Key Takeaways
- March is the quiet, green shoulder month — beautiful bush, few crowds and soft rates.
- The Victoria Falls are rising fast toward their April peak flow — dramatic and loud.
- The Serengeti still holds herds on its central and southern plains before the northward move.
- The Cape Winelands are in harvest — a fine time for Cape Town and the vineyards.
- Rains are easing; expect warm days, occasional storms and excellent value.
Is March a Good Month for an African Safari?
March is a connoisseur's month. It sits at the tail of the green season, so the bush is still thick and green and the wildlife is spread out, which means sightings take more patience than in the dry winter. In return you get a beautiful, living landscape, superb birding, almost no other vehicles, and some of the best rates of the year. For travellers who value peace and price over easy tick-list viewing, March is quietly one of the best months to go.
It is also a month of water. The summer rains have fed the Zambezi, so the Victoria Falls are rising fast toward their April peak — thunderous, misty and huge. For the full picture of when the Falls are at their best, see our Victoria Falls timing guide, and for the year at a glance, the Africa month-by-month safari guide.
Where to Go on Safari in Africa in March
1. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe & Zambia
March is the build-up to the Falls at full flood. The Zambezi is high, the spray rises hundreds of metres, and the rainforest walk is a soaking, dramatic affair. Pair it with a few nights on the river or in nearby Hwange or Chobe. For the detail on flow and activities month by month, see our Victoria Falls guide.
2. Central & Southern Serengeti, Tanzania
The wildebeest are still on the southern and central Serengeti plains in March, finishing the calving before they begin moving north. The bush is green, the camps are quiet, and the general game and birding are excellent. Time it with our Serengeti season guide.
3. Cape Town & the Winelands, South Africa
March in the Cape is warm, settled autumn — the tail of summer with fewer visitors, and the vineyards in the middle of harvest. It is a fine time for Cape Town, the Peninsula and a few days in the Winelands. Our Cape Town timing notes cover the shift.
4. South Luangwa, Zambia (Late Emerald)
Luangwa is in the last of its emerald season in March, green and water-rich, with strong birding and leopard sightings and the lowest rates before the dry-season camps reopen. It suits a traveller who wants the valley quiet and beautiful. See the South Luangwa guide.
5. Greater Kruger, South Africa
The greater Kruger in March is green and warm, with thinning summer storms and good value. Game viewing is harder in the tall grass than in winter, but the private reserves still deliver, and the birding is at its best. See the Kruger month-by-month guide.
March Weather Across Africa
March is the turning point of the southern African year. The summer rains are easing, so the bush is still green but the storms are fewer and lighter, and days are warm rather than fiercely hot. On the Zambezi, the catchment is full and the Victoria Falls are rising fast. Cape Town is in warm, settled autumn. Malaria risk in the low-lying reserves is still present in the wet-season tail, so take prophylaxis where advised.
Who Each Destination Suits This Month
- Value-seekers — Green-season rates with easing rains — one of the best price months of the year.
- Couples — Quiet camps, green bush and warm nights make March a calm, romantic month.
- Falls-chasers — The Victoria Falls are building to their biggest, loudest flow.
- Birders — Resident and late-migrant birds keep the birding excellent across the green bush.
- Wine lovers — The Cape Winelands harvest makes March a standout for Cape Town add-ons.
The Verdict: March in a Line
March is the quiet, green value month — a beautiful, uncrowded bush at soft rates, with the Victoria Falls rising to their thunderous peak and the Cape in warm harvest-time autumn. Come for peace, water and price, not for easy dry-season sightings.
Plan Your March Safari With Beyond Africa
We are a Cape Town-based, owner-run safari house, and we plan trips around the calendar every week of the year. Tell us the month you can travel and the wildlife you most want to see, and we build the whole thing around it — the right country, the right camp, the rooms before they go, and a route that puts you in the right place at the right hour. Whether that is the Falls at full flood or a quiet green-season camp in the Serengeti, we build March around calm bush and good value.
Ready to plan March in Africa? 👉 Request a tailor-made quote → 👉 Browse our safari packages → 👉 WhatsApp us: +27 78 471 4852
