CLIMATE:
Tanzania's weather varies from humid and hot in low lying areas such as Dar es Salaam, to hot during the day and cool at night in Arusha. There are no discernible seasons such as Winter and Summer, only the dry and wet seasons. Tanzania has two rainy seasons: the short rains from late-October to late-December, a.k.a. the Mango Rains, and the long rains from March to May.
Note: Many popular resorts and tourist attractions on Zanzibar and Mafia Island Marine Park close during the long rains, and many trails in the national parks are impassable during this period, so in most cases tours are restricted to the main roads in the parks. Travelers should plan their trip accordingly. During the dry season temperatures can easily soar to above 35°C in Dar. You should seek shelter from the sun during the midday heat and use copious amounts of sunblock, SPF 30+.
Best times to visit are:
- June to August: This is the tail-end of the long rainy season and the weather is at its best at this time of year. Bearable during the day and cool in the evening. However, this is not necessarily the best time of year for safaris as water is plentiful in the parks and animals aren't forced to congregate in a few locations to rehydrate, such as in the middle of the dry season right after Christmas.
- January to February: This is the best time to visit the Serengeti as it is usually at this time that huge herds of Wildebeest, Zebra and Buffalo migrate to better grazing areas. At this period you could observe some of the 1.5 million Wildebeest that inhabit the Serengeti undertake their epic journey. Be advised this is probably the hottest time of year in Tanzania when even the locals complain about the heat. You've been warned!
| Climate |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
High(°C) |
35 |
35 |
34 |
30 |
30 |
28 |
27 |
27 |
28 |
30 |
34 |
35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Low(°C) |
25 |
25 |
23 |
21 |
21 |
20 |
18 |
18 |
21 |
24 |
25 |
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
