Mariaan

Hi all,

Me and my boyfriend are thinking about doing a 11 days safari in December.
I know we are a little bit late but our initial travelplan did not work out so ...
However we are little bit concerned about the rains in December, how much does it rain and if it does for how long?
Are we completely mad if we go during December?
We are also totaly confused when it comes to tour operators. Any recomendations? We would like to use an Arusha based operator and have opted for a custom made private safari.

Kind Regards

Mariaan

MarcusW

Hi Mariaan,

Roy Safaris can be recommended as Arusha based tour operator. Please see my recent post for details about our own tour with Roy’s.

Have fun!

MarcusW

jasher

Hello Mariaan,

You may get some rain in December (the short rains occur during that time) but it usually pours for only a short time in the afternoon. This does mean that you do have a higher likelihood of getting stuck when on the road, however.

The landscape will be lush and green which is beautiful, and the storms can lead to some dramatic clouds which are great for photography. Bird viewing is at its best, but predator sightings are harder to come by. It may be pretty humid with the rains building up, and insects are more of a problem in the rainy season. If you prefer cooler weather, the Crater and the Serengeti are cooler than the lower-lying areas because of their altitude.

On the Serengeti, the herds are concentrated on the short-grass plains near the Seronera area. Unfortunately, this area tends to be more popular with drive-in tourists and can be quite crowded.

jasher

Oops -- that wasn't supposed to post yet!

Re Seronera: it can be crowded, but the valley is known to be good for leopard. And it will be less crowded in December than at other times of year. You will benefit from low-season pricing at many of the camps (except around Christmas).

I have used CCAfrica as my operator -- they are based in Joburg but have excellent ground operations in Tanzania, and I would highly recommend them. However, Roy's, as recommended by Marcus, is probably less expensive for a couple (CCA does a particularly good job of making things affordable for singles).

Cheers,
Julian

sandi

We've mostly traveled during the "short" rains of November/early-December and as jasher mentions when is rains it's often a brief afternoon thunderstorm; or rain overnight. During our many trips, I can probably only count 3-times we actually had rain at any time.

Otherwise, the weather was beautiful. With daytime temps in the mid-to high 70s... though usually higher in Tanzania then in Kenya. Evenings are cool at about 55-60-degrees, rarely lower, except at the Crater which is at 7,000'

Some roads get muddy, but we've never had to be pulled out. It's quite amazing what these vehicles can do.

Benefit of the rains is that the dust is settled and while jasher mentions humidity, we've rarely found it to get humid (coming from NYC, we know humidity) so it reverts to being comfortable.

I'd also recommend you contact Roy Safaris at www.roysafaris.com - on their "contact" page, send an email with your requirements - dates, budget and desired parks and accommodations, if, for the later, you have some idea.

Keep us posted on your progress.