When to go, in one paragraph
Month by month, honestly — where the migration actually is, when the rains come, and the weeks we would choose ourselves.
For classic wildlife viewing, late June to October is Tanzania at its most reliable — dry air, thinning water, animals concentrated and easy to find. For the Great Migration’s river crossings, aim at July to early October in the northern Serengeti. For newborn wildebeest and the predators that follow them, come in late January to March. And if you want the Serengeti nearly to yourself at a materially lower price, the green months of April and May are the industry’s quiet secret.
Tanzania has no genuinely bad month. It has months that suit different things, and a few that suit some travelers and not others. Below is what actually happens on the ground, month by month.
What each month is really like
Rainfall in Tanzania varies year to year, and has shifted noticeably in the last decade. Treat these as strong patterns rather than a timetable.
Calving in the south
The herds gather on the short-grass plains around Ndutu and the southern Serengeti to give birth. At the peak, thousands of calves arrive daily, and the predator activity is the most concentrated of the year. Warm, mostly clear, with short afternoon showers.
The shoulder
Calving tails off and the herds begin drifting north-west. The last of the good weather before the long rains, and prices start to soften. An underrated month.
The long rains
The heaviest rainfall of the year. Some camps close. Roads in the west get difficult. But the light is extraordinary, the landscape is green, birdlife peaks and rates fall sharply. For a returning traveler or a photographer, this is some of the best value of the safari year.
The dry begins
Rain clears, the grass is still long and green, and the herds move into the Western Corridor toward the Grumeti. Fewer visitors than July. One of our favorite months.
Peak season
The classic dry season. Excellent game viewing across the north, Grumeti and early Mara River crossings, and the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year. Book ten to twelve months ahead for the good camps.
Crossings and clarity
The herds are in the far north around Kogatende. River crossings continue and the bush is at its most open. Slightly quieter than August with equally strong viewing. Our most-recommended window.
The short rains
Brief afternoon storms rather than all-day rain. The herds swing back south. Green returns, crowds thin, and value improves markedly. Rarely disruptive to a well-planned itinerary.
Green and building
Fine early-month conditions and a genuinely lovely time to travel, before festive rates take hold from around the 20th. The herds are back on the southern plains.
Where the herds are, and when
The Great Migration is not an event with a date. It is roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle moving in a continuous clockwise loop, driven by rainfall. What matters is not when you go, but whether your camp is in the right place for that month.
This is the single thing most often got wrong by travelers booking independently — a beautiful camp in the wrong part of the Serengeti at the wrong time of year, hours from the herds.
Southern Serengeti & Ndutu
Calving on the short-grass plains. The densest predator viewing of the year.
Central & Western Corridor
The herds move north-west through the Moru Kopjes toward the Grumeti River.
Grumeti River
The first crossings. Smaller and less famous than the Mara, and far less crowded.
Northern Serengeti & Mara River
The crossings people picture. Kogatende is the place to be based.
Moving south
The short rains pull the herds back down through the eastern Serengeti.
Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the rest of Tanzania
Most Tanzania trips combine a safari with either a mountain or the coast. Their calendars are not identical to the Serengeti’s.
January to mid-March, and June to October
The two dry windows. January to March is colder and quieter with clearer summit views; June to October is the classic trekking season and the busiest. April, May and November are wet and best avoided on the mountain.
June to October, and late December to February
Dry, sunny and reliable. April and May bring the heaviest rain of the year and many beach hotels close or discount steeply. The seaweed season, which affects some east-coast beaches, runs roughly December to February.
June to October
Nyerere (formerly Selous) and Ruaha are strongly seasonal. Many camps close entirely through the long rains and reopen in June. The dry-season game viewing is superb and far less visited than the north.
The month we would choose
If we were booking our own first Tanzania safari, we would go in late September. The herds are still crossing in the north, the bush has opened up, the light is beautiful, and the worst of the August crowds and rates have eased.
If we were returning, we would go in June or November — green, quiet, excellent value, and a Serengeti that feels closer to how it looked before it became famous.
And if budget were the deciding factor, we would take April or May without hesitation, choose camps that stay open, and accept some rain in exchange for having the place very nearly to ourselves.
Luxury Tanzania safaris
The full picture — parks, camps and how a Tanzania journey fits together.
The Great Migration
Where the herds are in your month, and how to place your camp.
When to go — all of Africa
The same month-by-month view across every country we work in.
Parks & reserves
The sixteen places we build safaris from.
Tell us your dates
and we will be straight with you
Send the weeks you can actually travel. If they are wrong for what you want to see, we will say so — and tell you what those dates are good for.
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