I am planning a safari trip to either Kenya (Amboseli+Masai Mara) or South Africa (Kruger) in Dec 2007 and Jan 2008. Can anyone offer me advice about weather conditions in these two destinations by that time of the year? Would one destination be clearly better than the other in terms of weather?

You will encounter "summer" in both areas. So rather hot. In South Africa, if staying at the more lux properties you may be fortunate to find air conditioning in your room... that won't be the case in East Africa. However, a number of the camps/lodges in the Masai Mara are at high altitude, so the heat it rather comfortable. Many have pools for cooling off mid-day. In either area, end-Dec over the Christmas/New Year's holiday will incur higher prices.

Hello,

No matter where you go, it will be hot and most likely rainy. Many lodges in South Africa have A/C as Sandi notes, as well as private plunge pools which would be a real benefit in hot weather.

If you're looking at East Africa at that time of year and want to see the Great Migration I'd recommend looking at Tanzania rather than Kenya -- the wildebeest herds will be down on the short-grass plains, not up in the Mara.

Cheers,
Julian

The short rains in East Africa should generally be over by the end of Dec and Jan should be dry. The amount of rain received in Kenya/Tanzania in Dec 2006/Jan 2007 was unusually high.

The majority of parks in Kenya and northern Tanzania are located at high enough elevations so that the heat isn't unbearable. I've traveled in Dec & Jan and didn't find the lack of A/C to be a problem.

The only place where I've been uncomfortably hot was in Selous in southern Tanzania. It's a very low elevation reserve (close to sea level) and the humidity makes it feel even hotter than it actually is.

Here's a weather chart
http://www.overlandingafrica.com/africa-weather.php#ken

Here's a chart of the best wildlife viewing at different times. Best equates to highest rates and often most travelers.

Good luck in your planning.
http://www.africa-adventure.com/dsp_besttime.html

Patty, when were you in Selous? i am thinking of a 3 day trip there this early June.

Middle of December. June should be cooler.

Patty, did you enjoy your trip there? My daughter and I have such a brief time togethe,I am realy having difficulty deceiding where to go.

I posted about my Selous stay in my trip report http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34920145 (starts with Day 13). I was sick during the time we were in Selous, so consequently didn't get to do very much. I did really enjoy our boat ride and the camp where we stayed and have posted some general thoughts on Selous in my report.

Incredible pics! What a trip you had.

Thanks, it was a great trip!

We just got back from Amboseli--Sweetwaters--Lewa--Masai Mara (Jan 17-29). I haven't been to SA, but I can say that we were extremely happy with the Kenya trip.

As others have noted, the rains generally end in December, but this year there was a lot of rain in December and in the first two weeks of January. We were very lucky to have near-perfect weather. It was not hot. I wore long pants every day and a long sleeve shirt during the morning game drives and in the evenings. In particular it was chilly in Sweetwaters and in Lewa. Of all the places we stayed, the Mara was the hottest, but I would still say it was in the high 70s or low 80s. I lived in the Amazon for 16 years and I would not consider this to be "hot". There was no need for AC, especially when you sleep in tents. The high elevation really helps to moderate the temperature.

Since the weather this year was affected by El Nino, I would expect that you would probably have good weather next year.

hears my two cents .southafrica and stay at the malamala game lodge .ive talket to many people that have gone to the masai mara and havent seen a leopard .we saw more laopards than lions . to me one leopard is worth a thousand wildibest. i pick qualitl over quanity