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01
Month by Month
What each month actually delivers, including the ones we would talk you out of.
Month
What is happening
Weather
Verdict
JanuaryShort dry spell
Calving begins on the southern Serengeti plains. Green landscapes, excellent birding, big predator activity around Ndutu.
Warm, occasional showers
Excellent
FebruaryPeak calving
The single best month for predator action. Roughly 8,000 wildebeest born a day around Ndutu. Zanzibar at its calmest and clearest.
Hot, mostly dry
Excellent
MarchRains beginning
Herds start drifting north-west. Still good early in the month; the long rains usually arrive in the second half.
Warm, increasing rain
Fair
AprilLong rains
Wettest month. Landscapes are spectacular and the parks are nearly empty, but roads are difficult and many camps close.
Wet, humid
Lowest season
MayLong rains easing
Rain tapers through the month. Camps reopen, rates are low, and the Western Corridor starts to fill with herds.
Wet early, drying
Good value
JuneDry season opens
Grumeti crossings begin. Weather turns reliable, grass thins, and Ruaha and Nyerere become excellent.
Dry, cool nights
Very good
JulyHerds move north
Migration pushes toward the Mara River. Consistently good conditions everywhere. Kilimanjaro's main climbing season.
Dry, clear
Peak
AugustMara crossings
Peak river-crossing season in the northern Serengeti. The busiest and most expensive month, and the most dramatic.
Dry, dusty
Peak
SeptemberCrossings continue
Crossings still running, slightly fewer visitors than August. Ruaha at its most concentrated as the river breaks into pools.
Dry, warm
Peak
OctoberLate dry season
Herds linger north. Southern parks at their absolute best. Hot and dusty, with excellent predator visibility.
Hot, very dry
Very good
NovemberShort rains
Brief afternoon storms. Herds move back south, migrant birds arrive, rates drop noticeably before the festive period.
Short showers
Good value
DecemberGreen returning
Landscape greens quickly and herds reach the southern plains. Mid-month onward climbs to peak festive pricing.
Warm, short showers
Good
02
Where the Migration Is
The herds never leave. Knowing where they are decides which camp you book.
The migration never leaves the ecosystem — it moves within it, in a rough clockwise loop. What changes is where, and that decides which part of the Serengeti you should book.
December to March the herds are on the southern short-grass plains around Ndutu. February is calving. May and June they move through the Western Corridor toward the Grumeti. July to October they are in the north around Kogatende and the Mara River. November they turn south again.
Nobody can promise you a river crossing on a given day. The herds move on rainfall,
not on calendars. What we can do is put you in the right region for your dates and give you enough
nights there for the odds to work.
03
Best Window by Region
Tanzania is not one destination and the seasons do not align across it.
Region
Best window
Avoid
Why
Serengeti
Year-round, but match the region to the month — south Dec–Mar, north Jul–Oct.
April
Migration
Ngorongoro
Jun–Mar. Wildlife never leaves the crater, so timing matters less here than anywhere.
Apr – May
Reliable
Tarangire
Jun–Oct only, really. The elephant concentrations depend entirely on the dry season.
Mar – May
Elephant
Ruaha & Nyerere
Jun–Oct. Most southern camps close in the long rains and roads become impassable.
Jan – May
Predators
Mahale & Gombe
May–Oct. Forest trails become genuinely hazardous when wet.
Nov – Apr
Chimps
Kilimanjaro
Jan–Mar and Jun–Oct. Two clear windows either side of the long rains.
Apr – May
Summit odds
Zanzibar
Jun–Oct and Dec–Feb. January to March gives the clearest water for diving.
Mar – May
Beach
04
Honest Answers
The questions people ask once they realise the brochure months are the expensive ones.
If you want one answer: February for predator action during calving, or September for river crossings with slightly thinner crowds than August. Both are peak-priced and both deserve it.
If you want our contrarian answer: late May or November. Green, quiet, dramatically cheaper, and the game viewing is far better than the pricing suggests.
For a first safari, yes — we would steer you elsewhere. Heavy rain, difficult roads, and a good number of camps closed entirely.
For a photographer or a returning visitor it can be extraordinary: dramatic skies, intensely green landscapes, newborn animals and almost nobody else in the park. Go in with the right expectations and it is the best value of the year.
Typically thirty to fifty percent off camp rates between April and May, and around twenty percent in November. Park fees do not change — they are government-set and identical year-round — so the saving applies only to the accommodation portion.
In the central Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in August, yes, noticeably. Elsewhere and at other times, far less than people expect. Ruaha, Nyerere, Mkomazi and the western parks are quiet in every month.
The crater is the sharpest case: descend at opening and you get two calm hours before the day-trip vehicles arrive from Arusha.
Rarely, outside April. The short rains in November and December are brief afternoon storms rather than all-day drizzle, and they usually clear within an hour. Game drives continue and the light afterwards is often the best you will get.
Eight to twelve months ahead for August and September in the northern Serengeti. The mobile camps at Kogatende are limited in number and fill first. Four nights in the north is the realistic minimum to give yourself a proper chance.
Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what you will and will not see. Request a proposal.
