Tanzania · Month comparison
May vs February
February ranks #1 overall vs May at #11. Peak calving season — the Serengeti's most dramatic predator activity and the finest wildlife photography month.
May
#11 of 12 months
Worth considering
Long rains continue — the Serengeti remains challenging, but conditions begin improving toward month's end.
- ↑May is the second cheapest month in Tanzania and the accommodation rates are often negotiable further beyond published rates — permanent tented camps and lodges with very low occupancy will offer reductions on longer stays; a 7-night Tanzania stay in late May can cost less than 2 nights in July at equivalent properties
- ↑Late May sees the first signs of the dry season approaching: rainfall begins to ease, the Serengeti roads start to recover, and a small number of mobile camps begin setting up for the June dry season arrival; late-May visits can capture improving conditions at still-low prices
February
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Peak calving season — the Serengeti's most dramatic predator activity and the finest wildlife photography month.
- ↑February is the peak of wildebeest calving season: the concentrated births in Ndutu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area draw the largest single-point density of predators in the Serengeti ecosystem; lion prides, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, and hyena all converge on the calving grounds, and game drives in the Ndutu woodlands offer multi-predator sightings in a single morning
- ↑The green Serengeti landscape during the short dry season is at its most photogenic in February: the golden grass mixed with post-rain green, the dramatic skies between dry and wet patterns, and the full animal population (all species present before the migration begins moving north) create the richest biodiversity month of the year
| Factor | May | February |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 8 |
| Value score | 8 | 5 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 5 |
| Events score | 2 | 9 |
| Atmosphere | 4 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 23°C | 29°C |
| Monthly rain | 165mm | 65mm |
| Daily sunshine | 5.5hrs | 8.5hrs |
May trade-offs
- ↓165mm of rain with only 5.5 sunshine hours daily continues the sustained wet-season safari limitations — game drives on muddy tracks in 4WD vehicles are possible but limited in range; the full Serengeti circuit and Ngorongoro Crater floor access are often restricted to a few passable routes
- ↓The northern migration has stalled or reversed — wildebeest and zebra are scattered across the wet-season grazing grounds in dispersed patterns that make concentrated game viewing less rewarding than either the calving season or the dry-season crossing months
- ↓Mosquito populations peak in the weeks after the long rains, and malaria transmission is at its highest from April through June; prophylaxis, repellent, and long-sleeved clothing for evening activities are non-negotiable
February trade-offs
- ↓February's calving fame means the Ndutu area is the busiest part of Tanzania's safari circuit during this month — multiple vehicles around a predator-prey interaction are common; while regulations limit simultaneous vehicles at kills, the experience is not solitary
- ↓Accommodation in the Ndutu area (the small number of mobile camps permitted to operate within the Ndutu Conservation Area) books 6–12 months in advance for February; standard Serengeti lodges outside the zone have availability but miss the concentrated action
- ↓The long rains typically begin in mid-to-late March — some February rain forecasts can be inaccurate, and very occasionally the long rains arrive early; cloud cover during the first showers reduces photographic light quality
Scores compare months within Tanzania. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →