When to go to the Ngorongoro Crater

Best Time To Go To Ngorongoro | When To Go To The Ngorongoro Crater

When going on holiday to Tanzania the chances are the aim of the trip is to either go for a safari, or to the beach or both. As a general rule of thumb, the best time to be in Tanzania on safari is in the dry season from July – October when the weather is dry and sunny. As the parks dry out, the bushes become less dense and the animals are easier to spot because of this, but also because they are forced to congregate to the remaining water holes. There are short rains in November (which sometimes trickle through into December, January and March) before the long rains which come in April and May. However, this is not to say December, January and February are not still excellent times to be in Tanzania…

Ngorongoro truly is an all year-round destination. Because it is an space of around 20 x 20 kilometres enclosed by the beautiful and dramatic crater rim, the animals really are there the whole time. It can get very busy in the peak season months of July and August – there may be slightly less tourists there in the rainy season. However, the crater is truly astonishing to behold so we can honestly say that it will always be busy, but don’t let this stop you ticking it off your list. One thing to note is that around the crater it is around 10 degrees colder than the rest of Tanzania – you will need to wrap up at night as in the winter months of June – September it can be as cold at 8 degrees. Rainfall is generally similar to the classic November short rains, with short bursts in January, less in February then picking up again for the long rains in March, April and May.  Though, as we have mentioned before, the crater is a phenomenal year-round safari spot.