Tanzania / Serengeti & Zanzibar

When to Go

June to October — dry season, and the busiest months. The long rains have ended, grass is short, water is scarce and game concentrates. Tarangire is at its best from June, and from July the herds work the Mara River in the northern Serengeti. Days reach the mid-twenties Celsius and mornings on the crater rim, above 2,200 metres, are genuinely cold. Peak pricing, crater traffic and the best camps sold out a year ahead — but the safest window in which to promise good general game viewing.

November to December — short rains, better value than they look. Brief afternoon showers rather than washouts, plains greening within days and the herds moving south. Rates soften through November and early December, then spike over Christmas and New Year, when Zanzibar is at its most expensive. Good for photographers who want cloud and light instead of dust.

January to March — calving, and the connoisseur's season. The herds are on the southern plains around Ndutu, calving peaks in February and predators follow the newborns. Sightings concentrate in a small area and rates sit well below the June to October band. Hot and humid on the coast, though visibility around Mnemba and Mafia is excellent. The trade-off: wrong season for the northern Serengeti and for Tarangire.

April to May — the long rains, and the closures. The heaviest rain of the year. Black cotton roads become difficult, many southern circuit camps and some Serengeti properties close entirely, and Zanzibar is at its wettest.

The one-month answer. February for calving and a warm sea, or August for the Mara crossings if the client will accept the crowds and the rates. For Kilimanjaro, January to early March and July to October are the settled windows, August and September the most reliable underfoot.