Discover When to go to Tanzania on Safari
The best time to go on a safari in Tanzania depends on many things including your interests, exactly where you want to visit, and why you’re traveling.
HIGH SEASON
The “long dry season” occurs from June through October. During this time, rainfall is unusual. It’s a great time for a safari holiday in Tanzania because the grass is short and animals tend to congregate around the water holes.
SHOULDER SEASON
During November and December the “short rains” occur in Tanzania. These are much lighter than the main rains and less reliable. They also bring new life and water to the Serengeti, causing a burst of grass growth and sparking the migration southwards.
The days around the Christmas and New Year holidays are the busiest and priciest time of year with most lodges and camps charging holiday supplements.
If it has rained during the short rains, then it normally dries up for a few months. January and February, which is Tanzania’s “short dry season”, is another great time to visit.
LOW SEASON
Generally, the main rainy season called the “long rains” occurs in late March, April and May. Afternoon tropical downpours are the norm – which are heavier and more predictable along the coast and on Zanzibar. The humidity is high and daily temperatures reach low-mid 30°C/high 80°F.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE THE GREAT MIGRATION?
Most travelers visit Tanzania to see the Serengeti’s great wildebeest migration. Linked to the rainfall, this stunning migration of close to 2 million wildebeest along with thousands of zebras and gazelles follows a fairly predictable pattern, as the wildebeest are constantly seeking fresh grazing and water. The migration can be found during any given month; you just need to know where to look! While we can’t control the weather, generally speaking, the best time to see the Great Migration is from mid-December to March (the migration birthing cycle) and from July to October.
The short rains begin around early November. A little after this, in late November and December, the herds of the wildebeest migration arrive on the short-grass plains of the Southern Serengeti and Ndutu, the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Dispersed across these plains, wildebeest and zebras are everywhere – feeding on the fresh, nutritious grasses. They stay here through January, February, and March, with most wildebeest calves born in a short window around February. Gradually, they spread west across these plains, then around April they start their great migration north.
By May the Serengeti’s wildebeest all seem to be moving north, migrating to seek fresh grazing and water. The area around Moru Kopjes and west of Seronera is then hectic with a series of moving columns, often containing hundreds of thousands of animals – joined by many zebras, and a scattering of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles.
Around June, the wildebeest migration is often halted on the south side of the Grumeti River, which has some channels which block or slow their migration north. The wildebeest then congregate there, in the Western Corridor, often building up to a high density before crossing the river. The wildebeest migration continues moving northwards during July and August, often spreading out across a broad front: some heading through Grumeti Reserve, others north through the heart of the Serengeti National Park.
September and early October see the herds spread out across the northern Serengeti, where the Mara River provides the migration with its most serious obstacle. This river gushes through the northern Serengeti from Kenya’s adjacent Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Watching the frantic herds of the wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River can be very spectacular; there are often scenes of great panic and confusion. By late October the wildebeest herds are migrating again with more purpose — all are heading south, through western Loliondo and the Serengeti National Park’s Lobo area, returning to the green shoots which follow the rains on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti in November.
