What is the best time to visit Tanzania?

It’s hard to give you one easy answer on 'what the best travel time is' as Tanzania is great to visit whole year around. Abundance and diversity of wildlife will always be very impressive therefore your decision of when to travel can be based on seasons, the weather, budget, crowded travel time or the Great Migration. Each month has different advantages. With below information you can decide what is the best time for you to travel to Tanzania.

Travel to Tanzania in January, February, March

🌿 Safari experience:

These are the dryer months with occasional rain. These rains trigger the calving season for most of the herbivores which allows for great viewing and increased change of observing hunts by predators.

🐾 The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park:

Late December, early January the herds are moving towards Southern Serengeti and Ndutu Area for calving. This is because of the nutritious grasses in this area which are important for the mother and newly born calf, therefor it’s generally guaranteed that you find the migration herds in this area. Between January and February around 8,000 baby wildebeest are born each day. Inevitably, some of the calves will fall prey to predators such as hungry hyena’s, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, but as 80% of the wildebeest females give birth in the same two- to three-week period, most will survive. When you decide to travel in January, February or March, we do recommend staying a few nights in the Ndutu area in addition to the ‘normal’ safari route. Animal viewing is excellent here during these months, due to the flat landscape and short grasses one can see the masses of the migration. Have a look at our sample itinerary for seeing the great Migration during these months.

☀️ Weather:

Summertime! It’s hot and dry during these months with occasional rain. Temperatures will be between 30-40 °C.

👣 Tourists:

Very busy – normal – quiet

💰 Price:

Peak season prices – High season prices – Low season prices

 

Travel to Tanzania in May, April, June

🌿 Safari experience:

This is the green season. The environment will change during these months from brown and dry to green and lush which makes beautiful landscapes, vistas and scenery. Also, a great time for photography with dramatic afternoon thunderstorms. This is a very quiet travel period with fewer tourists on the safari circuit meaning that you lose less time at national park entrances and generally for more private viewing.

🐾 The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park:

The herds with their calves are moving from Ndutu, Southern Serengeti, via the center of the park, towards the western Serengeti. It’s normal for this time of the year that the Migration is a bit more spread out between the middle and the west side of the park, however you will still be able to see the large numbers together.

🌦 Weather:

Rainy season! After many dry months the plains and animals can’t wait for some rain. The big rains are mainly late afternoon and at night, but even during the day you can get a few scattered showers. In May and June, it can be very cloudy. Temperatures are still comfortable; between 20-25 °C. The mornings and evenings can be colder so do take a sweater. We recommend staying in lodges rather than tents during these months, but apart from that the weather shouldn’t influence your safari experience negatively in the northern part of Tanzania (Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara).

👣 Tourists:

Very busy – normal – quiet

💰 Price:

Peak season prices – High season prices – Low season prices

 

Travel to Tanzania in July, August

🌿 Safari experience:

Through the month of July, the rainy season starts to taper off. The plains start to dry out. Animal viewing is great; however, it can get crowded with tourists in the national parks especially in game viewing hot spots. This is a result of the holiday season in most parts of the world.

🐾 The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park:

In July the migration is moving towards the north of the Serengeti, also called ‘Kogatende’ or ‘the Mara River’. And this is where it happens: the absolute apex of the migration, the equally famous and notorious crossing of the Mara River. This is where the most beautiful photographs that you see in nature documentaries are shot. Obviously, it is any safari goer’s dream to experience this for themselves. We can point you in the right direction, but we have to keep in mind that nature cannot be forced, nor can it be predicted fully accurately. We can, however, raise our chances by focusing on the month of August and by staying in the Kogatende area for at least 2-3 nights. The more days there the better your chances of seeing this nature wonder! Have a look at our sample itinerary for seeing the great Migration in July/August.

🌤 Weather:

In July/ August it’s still a little cooler and partially cloudy but days with blue sky as well. The temperatures are generally between 25-35 °C. The mornings and evenings are colder. You do need to take a sweater and long pants for the early safari mornings. In the afternoon, when the sun comes out, it heats up and it will be ‘t-shirt-weather’.

👣 Tourists:

Very busy – normal – quiet

💰 Price:

Peak season prices – High season prices – Low season prices

 

Travel to Tanzania in September, October, November, December

🌿 Safari experience:

As the holiday season ends the number of tourists decrease and the parks get less congested and one can experience more private game viewing. The environment is dry however in October/ November you can have a few small showers which is much needed respite from the dry and arid conditions.

🐾 The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park:

During these months it’s a bit unpredictable where the migration herds are exactly located. They will make their way from the northern part of the park, back towards the Southern part of Serengeti where they prepare themselves for the calving season. We recommend staying in central Serengeti these months as this area guarantees great game viewing all year around because of the availability of water.

☀️ Weather:

Sunny! The weather during these months is mainly blue skies, sun, warm with temperatures between 30-40 °C. We have the so called ‘short rains’ in October/ November but those are little tropical showers and won’t affect your sunny holiday!

👣 Tourists:

Very busy – normal – quiet

💰 Price:

Peak season prices – High season prices – Low season prices

 

We hope this information helps you decide what your best time to travel to Tanzania is. If you are still not sure, please contact us for some personal advice.