December Rain In Tanzania
 

Is it typical for East Africa to rain this much during the month's of November/December? We are going to Tanzania in February...is it normal to have a lot of rain during the month of February?

THANKS

no it's not normal. And rains normally will have stopped in february.

But things are a little of lately, last year there was very little rain, and now there is so much...

im going on 16 januari, so I hope raining will stop soon

I hope you are right about no more rain. We also leave mid Jan and thought rain was almost non-existant. I hope some others can let us know before we leave what to expect. I might need more than a little rain resistant jacket. Hmm maybe boots for the mud?! Perhaps that is overkill.

Rain, rain, go away... or just for a little! Leaving in a few days and there has been changes made to our Tarangire stay at Oliver's Camp. The route down to Oliver's is cut off and hence the camp is unreachable. They are setting up a luxury mobile camp, close to Boundary Hill Ranger Post for their guests end Dec 06 through March. Notes provided state it will be similar to Olakira with number of upgrades (furniture, lighting, sayari style bathroom.)
My hope is the migration will be in Ndutu area (or maybe already is there?) earlier this year than last.

http://www.wildwatch.com/sightings/migration.asp
Above is a link to migration information. There's an updated dated 21 Dec. The heards are spread from Klein's to Naabi Hill in Serengeti.

make that herds!

Here's a similar link from Nomad but not updated for about 3 weeks ...
http://www.atta.co.uk/nomad/index.html

<b>My hope is the migration will be in Ndutu area (or maybe already is there?) earlier this year than last.</b>

I'll drink to that! We're spending a week at Ndutu in late January and with these heavy rains there should be plenty of short grass and massive herds eating and giving birth :)

Bill

Wow! I switched to Olakira Camp for a January 7 visit because I thought this was my best chance of seeing the migration. What do you guys think? And how rainy/muddy do you think it will be January 7-10? Would LOVE any comments. Thanks!

In Kenya, we were told this was the most rain they've seen in the last 7 years.

Lolazahra, Eben has a great website with information on the camps. Link here to Olakira info: http://go-safari.com/Serengeti/Olakira.htm. Also think that is where I got the migration link.
If nothings changed with the rain, Olakira may be in Ndutu region at that time. Think we both need to cross our fingers for migration to keep moving south.

Yes, more rains than expected. Making up for last year's drought, it appears. Usually, the &quot;short&quot; rains are over by mid-December.

However, with the rains come high grass and this can inhibit the movement of game. There's always a possibility - strongly, I guess, that the herds will be where they are and that's it. May stop in Seronera, may get down to Ndutu. Who knows?

All you can do is wait to see what you see. No one can guarantee game sightings or the weather.

Would rather be in Afree-kah, than stuck in a blizzard in Denver or fogged in at Heathrow.

Very excited, rain or no rain. Thinking Mahale might be a bit of an issue since hiking in wet conditions could be more challenging. As far as chimp viewing, not sure if rain is good or bad news. So we'll just have to wait and see!

Well Lolazahra,

Nobody can answer your question
Africa is unexpected
But this is the greatest sex-appeal of Africa &amp; the reason u can go back a 100 times to the same place

Though it's true &quot;Eben has a great website with information on the camps&quot;
things change - this is nature not a zoo...

by the end of the day (&amp; the tour) you'll be captivated by its majic regardless if you've seen the (marginal) phenomenon of migration or not.

aby

sorry magic (not majic)

don't worry about the rain. we went to Kenya the end of Nov/Dec and i spent time worry abou the rain before we left. yes it rained, yes it was muddy, but we still had a great time and i realized i wasted energy worrying before hand.

do like the africans do, Hakuna Matata. Don't worry!

I hear you all load and clear. I am ready for an amazing experience rain or shine. But Aby, you crack me up. I think you missed your calling. You should have been a stand-up or a comedy writer. Are you?

joeyi - thanks for making me feel better. All this weather talk was making me nervious. You are right it will be a great experience no matter :)

For everyone concerned about the rains:

&quot;It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you, there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do. &quot;I bless the rains down in africa.&quot; [-o&lt;

I think these lyrics and video are more than appropriate right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq-95_xhVko

Enjoy!

Thanks for the reminder!

Sorry Lola no stand-up...
though much much better image than elsewhere, being called &quot;poisonous&quot; (i'll settle for a spitting-Cobra...)
aby