When is the best time for an East Africa Safari ?

When is the best time for an East Africa Safari ?

Wildebeest Migration on a East Africa Safari

I get this question regularly and now I will explain it to you. There is no short answer to this as it all depends on what you want to experience, but I will explain to you what you can experience and when will be the best time to experience it.

If you are a "BUDGET" traveler

If you are a budget traveler then I suggest you look at the low season.

In the low season you will see as many Wildlife as you will in peak season but the only down fall is that you might have a few days of rain during your East Africa Safari, is that a bad thing? NO not at all but make sure you have a 4x4 instead of a minibus. What I like about the Low rainy season is that there are much less dust.

The Low season starts in April and ends on the 25th of May each year. During the Low season is also when the mating season starts which will provide you with a little bit of "WILD SEX" if you catch my drift. This is also the time of year when the Wildebeests starts to regroup. Bookings for this time of year will need to be booked around 4-6 months ahead.

Birthing season

If you want to experience the birthing season you need to make sure you get your bookings in early (6-9 months ahead ) as this is also a very popular time for travelers to visit the Serengeti, there are about 600 000 baby Wildebeests and Zebras that are born in this time and all of this is happening from around mid January to mid February each year. This time of year is HIGH season for your East African Safari.

Mating season

Please read the budget section for more info.

Buffalo Bull smelling for the right females.

Wildebeest Migration crossing the famous Mara River

This is peak peak peak season !!!!!!!

To see the Wildebeest crossing the Mara River from Tanzania into Kenya is just spectacular and that's why you see so much of this on telly, it is absolutely breathtaking. So when is this happening? It normally starts around mid to end of July but it also depends on the rain season as the only reason for the continuous moving of the Wildebeest are for food (grass). The safest bet would be to try and do this as close as to the end of August and also try and get accommodation for at least 3-5 nights as it has happened in the past that we will wait for three days but they don't cross they only laugh at us from the other side of the river bed. This crossing normally continuous for about 2-3 months and then they cross back into Tanzania around the end of October. Booking for this needs to be done at least 6-12 months ahead.

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Elephants in Amboseli - Kenya