Africa Safari - Discover The Best Time For Your Kenya Or Tanzania Safari

Discover The Best Times For Your East Africa Safari In Kenya & Tanzania!

Want to discover the best time for your Africa safari?

You've come to the right place!

Find peace of mind & answers to your questions about the best time for safaris in Kenya & Tanzania! Free expert advice.

Learn about the best times for your East African safari vacation!

We live in Africa and have enjoyed going on over 80 African safaris since 1993. Here we will give you our first hand advice about when is the best time to travel to Kenya & Tanzania for an Africa safari.

Individually and especially taken together Tanzania & Kenya offer a wide range of Africa safari options. This makes this region a year round destination. You can have a wonderful African safari or vacation anytime of year.

african safari lion cub
Discover The Best African Safari For You
photo of lion cub on Africa safari courtesy of Michael Poliza

"I never knew of a morning in Africa
when I woke that I was not happy"
Ernest Hemingway

There are �peak seasons� and �low seasons� . Indeed the 80 plus Africa safari vacations that we have taken since 1993 have been during all times of year � low season, shoulder season, high season as well as peak season.
I hope this perspective will help you get the best Africa safari for you!

For us there are two factors to weigh for considering the best time for an Africa safari or time to travel to Kenya & Tanzania. The first factor is the weather � typical temperature & rainfall. A temperature and rainfall guide is below.

The second factor is the quality of game viewing on your Africa safari in Tanzania�s and Kenya�s Africa safari parks for the times you want to travel.

Be aware that during the Africa safari peak seasons many safari lodges fill up fast. Many are small so this is not surprising. So you will have to book well in advance.

Guide To Best Time For Your Africa Safari - Kenya Seasons and Weather

Spring: September � November
Summer: December � March
Fall: April � June
Winter: July � August

Your Africa safari in Kenya will be affected by the fact
that Kenya has a definite rainy season that occurs from March to May. It is known as the long rains and it is common that to have a sunny morning and a downpour later in the day. The rains are short and usually aren�t a big problem for your Africa safari there.

**Kenya Safari Parks At A Glance**

Aberdere National Park
How Big	776 sq. km or 296 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent -- Jan, Feb Very Good -- June - Sept, Dec Good -- Mar, Oct, Nov Fair -- April, May
Where Is It	In lower central Kenya, near Navaisha
Why Visit	Beautiful scenery It has the Big Five as well as elusive, rare animals like the bongo antelope Night drives
Amboseli National Park
How Big	392 sq. km or 151 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: June-Sept Very Good: Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov Good: Mar, Dec Fair: April, May
Where Is It	In southern Kenya, bordering Tanzania, near Namanga
Why Visit	Spectacular backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro Second favorite park in Kenya Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo plus over 400 bird species, including the bee-eater, kingfisher, African fish eagle, martial eagle Maasai people live in Amboseli
Meru National Park
How Big	870 sq. km or 336 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent -- Jan, Feb Very Good -- June - Sept, Dec Good -- Mar, Oct, Nov April, May
Where Is It	In north central Kenya east of Mt Kenya & Aberderes
Why Visit	Lion, elephant, leopard Home of "Born Free" conservationists George and Joy Adamson; see the grave of Elsa the lioness Luxurious jungle of forest, swamp and tall grasses
Masai Mara National Park
How Big	320 sq. km or 124 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: July-Sept Very Good: Oct-Dec Good: Jan-June For annual migration: approximately July - October
Where Is It	In southern Kenya, on border with Tanzania near Navok
Why Visit	Most popular game park in Kenya Big five Annual migration of up to two million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebra, gazelle - a wildlife spectacular Balloon safaris
Nairobi National Park
How Big	117 sq. km or 45 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	All year round - especially during the dry season: July - September
Where Is It	In southern Kenya, outside Nairobi
Why Visit	Close to Nairobi, easily accessible Big four (no elephant) - chances of spotting a rhino are good Oldest park in Kenya
Samburu, Buffalo Springs & Shaba National Reserves
How Big	Together they equal around 300 sq. km or 116 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: Jan, Feb, Mar, July, Aug, Sept Very Good: Dec Good: May, Oct-Nov
Where Is It	In central Kenya, near Nanyuki
Why Visit	These parks are much less visited than Masai Mara and Amboseli - giving more a wilderness sense Big four (no rhino) Close up sightings of elephants See rare animals like Grevy's zebra, the beautiful reticulated giraffe and the beisa oryx
Tsavo East & Tsavo West National Parks
How Big	20,812 sq. km or 8,033 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: June - Sept Very Good: Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov Good: Mar, Dec Fair: April, May
Where Is It	In southern Kenya, near Tsavo
Why Visit	Kenya's largest park Elephant, rhino, lion, leopard Not as congested as other parks Huge variety of habitats and scenery

Guide To Best Time For Your Africa Safari - Tanzania Seasons and Weather

Spring: June � November
Summer: December � February
Fall: March � April
Winter: April - May

Tanzania has an interesting geography which contributes to its differing climatic conditions. Zanzibar and the other spice islands off of Tanzania�s coast have a sunny, hot, & humid climate. The Serengeti and especially Ngorongoro Crater can be cool at night because they are on a high plateau. The north east enjoys temperate climates.

**Tanzania Safari Parks At A Glance**

Ngorongoro Conservation Area
How Big	8,288 sq. km or 3,204 sq. mi., the Crater itself is 264 sq. km
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: Jan to Mar, May to Dec Good: April
Where Is It	Northeastern corner of Tanzania, bordering the Serengeti
Why Visit	Contains a spectacular array of wildlife Home to several thousand Maasai The Crater is one of the most beautiful wildlife settings in all of Africa A World Heritage Site Near Olduvai Gorge, the "Cradle of Mankind" Best place in Tanzania to see black rhino Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo
Selous Game Reserve
How Big	55,000 sq. km or 21,230 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: June-Nov Very Good: Dec Good: Jan, Feb Poor: Mar, April, May
Where Is It	In southeastern Tanzania
Why Visit	Africa's largest game reserve Has large populations of elephant, buffalo, crocodile, lion, leopard and some black rhino Has wonderful scenic variety
Serengeti National Park
How Big	14,763 sq. km or 5,699 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide Northern Serengeti	Excellent: Jun, Dec Very Good: May Good: July-Nov Fair: Jan-April
Game Viewing Guide Southern Serengeti	Excellent: Jan to May Very Good: Nov Good: Jun - Oct
Where Is It	Northern Tanzania
Why Visit	Tanzania's largest national park & Africa's most famous Vast grass plains support several million hoofed animals, plus lion, cheetah and large herds of giraffe Annual wildebeest migration (Dec to February depending on rainfall) A World Heritage Site
Arusha National Park
How Big	137 sq. km or 53 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Best time to go: June - Oct
Where Is It	In northern Tanzania, on the Kenyan border, near Arusha
Why Visit	Ngurdoto Crater, often called "little Ngorongoro" Mount Meru - Tanzania's second highest mountain Has elephant, buffalo, zebra, hippo, leopard
Gombe Stream National Park
How Big	52 sq. km or 20 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Best time to go is between May & October
Where Is It	On the north-eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika
Why Visit	See the chimpanzees Renowned for fantastic sunsets over Lake Tanganyika & Eastern Congo - essential for keen photographers
Katavi National Park
How Big	2253 sq. km or 870 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Best time to go: July - October
Where Is It	In southwestern Tanzania, near Mpanda
Why Visit	One of Tanzania's most unspoiled and beautiful parks The buffalo herds are said to be the largest in Tanzania Great birding - more than 400 bird species
Kilimanjaro National Park
How Big	756 sq. km or 292 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Kilimanjaro can be climbed at any time during the year. However, Christmas & New Year are usually fully booked. April, May & November are in the rainy seasons.
Where Is It	In northern Tanzania near the Kenya border
Why Visit	Contains the highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro Park was created to preserve the high altitude moorlands & forests of the mountain
Lake Manyara National Park
How Big	325 sq. km or 125 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: Jan - Mar, June-Dec Very Good: May Fair: April
Where Is It	In northern Tanzania, near Arusha
Why Visit	Tree-climbing lions, plus elephant, hippos Substantial populations of flamingoes & other birdlife
Mahale Mountains National Park
How Big	1600 sq. km or 618 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Best time to go is between May & October
Where Is It	In western Tanzania, near Kigoma
Why Visit	Sanctuary for chimpanzees, also elephant, lion, buffalo, giraffe, zebra Game viewing by boat or on foot Remote, unspoiled, beautiful - can only be reached by boat
Ruaha National Park
How Big	12,950 sq. km or 5,000 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: June-Nov Very Good: Dec Good: Jan, Feb Poor: Mar, April, May
Where Is It	In southern Tanzania, near Iringa
Why Visit	Tanzania's second largest park - almost as large as the Serengeti One of Tanzania's best national parks, one of the newest & least visited Large herds of elephant & buffalo Spectacular scenery, pristine vast wilderness area Great birding - over 400 bird species
Tarangire National Park
How Big	2600 sq. km or 1004 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide	Excellent: July to Oct Very Good: Nov Good: Jan to Mar, June, Dec Fair: April, May
Where Is It	In northeastern Tanzania, near Kondoa
Why Visit	Periodically has one of highest concentrations of wildlife in Tanzania (Aug - Oct) Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest and elephant Excellent birdwatching - over 300 recorded species (best time Oct to May)

Intrigued? Contact us now for a customized Africa safari itinerary & ideas suited to your interests & budget. And for the time you want to travel to Kenya or Tanzania!

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