Weather by region

14 curated seasonal guides — plus live current conditions when you have a signal. Offline, the seasonal guidance below always loads.

Month-by-month climate

Long-term averages (1991-2023, Open-Meteo Historical Archive) — a climate normal, not a forecast. Pick a month to compare regions.

Select a month to see average temperatures and rainfall likelihood for each region.

Tanzania

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Kilimanjaro (by altitude zone)

Dry: Jun-Oct and Dec-Feb - wet: Mar-May

Kilimanjaro stacks five climate zones on one mountain. The forest belt from 1,800 to 2,800 m is warm and damp. The moorland from 2,800 to 4,000 m is cool and often misty. The alpine desert from 4,000 to 5,000 m swings from blazing daytime sun to below freezing at night. Above 5,000 m, on the summit night, expect -10C to -20C with wind chill. Climbing in the dry seasons of June to October and December to February gives the clearest conditions; the long rains fall from March to May.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Dar es Salaam (coastal)

Hot and humid year-round - long rains Mar-May, short rains Nov-Dec

Coastal Tanzania is warm and humid all year, with daytime temperatures typically between 28C and 33C. The long rains fall from March to May and the short rains in November and December; outside those windows the city is mostly sunny with a sea breeze. The best months for a city visit are June to October, when it is drier and noticeably less humid.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Northern safari circuit

Dry: Jun-Oct - green: Nov-May, with a short dry window in Jan-Feb

The Serengeti and Ngorongoro region has one long dry season from June to October, when the grass is short and wildlife concentrates around water. The short dry window in January and February is excellent for the calving season on the southern Serengeti plains. The green season from November to May brings afternoon showers, lush scenery, lower prices and superb birding, though some tracks become difficult.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Southern safari circuit

Dry: Jun-Oct (peak) - warmer and greener: Nov-Apr

The south, covering Nyerere, Ruaha and Mikumi, is hot and dry from June to October, which is the best window for game viewing and for boat safaris on the Rufiji. From November to April the region is warmer and greener with occasional heavy showers; roads in Ruaha can become impassable, so check conditions before travelling in the wet months.

Kenya

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Kenyan coast (Mombasa, Diani, Lamu)

Hot and humid year-round · calm, driest Jan–Mar & Jul–Oct · long rains Apr–May · short rains Nov–Dec

Coastal Kenya hovers at 28–33 °C day and 22–25 °C night all year, with sea breezes doing the real work. The long rains (April–May) bring the heaviest downpours and some hotel closures; the December–March and July–October windows deliver the calmest seas for reef trips.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Nairobi & Maasai Mara highlands

Dry and warm Jan–Feb · long rains Mar–May · cool, dry Jun–Oct (Migration) · short rains Nov–Dec

Elevation rules this band: Nairobi sits at ~1,800 m and the Mara at 1,500–2,000 m, so mornings are genuinely cool (5–12 °C on dawn drives) and midday rarely exceeds 28 °C. The Mara’s July–October dry season coincides with the Migration; April is the wettest, greenest and quietest month.

Uganda

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Bwindi, Kibale & the southwest highlands

Cool and damp by definition · driest Jun–Aug & Dec–Feb · rainiest Mar–May & Sep–Nov

The gorilla forests sit at 1,200–2,400 m: expect 10–23 °C, mist, and rain in any month — the driest windows simply mean *less* rain, not none. Trek-day kit is non-negotiable: waterproof boots, rain shell, and dry bags. Kibale runs slightly warmer than the Bwindi sectors.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Entebbe, Kampala & Lake Victoria shore

Warm year-round · drier Dec–Feb & Jun–Aug · wet Mar–May & Sep–Nov

Lake Victoria flattens Uganda’s temperatures: 24–29 °C days, 16–19 °C nights, with thunderstorm bursts in the two rainy windows. Jinja and the central corridor share this rhythm — the “dry” months still reward a packable rain layer.

Rwanda

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Kigali & the Volcanoes highlands

Mild year-round · drier Jun–Sep & Dec–Feb · rainiest Mar–May · short rains Oct–Nov

The Land of a Thousand Hills runs cool for the equator: Kigali at 1,500 m sees 26–28 °C days, while Musanze and the Volcanoes trailheads (2,000–2,500 m) wake to 8–12 °C mist. Nyungwe and Lake Kivu share the rhythm — dry-season trekking, a rain layer always.

Botswana

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Kalahari & Gaborone (central/southern Botswana)

Continental swings · warm days, cold nights May–Aug · hot Sep–Oct · summer rains Nov–Mar

The Kalahari runs bigger extremes than the north: frosty June–August nights (near 0 °C in the CKGR), 35–40 °C October afternoons, and dramatic summer thunderstorms that turn Deception Valley into a green sea with new-born game.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Okavango Delta & Chobe (northern Botswana)

Dry and cool May–Aug · hot, building Sep–Oct · rains Nov–Mar · shoulder Apr

Safari weather at its purest: crisp dawns (5–12 °C) through June–August, brutal building heat into October (35 °C+), then summer rains that green everything and scatter the game. The Delta flood peaks June–August, conveniently inside the best game-viewing window.

Namibia

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Etosha & the far north (Kunene, Zambezi)

Dry, cool May–Aug (best game) · scorching Sep–Oct (waterhole drama) · rains Nov–Mar (green, game dispersed)

Etosha’s dry season is the point: dust-clear light, animals at waterholes all day and floodlit rhino at night. The Zambezi (Caprivi) strip in the far northeast is hotter, greener and — unlike the rest of Namibia — malarial year-round.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Sossusvlei, the Namib & the coast (Swakopmund)

Desert swings: freezing dawns Jun–Aug, 35 °C+ Jan–Mar · coast cool and foggy year-round

Two climates in one region: the interior desert freezes at dawn in winter and bakes in summer (start dune climbs at sunrise), while Swakopmund and Walvis Bay sit at 15–22 °C under the cold Benguela current’s fog belt — pack a fleece for the coast in any month.

🌤️ Seasonal guide

Windhoek & the central highlands

Hot, green Dec–Mar (summer rains) · dry and warm Apr–May · cold, clear nights Jun–Aug · hot Sep–Nov

The highlands (1,600–1,800 m) give Namibia seasons: summer thundershowers green the thornbush, winter nights drop near 0 °C under brilliant stars, and October bakes. Roads are at their best May–October — the classic window.