When Is the Best Time to Go to Tanzania?
The dry season, which lasts from late June to October, is the finest time to visit Tanzania for a safari. Tanzania has two different rainy seasons: April to May (known as the “long rains”) and November to December (known as the “short rains”). The country’s ‘long rains’ create tropical downpours in the afternoons, forcing several safari sites to shut. The’short rains’ cause the occasional light rainfall.
The majority of safari sites in Tanzania have warm days and cold nights throughout year. As temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru plunge below zero, the country’s Indian Ocean coast and lakeside regions are hot and humid.
The ideal time to visit Tanzania depends on where you want to travel and what you want to see. The greatest time to visit Tanzania for first-time safari travelers is generally during the dry season, when wildlife is simpler to follow and detect. If you’re visiting Tanzania for the first time, knowing the difference between high and low season safaris is a good place to start.
Tanzania Travel Guide: A Month-by-Month Guide:
If you’re looking for a tropical beach vacation, January is one of the greatest months to visit Tanzania’s coast. Zanzibar vacations provide powder-soft sand beaches, blue seas, and complete relaxation. During the Wildebeest Migration, the herds normally go towards the southern Serengeti in the first month of the year to give birth to their calves.
It’s hot and humid in February, and it’s the start of calving season when hundreds of wildebeest give birth and predators lurk in the shadows. Around this time, about 500,000 wildebeest calves are born. The plains are teeming with nascent life, taking their first tentative steps.
Tanzania is unusually hot in March; nevertheless, the ‘long rains’ tend to arrive early in the month, as they did in recent years. Throughout the summer, the scenery becomes an unearthly green, a stark contrast to the brown texture of the soil. The Ngorongoro Highlands has brief and intense rains in the late afternoon, making mornings pleasant. March is also a popular month for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Luxurious lodging at Jabali Ridge, Tanzania, for visitors to Tanzania in April and May | Go2Africa
April is by far the wettest month of the year, and although the rains are mostly in the form of afternoon thundershowers, huge storms at night are not uncommon, as are plenty of dreary days. The western and southern parks experience the most humidity of the year, yet if you want to come during this season, lodgings and Tanzania tours are quite affordable.
The beginning of May is still quite rainy, but things start to dry up towards the end of the month when the dry season arrives in June. The Great Migration is making its way from the southern Serengeti to the western corridor this month.
From June through August, I will be in Tanzania.
June is dry and busy, and it is regarded as the finest time of year to visit Tanzania for luxury safaris. The rains have stopped, the savannahs are beginning to turn yellow, and game sightings are improving as the foliage recedes. The Wildebeest Migration may have halted at the Grumeti River to gather numbers before attempting their perilous crossings.
July is peak safari season, and it is the greatest time to visit Tanzania for optimum weather and fantastic game drives, as well as to combine a Kenya and Tanzania safari. The Great Migration should have reached the northern Serengeti, preparing for the major event: crossing the perilous Mara River into Kenya. Learn more about a Kenya vs. Tanzania safari.
Tourists come to the northern safari circuit (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti) and Zanzibar in August, which is still considered peak season. The wildlife watching is spectacular, and the Great Migration herds should have begun to cross the Mara River by now.
Visiting Tanzania in September and October
Tourists begin to thin out in September, and there is still no rain, which means humidity levels remain low, resulting in fewer mosquitoes. September is another popular month for hikers looking to summit Kilimanjaro, and for those looking for large herds of elephants, Tarangire National Park is the place to go. Also, the fishing season in Tanzania’s big lake areas begins this month.
Thunderclouds form in October, heralding the coming of the first rains. This month is the optimum time to visit Tanzania for chimp sightings at Mahale Mountains National Park, while Lake Tanganyika is at its hottest. This is the ideal month to visit Arusha National Park if you wish to climb Mount Meru.
Tanzania in November and December
November is one of Tanzania’s most underappreciated months for a safari. There will be rain, but there will be intermittent thundershowers throughout the afternoon. Tanzania’s northern parks are normally wonderful for wildlife watching all year, and this month is a terrific opportunity to explore some off-the-beaten-path spots.
December occurs in the midst of the’short rains,’ and the first two weeks of the month are often calm in comparison to the two weeks during Christmas and New Year. The arrival of migrating birds, notably in the Nyerere and Tarangire National Parks, makes December an ideal month for birding. The Great Migration has returned to the southern Serengeti’s short grass plains. It’s an excellent time to go on a Serengeti Safari in Tanzania to see the animals eating in preparation for calving and bringing new life on their year-round round trek.
