Plentiful wildlife, unique islands, colourful markets and pleasant folks – Tanzania has all this and extra simply ready to be explored.
Wander cobbled streets on Zanzibar Island, marvel at an elephant silhouetted towards a baobab tree in Tarangire park, clamber up steep slopes to come across chimpanzees in Mahale Mountains park and all through, take pleasure in getting acquainted with Tanzanians and their tradition.
No matter you’re hoping to do, this information will assist you plan the proper time to your go to, with tips about all the pieces from the seasonal wildebeest migration to climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and catching some festivals.
June by way of September is the very best time for wildlife-watching
June by way of September is Tanzania’s cooler, dry, excessive season. The wildebeest are hoofing it northwards on their migration in the direction of the greener grasses of Kenya’s Masai Mara, Kilimanjaro’s decrease slopes are mud-free and Zanzibar’s beaches beckon. Total, it’s a beautiful time to journey, with the one actual downsides being peak costs and bigger crowds.
In July and August, because the dry season progresses, animals start to pay attention round dwindling water sources and vegetation turns into extra sparse. Wildlife is more and more straightforward to identify and safari season is at its prime. Southern Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park is filled with animals, as is western Tanzania’s Katavi, with large pods of hippos combating for area across the few remaining mud wallows. In Gombe and Mahale Mountains parks, chimpanzees transfer decrease down the steep slopes, and monitoring them is normally simpler.
The dry season can be splendid for trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro and on Mt Meru, in Arusha National Park, and for mountain climbing in northeastern Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains. On the coast, temperatures and humidity are considerably decrease and the islands are crowded, however pleasant.
Particularly for safaris, Kilimanjaro treks and island getaways, it is important to e book prematurely.
October to February is ideal for birding and fewer crowds
In October, the beginning of Tanzania’s shoulder season, the climate stays sunny and largely dry, making this one other positive time for wildlife-watching, however with solely a fraction of the high-season crowds. Parks corresponding to Tarangire, which can be at their finest within the late dry season, are notably good. October additionally brings jacarandas to bloom, particularly within the north round Moshi and Arusha and within the southwest round Mbeya; it’s magnificent to walk beneath their purple canopies on a carpet of lavender blossoms.
In November, because the quick rains get underway, mango season begins – look ahead to buckets of ripe fruit alongside the roadsides from late November. That is additionally the beginning of peak birding season, as the primary of the migrants start arriving from the north.
Throughout the Christmas and New Yr’s vacation interval – roughly from mid-December by way of the primary week in January – costs briefly skyrocket, however on either side of this, many lodges and camps supply interesting shoulder-season charges.
Tanzania’s hottest temperatures are usually in February, particularly alongside the coast, however birding is at its peak countrywide and the southeastern Serengeti is filled with exercise, with the wildebeest calving season in full swing. February can be the very best month for seeing the orchids in Kitulo National Park, and for admiring the encompassing highlands, that are blanketed with wildflowers.
In northern Tanzania, the nice and cozy, dry interval between December and February is good for Kilimanjaro treks, whereas on the coast, the shoulder season months are optimum for recognizing whale sharks round Mafia Island.
March to Could is the very best time for inexperienced landscapes and decrease costs
Mid to late March marks the beginning of Tanzania’s principal wet season, when heavy downpours flip roads and hiking trails to mud. Many lodges, particularly alongside the coast and within the southern and western safari circuits, shut and people who do keep open typically supply important reductions.
But, regardless of the moist, there’s nonetheless loads of sunshine, and in case your focus is on attending to know Tanzania’s cultures, and exploring away from the crowds, this may be a really perfect time. Landscapes throughout the nation are sensible inexperienced and customer numbers are at their lowest. Someplace between late April – because the rains start to taper – and early June, the wildebeest begin their lengthy march northwestwards from their calving grounds within the southeastern Serengeti, and brightly-hued birds are straightforward to identify, the males resplendent of their colourful breeding plumage.
Anytime is competition time
Irrespective of if you journey to Tanzania, there’s more likely to be a competition or occasion someplace within the nation. Early February on Zanzibar brings the Sauti za Busara competition, whereas late February in Moshi is the community-oriented Kilimanjaro Marathon. Again on Zanzibar, look ahead to the Zanzibar International Film Festival in late June and Mwaka Kogwa festivities in late July. A spotlight round October or November on the mainland is the Bagamoyo Festival of Arts and Culture.
