The best time to visit Tanzania by month and region

In short

The most reliable time for a safari in northern Tanzania is the dry season from June to October. A second good window is December to March in the Ndutu region of the southern Serengeti, where the wildebeest calve from January to March. But the rainy season does not mean ’no safari’: according to TANAPA, the Serengeti remains accessible all year round, the access road to Ruaha is passable all year, and the country turns green instead of dusty. The region matters more than the individual month, because the north and the south follow different rainfall patterns.

Two rainy seasons in the north, one in the south

According to the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), Tanzania has two rainfall regimes. Bimodal means two rainy seasons per year, unimodal only one. This distinction explains why the north and the south have very different conditions at the same time.

Nationwide, June to September is the driest period. The warmer season lasts from October to February or March, the cooler one from May to August. The Kilimanjaro Airport station, the approximation for Arusha and the north, shows how great the differences between the months are: in July, an average of only 3.5 mm of rain falls there, compared with 131.5 mm in April, with daytime highs of 26.2 °C to 33.7 °C.

Tanzania by month

The table brings together the seasons by region. It is based on the TMA’s rainfall regimes, TANAPA’s park information and the climate normals of the weather stations from 1991 to 2020.

All figures are a guide: the TMA emphasises that the weather varies from year to year; January 2024, for example, was the wettest January since 1970.

The parks through the year

Serengeti

According to TANAPA, Serengeti National Park is accessible all year round. Every part of the park can be reached in every season. The park authority names the dry season from June to October as the best time for the migration. Based on the experience of the Wildfinder team in Arusha, the wildebeest calve from January to March in the Ndutu region; the best time to travel for this is December to March. The Serengeti is a single national park. North, south, centre and west are regions within it, not separate parks. A rough guide to the climate of the western Serengeti is the Musoma station on Lake Victoria: daytime highs of 28.2 °C to 29.4 °C, with the rainfall peak in April at 162.6 mm.

Tarangire

From July to November, according to TANAPA, Tarangire National Park has an exceptional density of wildlife. In October, according to TANAPA, the park records the second-highest density of large mammals in the world, directly behind the Ngorongoro Crater.

Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara National Park can be visited all year round. TANAPA names the dry season from June to October and the months of January and February as the most popular times.

Ngorongoro

For the Ngorongoro Crater, the conservation area authority NCAA states a dry season from June to October and a rainy season from November to May. Depending on altitude, temperatures between 3 °C and 35 °C are possible; the coolest months are June to August.

Nyerere

In Nyerere National Park, the dry season lasts from June to around November. From December to February the park is green and, according to TANAPA, mostly easily accessible. Boat safaris on the Rufiji River are among the officially listed activities. Nyerere was created in 2019 from the northern part of the Selous Game Reserve; the rest of the Selous still exists.

Ruaha

Ruaha National Park has a dry season from June to October and a rainy season from November to May; according to TANAPA, temperatures range between 16 °C and 27 °C. In October, according to TANAPA, the Great Ruaha River dwindles to a trickle in places. According to TANAPA, the access road is passable all year round. For context: the Iringa station at 1,428 m above sea level records daytime highs of 24.7 °C to 29.4 °C and no measurable rain in July and August.

Zanzibar and the coast

Zanzibar lies in the bimodal zone and shares the rhythm of the coast: Masika from March to May, Vuli from October to December. The station values show daytime highs of 29.0 °C to 33.2 °C and night-time lows of 21.0 °C to 24.5 °C. When it comes to rainfall, the extremes are far apart: the long-term average is 30.8 mm in July and 408.5 mm in April. April is therefore the wettest month at the station.

There is no one clear best month for Zanzibar in this data. For comparison with the mainland coast: Dar es Salaam records 15.8 mm in July and 263.6 mm in April, with daytime highs of 29.7 °C to 32.8 °C and night-time lows of 19.1 °C to 24.9 °C. If you combine a safari with days by the sea, you can add Zanzibar to your route.

What the rainy season means for your safari

The rainy season above all means one thing: the country turns green. From January to March it is calving season in the Ndutu region in the south of the Serengeti; around 500,000 wildebeest calves are born there within about 3 weeks, peaking in February. This was the finding of a study in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to the park authority, the access roads also remain largely open: all parts of the Serengeti are accessible all year round, the access road to Ruaha National Park is passable all year, and Nyerere is mostly easy to reach from December to February. What to pack for changeable weather is listed in the packing list for Tanzania. The trips offered by Wildfinder Safaris are sample itineraries: the team in Arusha adapts the duration, parks and standard to fit your enquiry.

And the Great Migration?

The herds follow a rough annual rhythm: from December to April they are in the south of the Serengeti, where they calve from January to March in the Ndutu region, from August in the north at the Mara River, and from October they move south again. Which months suit which region of the Serengeti, and what the river crossings involve, is explained in the dedicated article on the Great Migration in the Serengeti. The trip 11-Day Great Migration Southern Serengeti suits the calving in the south, the trip 11-Day Great Migration Northern Serengeti the river crossings in the north.

Malaria is present all year

The German Federal Foreign Office states a high year-round malaria risk for Tanzania, explicitly including the national parks and Zanzibar. The authority does not mention any seasonal variation, so the choice of travel month does not change the risk. Which prophylaxis and which vaccinations are advisable is explained in the article on vaccinations for Tanzania.

Frequently asked questions about the best time to visit Tanzania