What time of year is the best for African safari?
Southern African safari countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa)
Summer Nov - Mar
Winter May - September
Rainfall Nov – Mar
Eastern Africa (Kenya and Tanzania)
Summer Jan – Apr
Winter Jun – Oct
Rainfall Mainly Apr - May, lighter rainy season Oct - Dec
The rainy or “green” season offers benefits such as herbivores having their babies, lush green landscapes and dramatic skies. Most predators also switch to hunting the young animals at this time, for those who want to see the predator-prey interactions, the summer months might be your ideal option and it’s generally also a better season for bird watching. However, there is always a risk of a missed game drive in rainy season, you could drive right past a sleeping pride of seven Lions in the bush and fail to spot them.
Summary by Seasons :
Winter (Eastern Africa Jun-Oct, Southern Africa May-Sep)
• Very few rainfalls
• Less and smaller waterholes, wildlife are more concentrated
•Easier to spot animals with less vegetation
• Higher rates
• Landscape is more yellowish in dry months
Summer (Eastern Africa Jan-Apr, Southern Africa Nov-Mar)
• Greens of summer provides superb photographic opportunity
• Season of giving birth, great for calves sighting and predator-prey interactions
•Lower Rates
• Occasional heavy rainfalls
• When bush is tall and thick it is more difficult to spot animals
