Tanzania · Tanzania
October
End of dry season — wildebeest returning south, prices softening, and Kilimanjaro finishing its prime season.
Strong option
#7 of 12 months
There are better months for Tanzania — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
27°C
Low
13°C
Rain
55mm
Sun
8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How October scores in Tanzania
Weather
Very good
Value
Above average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in October
- ↑October is the transition month as the Serengeti ecosystem shifts from dry-season concentration to the approaching wet-season dispersal — the wildebeest herds return to the Southern Serengeti in advance of the calving season, and the resident predator population in the Seronera and Ndutu areas increases as the prey returns; game drives in central Serengeti in October can rival July in close-range cat sightings
- ↑The short rains (vuli) typically begin around October in coastal Tanzania and the islands — Dar es Salaam and the ferry connection to Zanzibar remain operational, and the first rains create the lush October/November landscape that is Zanzibar's most beautiful version
- ↑Prices are in their shoulder drop between dry-season peak and the budget January–May period — October offers good-quality safari conditions at post-peak pricing that is substantially more affordable than July–August without the rains of April–May
What you sacrifice
- ↓The short rains (vuli) can arrive in October on the eastern coast and begin creeping inland toward Arusha — some October visits see the first afternoon showers arriving in the northern circuit, softening the perfect dry-season conditions toward the end of the month
- ↓The migration is in a transitional state in October — neither at the drama of the July crossings nor the concentrated calving of February; safari visitors who specifically plan around either event will need to time carefully
- ↓Kilimanjaro prime season is ending: the mountain is still climbable and October success rates remain good, but the approaching short rains increase the probability of summit-day cloud cover; the first two weeks of October are preferable to the last two
How October compares to February (best month)
| Factor | October | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 8 |
| Value | 5 | 5 |
| Crowds | 5 | 5 |
October in other destinations
Lisbon (21.1°C)Barcelona (21.2°C)Tokyo (22.4°C)Bali (31.1°C)Santorini (20.9°C)Paris (16°C)New York (18.5°C)Marrakech (27.1°C)Amsterdam (14.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (20.7°C)Bangkok (30.6°C)Istanbul (19.2°C)Vienna (16.1°C)Seoul (18.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.2°C)Rio de Janeiro (27.6°C)Kyoto (22.8°C)Phuket (31.2°C)Cape Town (21.4°C)Prague (14°C)Amalfi Coast (22°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (15°C)Sydney (22°C)Iceland (6°C)Tulum (31°C)Dubai (34°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (29°C)Chiang Mai (30.5°C)Miami (30°C)Florence (19.8°C)Queenstown (15.5°C)Madrid (19.8°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (13°C)Copenhagen (13°C)Budapest (17°C)Kraków (13°C)Tbilisi (19°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (29°C)Osaka (22°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (22°C)Mykonos (22°C)Zanzibar (29°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (30°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (23°C)Seville (24°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (30°C)Havana (29°C)Split (20°C)Taipei (27°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (25°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (30°C)Cappadocia (19°C)Dominican Republic (30°C)Jamaica (31°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (24°C)Jordan (26°C)Azores (22°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (25.3°C)Cairo (30.6°C)Kenya (26.2°C)Jaipur (33.5°C)Las Vegas (28.8°C)San Francisco (20.3°C)Madeira (24°C)Vancouver (13.5°C)Muscat (35.2°C)Lima (19.5°C)Cinque Terre (20°C)Kotor (21°C)Tel Aviv (26°C)Santiago (22°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (14.8°C)Penang (31.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (28.5°C)Fez (26.4°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (26°C)Oslo (12°C)Auckland (18°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Tanzania, not across destinations. Methodology →