Tanzania · Tanzania
May
Long rains continue — the Serengeti remains challenging, but conditions begin improving toward month's end.
Worth considering
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Tanzania — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
23°C
Low
13°C
Rain
165mm
Sun
5.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Tanzania
Weather
Below average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Low
Atmosphere
Average
What you gain in May
- ↑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
- ↑Arusha and northern Tanzania's highland towns (Moshi, Karatu) are cooler and more comfortable in May than in the searing heat of January–March; for mountaineering preparation and trekking in the montane forests below the Kilimanjaro snowfields, May's cooler temperatures are physically preferable to July's cold summit nights combined with hot lower slopes
What you sacrifice
- ↓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
How May compares to February (best month)
| Factor | May | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 8 |
| Value | 8 | 5 |
| Crowds | 8 | 5 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Kenya (26.1°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Santiago (17°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (27.8°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (28°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Tanzania, not across destinations. Methodology →