The Serengeti

May to August is generally cool and dry, while it gets warmer but stays dry from September onwards until about late October.

During this time, the wildebeest are generally in the Central Serengeti, taking advantage of the fresh grazing. Many of the females will be pregnant after the rut in about May, and so need nutritious grasses and plenty of water. By July and August, some have generally crossed the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor of the Serengeti and are starting to mass along the Mara River, getting ready to cross into the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

By October, the weather is hot and dry, and most of the wildebeest will have left the Serengeti. The remaining game will be gathered around waterholes as grazing and water start to dwindle. This is a boon for predators that ambush grazers at watering points.

Dry season is generally considered peak season and visitor numbers are at their highest from about July as visitors hope to see herds of wildebeest cross various rivers. This is a very unpredictable and dramatic spectacle as not only do they have to contend with currents and eroding river banks but also territorial hippos, enormous crocodiles and opportunistic predators. There is no way to know when the wildebeest will cross: they may not do so for days and have even been known to turn back and retrace their steps away from the Mara River!

Green season is the prettiest time on the Serengeti. Spring rains or the ‘short rains’ occur in November and December, bringing relief to the game as grazing is revitalised and rivers replenished. Trees and fields burst into bloom, butterflies hatch and the first migrant birds start arriving from the northern hemisphere.

The wildebeest are generally starting to trickle back into the Serengeti from the Masai Mara by now and will be massing in the Southern Serengeti. Around February, the females generally ‘drop’ their young en masse and thousands of calves can be seen. This gives them a higher individual chance of survival. Cheetahs are known to be particularly active during the birthing season. Thomson’s gazelle also time their births for after the rainy seasons to take advantage of the lush grass and plentiful water. Again, predators move in although ‘Tommies’ are among the fastest of all gazelles so you may witness them outrunning hyenas, lions or even cheetahs.

The ‘long rains’ arrive in about March and continue until about May. They’re so-named not because there is continuous rain for three months but because the rainy spell lasts longer than the earlier short rains. The rainstorms tend to be short deluges and it’s possible to drive around the rain: the characteristic flatness of the Serengeti allows you to see where the downpours are happening.

Visitor numbers are lower at this time although keen photographers enjoy capturing plenty of action against stunning emerald-green backdrops. In addition, birders love ticking off the migrants and three endemics (grey-breasted spurfowl, Fischer’s lovebird and rufous-tailed weavers).