Afrinolla — Tanzania northern-circuit safaris: which | afrinolla.com
There is no single best month: about 1.3–1.5 million wildebeest and roughly 250,000 zebra move around an 800 km loop all year, so the right month is the one that matches the phase you want.
Late January and February are calving season on the Ndutu plains in the southern Serengeti. At the height of it, around 8,000 wildebeest calves are born per day, and the herds sit concentrated on the short-grass plains instead of moving.
March to May brings the long rains — the wettest quarter of the year on the circuit — and the herds drift off the southern plains and begin working north and west.
June opens the dry season, which runs to October with 20–28 °C days and 8–14 °C nights on the plains. Through these months the herds press through the western corridor, where the Grumeti crossings precede the main event further north.
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July to October is the Mara River crossing window. Crossings concentrate in these four months, but herds can wait several days at a drift before going over at any moment, so no single date can be guaranteed — and the known drifts draw the heaviest vehicle concentrations of the year.
November and December bring the short rains, and the herds turn south again toward Ndutu, where the next calving season starts the cycle over.
Once a phase is chosen, cost the trip with the ranges on Tanzania Park Fees and Permits, then work through Tanzania Safari Packing and Day Plan to fit the 15–20 kg flight limit and the 06:00–18:00 gate hours.
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