Plan My Safari
There is no bad month — only months that suit different trips
The continent runs on two opposite rainfall patterns, plus a Mediterranean north and an island belt with its own moods. Whatever weeks you can get away, something is at its peak somewhere — so we move the destination to fit your dates instead of asking you to move your dates.
Jun – Oct
Thin bush, animals tied to the last water, cool mornings, little rain across East and Southern Africa. Migration river crossings from July. The easiest Big Five viewing of the year, and the most competitive beds.
Nov – Mar
Calving in the southern Serengeti, emerald country, newborn animals, storm light — and the same suites 20–40% below peak. Also prime season for Cape Town, Egypt and the Seychelles.
Their own clock
Cape Town is a summer city — November to March. Egypt is comfortable October to April. Morocco peaks in spring and autumn. Zanzibar and Diani have two dry windows a year, not one.
Choose the month you can travel
Weather, Big Five, migration, gorillas, cities, beaches and rates for that month — plus where we would send you, and what we would skip.
If this is your priority, go then
Most travelers arrive with one thing they will not compromise on. Find yours, then check it against your dates.
Which countries can actually deliver all five
Lion, elephant and buffalo are the easy part. Leopard needs private land, and rhino decides everything — which is why some famous safari countries cannot honestly claim the full five. Here is the truth, country by country, so you can choose with your eyes open.
No operator can guarantee wild animals. What we can do is put you in the few places where all five are resident and protected, give you enough nights to be patient, and never sell you a route that quietly relies on luck.
Every destination, every month
Find your month along the top, then read down. The four words below are what each colour actually means for your trip.
Scroll the table sideways on a phone. These bands describe conditions, not enjoyment — we run superb trips in every one of them, and the green months are where the value lives. Where a month is genuinely a poor bet for a place, we say so rather than sell it.
Timing questions we are asked most
Send the dates you have and we will tell you honestly what they are good for
If your window is wrong for what you are hoping to see, we will say so and suggest what fits instead — a different park, a different coast, or a different month. Evance grew up with these seasons; Jenny plans around them every week.