Ample wildlife, unique islands, colourful markets and pleasant individuals – Tanzania has all this and extra simply ready to be explored.
Wander cobbled streets on Zanzibar Island, marvel at an elephant silhouetted in opposition to a baobab tree in Tarangire park, clamber up steep slopes to encounter chimpanzees in Mahale Mountains park and all through, get pleasure from getting acquainted with Tanzanians and their tradition.
No matter you’re hoping to do, this information will aid you plan the proper time in your go to, with recommendations on the whole lot from the seasonal wildebeest migration to climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and catching some festivals.
June by way of September is the 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 direction of the greener grasses of Kenya’s Masai Mara, Kilimanjaro’s decrease slopes are mud-free and Zanzibar’s seashores beckon. Total, it’s an exquisite 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 focus round dwindling water sources and vegetation turns into extra sparse. Wildlife is more and more simple to spot and safari season is at its prime. Southern Tanzania’s Ruaha Nationwide Park is stuffed 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 best for trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro and on Mt Meru, in Arusha Nationwide Park, and for 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 ebook 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 principally dry, making this one other tremendous time for wildlife-watching, however with solely a fraction of the high-season crowds. Parks corresponding to Tarangire, which are at their best within the late dry season, are significantly 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 stroll beneath their purple canopies on a carpet of lavender blossoms.
In November, because the brief 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.
Through the Christmas and New 12 months’s vacation interval – roughly from mid-December by way of the primary week in January – costs briefly skyrocket, however on all sides of this, many lodges and camps supply interesting shoulder-season charges.
Tanzania’s hottest temperatures are typically in February, particularly alongside the coast, however birding is at its peak countrywide and the southeastern Serengeti is stuffed with exercise, with the wildebeest calving season in full swing. February can be the best month for seeing the orchids in Kitulo Nationwide Park, and for admiring the encircling 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 best time for inexperienced landscapes and decrease costs
Mid to late March marks the beginning of Tanzania’s primary wet season, when heavy downpours flip roads and climbing 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 vital reductions.
But, regardless of the moist, there’s nonetheless loads of sunshine, and in case your focus is on getting 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 simple to spot, the males resplendent of their colourful breeding plumage.
Anytime is pageant time
Regardless of while you journey to Tanzania, there’s possible to be a pageant or occasion someplace within the nation. Early February on Zanzibar brings the Sauti za Busara pageant, whereas late February in Moshi is the community-oriented Kilimanjaro Marathon. Again on Zanzibar, look ahead to the Zanzibar Worldwide Movie Competition in late June and Mwaka Kogwa festivities in late July. A spotlight round October or November on the mainland is the Bagamoyo Competition of Arts and Tradition.