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When to go on African Safaris?
Often those people interested in embarking on African safaris wonder what time of the year is best for their intended trip. Most people are of the opinion that the best time to visit Africa is in the local winter or dry season. Below I will explain this and other theories and help you decide on the ideal time for your African safari.
I will only comment on safaris to Southern Africa, as this is where I operate and where I obtained all my experience. I am sure that the principles mentioned here can easily be applied to East Africa as well.
The Rainy Season
Southern Africa’s traditional safari destinations experience the rainy season from mid-November to mid-March. This coincides with the local summer.
Most people try to avoid the rain as driving around and photographing the wildlife just seems more fun in sunny weather, especially if you sit at the back of an open Land Rover. Cloudy conditions are also not a photographer’s favourite as the lighting tend to be not-so-exciting.
However, I am not averse to photographic or general safaris in the rainy season. If one's portfolio only had pictures taken in the dry season, it would surely be lacking, so I have no choice. You do, so let's look at the advantages.
A Male Leopard at the Mala Mala Game Reserve, rated by many
as the world's top destination for African safaris.
Copyright © Dries Cronje
Advantages of going on an African safari in the rainy season:
The rainy season is the season of abundance in the African bush. There are lots of water. The green grass and trees offer plenty of food for the herbivores. You can sense the uplifted spirit amongst the animals and this will show in your photography.
Most of the grazers and primates are with young, and this offers the viewer and photographer opportunities to spend some time with the babies. The next generation is adorable and fun to watch. They are also full of energy and offer marvellous opportunities for action photography (they hardly ever sit still!).
Summer rain in the Southern African bush tend to be in the form of quick but intensive afternoon thunderstorms. This means that most of the day will be glorious summer weather apart from a short time in the afternoon. And that is only for those days where any rain were predicted…
Due to the thunderstorms, photographers have good opportunities to capture their subjects with heavy and dramatic skies in the background. This enhances the resulting photograph considerably.
I have taken some excellent lightning photographs during the late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms. The opportunity to do this is an added bonus to photographers at this time of the year.
The Dry Season
Traditionally, this has been known as the best time of the year to go on African safaris. The dry season starts mid-March and lasts till mid-November, and coincides with Southern Africa’s winter time.
So, why is this time of the year the more popular?
First, temperatures are modest, and this makes it slightly easier to get through the day (it is cold at night though and you might need a beanie for early morning game drives). The number of malaria mosquitoes are also much lower than during the rainy season, and some months (July and August) have near zero malaria infection rates.
There is no surface water in the bush, and natural springs tend to stop flowing... Why is this important? This means that the animals have to approach water sources accessible by tourists and photographers to come and drink. If you wait patiently, you will see those elusive cats.
The bush tends to be less dense. Therefore, the animals can be found and watched easier. However, I feel that a qualified ranger should be able to provide you with good game watching at any time of the year, and at the top destinations, find you the big five within a short time period.
A final advantage of African safaris in the dry season is that the photographs taken will have that famous brown African look that is caused by dry grass and dust. I prefer these, but also have a good collection of pictures taken in the greener and wetter rainy season.
Conclusion
My personal favourite time of the year is the two transition periods between the seasons. These periods have some of the advantages of both seasons, and is not too hot or too cold.
However, you should not give any acknowledgement to my favourite time of the year for African safaris. I am lucky enough to go on safari monthly. This allows me see all the different moods of the Southern African bush.
I have given you my list of advantages of the two main seasons experienced in sunny Southern Africa. Unfortunately, you need to decide for yourself (I know this is hard, as we all want to be in Africa all year round). At least you can now make an informed decision...
If you have been to Southern Africa once, I challenge you to arrange your second visit at a different time of year and to come see for yourself the amazing diversity that this lovely part of our planet has to offer. Enjoy your trip!
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