Nature's Calendar

January is high summer throughout Southern Africa. This means glorious weather in the Cape, the Winelands and Garden Route. North of the Cape, summer brings refreshing rains which are lightest in the West; Namibia and Botswana, and heavier in the east; Zambia, the Kruger and Mozambique. This also brings lower prices so talk to us because you can still enjoy superb safaris at this time. Weather and game viewing is excellent right across Kenya, Uganda and Northern Tanzania.

It’s mayhem in the Serengeti as 400,000 wildebeest calves are born in a few frantic weeks. The Great Migration then gets underway. Weather right across the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Masai Mara and the whole of Kenya is very good as it is on Zanzibar. Thundershowers in the arid Makgadigadi Pans can bring a spectacular zebra migration, so combine this with great value for money safaris in the Okavango Delta. Why not round off your holiday in sunny Cape Town?

Autumn in the Cape brings rich colours and harvests – it’s many peoples’ favourite time to visit. Low season prices prevail in Namibia, where sparse summer rains have clothed parts of the desert in shimmering grasses. Take the opportunity to see the Skeleton Coast and desert elephants of Damaraland. In the Serengeti 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle are migrating northwards, heading for the fearsome crocodiles of the Grumeti River.

The main rains are falling across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda so for the best game viewing head south. Victoria Falls is at its magnificent best and safaris are excellent across the Okavango delta and the Kalahari desert, including Tswalu in South Africa. The Cape continues to enjoy quite good weather so you might choose this quieter time to visit. KwaZulu Natal is also looking beautiful so this is a good month to visit the Drakensberg mountains and Boer and Zulu war battlefield sites.

Rains continue in East Africa, though any time of year is good to see the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda. Prices in Kenya and Tanzania are lower yet you can still enjoy fine game viewing in carefully chosen locations in the Serengeti and Kenya at this quieter time for tourism. Combine your safari with a week in Mauritius or some island hopping in the sunny Seychelles. This is a great time to visit the Okavango delta, Kalahari and Namibia and some places have mid-season prices.

The Great Migration continues its relentless progress through the beautiful Western Corridor and into Northern Serengeti. Visit Kenya’s private reserves to see how they are pioneering rhinoceros and endangered wildlife conservation. Try a horseback safari among the giraffe in sight of snow- capped Kilimanjaro. Game viewing conditions continue to be excellent in the Okavango delta and Namibia and the delightful bushcamps of the Luangwa valley are opening.

It’s generally dry weather and excellent safari conditions right across Africa. The annual “flood” is entering the Okavango delta, visibly raising water levels, while diminishing ground water is causing large herds of elephant and plains game to gather across Northern Botswana, Hwange and the Etosha Pan. Try chimpanzee tracking beside remote Lake Tanganyika, combining this with a spectacular fly in safari to Ruaha, Katavi and the Selous in Southern Tanzania.

Time for family safari and the good news is that the weather and safari conditions remain excellent throughout Africa. Teenagers will love the challenge of canoeing or rafting the Zambezi and tracking elephant and lion on foot in Zambia’s South Luangwa valley. Younger children can learn the skills of a Masai warrior on Loisaba private reserve in Kenya. We know all the best places with amazing family accommodation from Elsa’s Kopje to Mkombe’s incredible private house in the Serengeti.

The big cats of the Masai Mara are very active as the plains are filled with the Great Migration of zebra, gazelle and wildebeest. September is absolute prime time for a safari anywhere in Africa, from Etosha where rhinoceros mingle with a host of plains game to Mana Pools where you can safari by boat, canoe, vehicle and on foot in this World Heritage Site. KwaZulu Natal also offers exciting safaris alongside a chance to experience zulu culture and relax on deserted beaches.

It’s warming up across Africa and months of dry conditions everywhere make this one of the most spectacular times to safari as animals gather in ever larger herds around precious groundwater. The Lower Zambezi is mobbed by elephant drinking and swimming in the Zambezi River making camps like Chiawa and Sausage Tree amazing places to stay. Tarangire, the vast Selous and Mahale are all at their best. This is also a prime time to visit Mauritius and the delightful Seychelles or Lake Malawi.

Thundershowers bring excitement across Central and East Africa. Wildebeest migrate across Zambia’s remote Liuwa plains, as 100,000 elephant across Botswana long for the first showers to restore groundwater from Savuti to the Kalahari. Meanwhile the main wildebeest migration heads south through the eastern part of the Serengeti, passing close to Ngorongoro where the photography can be spectacular at this time of year. Further south it’s springtime in the Cape.

Book early for Christmas – especially in Cape Town, the Winelands and Garden Route where summer is well and truly here. Round off your family holiday with an unforgettable malaria free safari in the Eastern Cape or further north in Madikwe. The Big Five are all there. Safari conditions are outstanding across Northern Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, from superb private reserves like Borana to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where the mountain gorilla reigns supreme.