When to go to Ruaha

Best Time To Go To Ruaha | When To Go To Ruaha

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…

Temperature-wise Ruaha is constantly in the late 20’s and early 30’s throughout the year – the nights never get too cold with the minimum temperature at 14 degrees in the middle of Tanzania’s winter in July. In Ruaha the separation of the short and the long rains are slightly more blurred than in the rest of Tanzania. In December it begins to rain at around 19 days of the month and this continues through to April and tends to drop down again at some point in May. The camps are shut in May so be warned this is not a good month to go! You will find it will be very wet still in this month and accessibility would be an issue.

However, from June up until the end of October there is practically no rainfall at all. Ruaha is a very seasonal park in terms of wildlife – the bush can be dense in the more rainy months and so the wildlife is difficult to spot (more so than in the flat Serengeti plains, for instance). We would say for maximum game viewing opportunities and excellent value for money, look to September and October for some excellent free night deals in our favourite Ruaha lodges… Interestingly, the rain is actually it’s heaviest in December and January, as opposed to the classically rainy season months of April and May which could waver your decision to go for a Christmas break. However, we have had many clients who have seen an array of rare and wonderful wildlife in February… As with any safari, it is down to luck on the day!