The question we get most in the months before Christmas is about the rain. People read that November and December are the short rains in Tanzania, and the Christmas holiday comes off the list. That reading is wrong, and it costs you one of the better months of the year.
What the weather in December is like
Short rains here usually mean one shower. It falls at night or late in the afternoon, and when it is over it is dry again. The rest of the day is warm and sunny, and the sky looks better afterwards than it did before.
Rain at home means a grey day that stays grey. That is not what happens here. You wait half an hour under a tree, and then you drive on down a road that is steaming.
And it is the showers that change the landscape. That is the whole argument for coming now rather than avoiding it.
What December does to the land and the animals
After the first showers the colour changes. The dust of the dry season is gone, grass comes up, and the trees are in leaf. In September this land is yellow. In December it is green.
The animals eat well on it. Their coats shine, and they walk shorter distances to water than they did two months earlier. The light changes too, with cumulus building over the plains instead of a flat white sky, and your photographs are better for it.
Combining safari and Zanzibar in December
Yes, and the order matters. Safari first, Zanzibar afterwards, not the other way round. After a week of early starts and long drives, the island works as the reward at the end. Turn it around and you arrive at the parks already in holiday mode, and a five o’clock start lands differently. The coast is warm in December and the water is calm. If the beach is the main point of the trip, January and February are slightly better. The difference is smaller than people assume. Plan at least four or five safari days before you fly to the island. Shorter than that, and you spend more time in the vehicle than in the field.
Christmas in Tanzania
The first day feels strange, and after that it does not. No lights, no laid table, no queue at a supermarket. What there is instead is a camp that makes an effort. Dinner outside, under a sky you do not get at home, and at some point somebody starts singing. Every camp marks the day in its own way. Guests who arrive sceptical about spending Christmas in a tent are usually the ones who talk about it longest afterwards. New Year’s Eve is quieter, with no fireworks, and the animals carry on as though nothing has happened.
How busy it is, and what that means
The Christmas holidays are high season, and we are not going to dress that up. The parks are busier than in November, the camps are fuller, and the rates are higher than in the months either side. That is demand moving, not a trick. What you can still decide is where you sleep and how you drive. The northern Serengeti is quieter than the middle. With a private vehicle you decide whether to sit at a crowded sighting or drive to where nobody is. We will not put a price on this page that we cannot stand behind, and booking early gives you choice rather than a discount.
How far ahead to book
Further ahead than for any other month. The best camps fill first over the holidays, earlier than in any other month of the year. We would rather tell you what is still open than talk in general terms. Send us your dates and we will tell you which camps are available and which have gone. That is a straight answer and it saves you guessing.
And what about January and February
If you are not tied to school holidays, these are the better months. They are drier than December, warm, and quieter in the parks, because the Christmas rush has gone. The rates are lower than over the holidays. And in the southern Serengeti something happens in those weeks that December does not have, the wildebeest calving, when the herds drop their calves on the short grass plains over a few weeks and every predator in the ecosystem is waiting for it. If your dates are open, ask us about it before you settle on Christmas.
Frequently asked questions about December in Tanzania
Does it rain a lot in Tanzania in December
Showers fall, mostly at night or late in the afternoon, and then it is dry again. It is not a rainy season in the way April and May are.
Can you go on safari in the Serengeti in December
Yes. The roads are passable, the landscape is green, and the animals are in good condition.
Can you combine safari and Zanzibar in December
Yes, and it works best in that order, safari first and the island afterwards.
Does it snow in Tanzania
There is snow and ice on the summit of Kilimanjaro. Below that it is tropical, and you will not see snow anywhere else in the country.
Is it busy over the Christmas holidays
Busier than in November and January. The northern Serengeti is less crowded than the middle, so where you sleep makes a difference.
How hot is it in Tanzania in December
Warm days and pleasant evenings, with cooler early mornings at Ngorongoro because of the altitude.
When should you book for Christmas
Well in advance, because the good camps fill first.
How we would plan it
Tell us how many of you there are and how many days you have, and we will build a route that suits December rather than one that ignores it. And if you are weighing Christmas against January, we will work out both and tell you which one we would take, even when that is the later date.
