Safaris by season
The same reserve is a different place in July than it is in January. Start from the time of year you can get away, see what that season does to the bush across southern and East Africa and the Cape, and we will point you to the trip that makes the most of it.
The dry months, when the game viewing is at its finest
June to August
This is the season most people picture when they picture a safari. The bush is bare, the water is down to a handful of rivers and pans, and the animals come to them, so the Big Five viewing in the Kruger, the Sabi Sand and Botswana is as good as it gets all year. Mornings are cold and the skies are clear. Up in the Mara and the northern Serengeti the Great Migration reaches its crossings through July and August, the single most dramatic wildlife event on the continent. The Okavango runs its flood and its dry season at once, a rare combination that puts huge elephant herds on the water. If you only travel once, travel now.
Where it shines
Want the month-by-month detail before you choose? See our safari year at a glance, the best time to visit by country, or our guide to every month. Not sure which season suits your family or your budget? Tell one of our specialists when you can travel and we will shape the trip around it, one named person from the first email to the day you fly home.
