Africa is a huge continent, and luckily this means that at any time of the year there is somewhere extraordinary to visit. Safari Africa can roughly be divided into East and Southern Africa.

Best time to go on safari in East Africa


East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda) is at it’s best in their winter months of mid-June to October when the parks are dry, the weather sunny and the wildlife excellent. The peak wildlife season in Southern Africa is actually fairly similar with the best months being from May through until the end of October. 

One thing to be conscious of is when to go to avoid the rainy seasons in each region. East Africa has two rainy seasons and is mainly dry and nice in between these rains. The short rains come in November, and then there is a mostly dry break between then and late March when the long rains arrive, lasting until the end of May. November is still a good time to visit for fantastic wildlife, though April and May should probably always be avoided in East Africa as it is really very wet.

There are, of course variations of this from country to country and area to area, so if you are not sure when to go to where, just pick up the phone and ask an Odyssey expert.We can also let you know the best times to go to maximise wildlife opportunity whilst avoiding peak season prices... 

Best time to go on safari in Southern Africa


Southern Africa only has one rainy season, and it can be pretty dramatic! It begins to rain in November and this relentless downpour persists until April time when it starts to clear up and the long dry season kicks in. Because of lack of rain, towards the end of the dry season the wildlife can be exceptional – the animals congregate around the remaining water holes, and it is pretty explosive. Going to Southern Africa in October is really the peak of wildlife viewing, though it is very very hot in areas so if you are not a lover of the heat this should be avoided!

Please see the links above for the best times to visit each cuntry and also the best countries to visit in each month.

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