Our recommendations for when to go on safari

I will admit that we are rookies compared with the friends we travel with who have been visiting Africa for over 20 years. Our first trip to Africa was in 2015. We returned in 2018 and was going to return in 2020, but Covid-19 pushed that safari out to 2022 when we had a great visit to the Robin Pope camps in Zambia. We just returned from another trip to Kenya and Tanzania in August 2023. Our recommendations are then based more on what we have learned from our friends as well as online research, mixed in with our limited experiences.

Generally July-Oct is the hot dry season where the wildlife are gathered close to water as the watering holes are drying up. In fact, the great migration of the Wildebeest and Zebras through the Masa Mara is because of their search for green grass as they leave the hot-dried-up grass behind. Temperatures range between 75°F and 95°F, so you’ll enjoy warm, sunny days — just remember the nights can get much cooler, so pack accordingly.

June and November are considered shoulder seasons in most parts of Africa, which have milder temperatures, fewer people, and usually lower prices.

If you are planning to visit Zambia or Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls, it is best in April-June as it will be in high flow just after the rainy season. I would recommend June so that you can enjoy the falls as well as spend the shoulder season viewing local wildlife.

Heavy rains, long rains as they are called, can be expected in Kenya and Tanzania during April & May which is why they show up as not a good time for a safari below.

We visited Zambia in May 2022, during the Emerald Season. Everything was green and beautiful. We were one of the first in the camps. They had just completed the repairs from the flooding along the Luangwa River. River flows were still pretty high, and there was a lot of climbing up the river banks after crossing from the camps to the national park by boat for our game drives. In the summer months, you would cross an expanse of sand to get to the summer ferry which is loaded with your safari vehicle and ready for the crossing. An adventure all by itself.

We often get asked who we should use for guide services when we visit Africa. We have stayed at Robin Pope Safari Camps in Zambia and highly recommend them and would be happy to assist you with booking with them. One of the reasons we would recommend Robin Pope is that we booked our trip for 2020, but because of Covid, it was postponed to 2021 and then to 2022. We had them hold our deposit and we got full use of that deposit when we took our trip in 2022. Not every company we booked for 2020 vacations took care of us as well as Robin Pope Safaris. Keep in mind this safari experience is more expensive than some of the others that we have used, but worth every penny if you want to be catered to during your stay.

We used Gracepatt Eco Tours in Kenya and Tanzania in 2018 and and Gracepatt Safaris 2023 and also highly recommend them and again, would be happy to assist you with booking with them.

We also have a friend who guides in Kenya who we would recommend if your are looking for more of a cultural tour combined with a safari. She happens to be a member of our local Rotary Club and we enjoyed meeting up with her in September when we visited the Rotary Club Meeting to talk about the partnership between them and our local Lions Club. We delivered 50 pairs of readers to her in Nairobi and at the meeting in September, our Lions Club provided an additional 150 pairs of readers that the Rotary Club members will be taking to Nairobi in December.

It is always worthwhile to have a look at the websites for companies we use and recommend, but we are here to answer your question because based upon your interests, you may want or need a customized safari to see and do the things you want. We were self guided during our visit to South Africa in 2015 and this was the least expensive safari we have done. The only real downside to this type of safari is that you don’t get the heads-up from the other vehicles in the area when they spot something special, like a leopard in a tree, or a pride of lions. You have to find them on your own. Additionally, you have to do your own driving and also deal with your meals. You don’t come back to the camp after a game drive to find that your meals are ready in the dining room.

Speaking of costs, the other question we get asked is how much does a safari cost. You can spend $250 per person per day on the low end and over $1,000 per person per day for a high end safari. Take a look at the above links to get an idea of the basic costs.

I have been working closely with a company, Africa Answers, and have taken a lot of training with them so that I have recommendations for the other countries that we have not already visited. As noted above, I would be happy to assist you with finding the right guide service to meet your needs and your budget.

Many of us begin our plans for our next safari during the fall season as our families get together for the holidays. In fact, I will be making postings regularly over the next few months for safari options through Africa Answers.  The sooner you start your planning, the better your options for finding the right safari.

We have visited South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia in July and August and in Zambia also in May!