Safari in June

June is the first month of the cool dry season in Botswana, the prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes should be almost dried out, with the long grasses having yellowed and toppled and the wildlife significantly migrated back towards permanent water, making for strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

This is the first month when the floods typically fully arrive into the west and northcentral parts of the Okavango and Linyanti wetlands, which can be fun to witness and can create a clustering of wildlife.

The night time temperatures remain low, meaning hot water bottles in bed and ponchos on morning drives.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are now at their highest, but the lodges are unlikely to be totally full.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

June is generally considered to be an excellent month to visit Brazil.

In the key wildlife area of Pantanal, June is the first month of the dry season, with temperatures slightly lower at 31C/88F and rainfall down at 25mm (1”) over the month. As the floodwaters recede, the area opens up and the wildlife sightings become strong almost immediately. This is our favourite month in this area, after the fishermen have left, but before the wildlife visitor numbers rise to high season levels. It is still necessary to book early in the key lodges.

In Rio de Janeiro, June is the second month of the dry season, with temperatures remaining at 26C/78F and rainfall falling to 50mm (2”) over the month. The city attractions tend to be less busy than usual.

In the Manaus Amazon area, June is the first month of the dry season, with temperatures stable year-round at 31C/88F and rainfall dropping to a relatively modest 100mm (4”) over the month. This is generally considered to be a good time to visit.

In Salvador and the northeast coast areas of Fernando De Noronha, Fortaleza, Jericoacoara and Sao Luis, June is a transition month between the rainy season and the dry season, with temperatures steady year-round at an uncomfortable 31C/88F, but with rainfall dropping sharply to a more modest 125mm (5”) over the month. This is the first month for visiting the unique sand dune lagoons of Lencois Maranhenses.

Down in the south of the country, the Iguacu Falls area is significantly less hot. The water volumes on the falls should have subsided to allow better access and views. Temperatures remain down at around 24C (74F) and rainfall holds at 125mm (5”) for the month.

Visitor traffic will be building, especially in Pantanal, necessitating the need for early booking and traffic avoidance measures.

June is considered to be an excellent time to visit Madagascar.

In the Andasibe area of the Central Highlands, June is the first month of the cool dry season. Temperatures have dropped to a pleasant 15C (60F). Rainfall is still up at 75mm (3”) for the month, but that is considered low by local standards.

Up in Nosy Be, in the tropical northwest, the always high temperatures are up around 31C (88F), with rainfall around 50mm (2”) for the month.

Down in Tulear, in the arid southwest, temperatures are down around 27C (81F), with rainfall at 15mm (0.5”) for the month. Much lower humidities make these temperatures feel much more comfortable.

Visitor traffic in June is starting to increase, but is well below that of the next three months.

The Jun-Oct period covers the main winter dry season, the most popular time for visiting Namibia.

As the seasonal waterholes out in the surrounding hinterlands dry out, the animals become obliged to migrate in towards the permanent waterholes of the Etosha area, clustering together in the densities for which the reserve is renowned. This effect is also true of other wildlife areas like Damaraland North and Twyfelfontein.

Temperatures in Etosha during the early part of this season, Jun-Aug, can be relatively cool, the day time average being around 25C/77F, dropping at night to around 8C/46F. It can get a great deal cooler at night out in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic is often very heavy through June due to the South African school holidays. Traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should definitely be deployed.

June is generally considered to be a relatively attractive month to visit Kenya.

All just about all the various areas, conditions are not perfect, but they are improving fast and the bush is pretty and green, with lots of flowers and baby animals.

In the Maasai Mara, June is the transition month into the early dry season. Temperatures should be a pleasant 25C/
77F and rainfall drops to around 50mm/2″ for the month. The main migration herds are yet to arrive from the south. There should still be reasonably strong general wildlife viewing, with plenty of predator action. However, the grasses are long and the backtracks may remain muddy, both of which can impede the safari experience.

In the northern areas of Laikipia, Samburu and Mathews Range, conditions are also much improved. Temperatures should still be comfortable and rainfall continue to fall back to around 15mm (0.5”) for the month. Wildlife viewing is starting to improve, as the grasses yellow and start to drop.

Conditions are much improved down on the tropical coast, where temperatures are down to a more comfortable 28C/82F and rainfall has dropped to 75mm/3″ for the month.

Visitor numbers in June are starting to increase, but are well off the peaks of the next few months.

By June, the dry season should be fully underway in Zambia, with pleasantly cool temperatures, but with sunshine levels remaining down at around 8 hours per day.

Most of the key reserves are now fully open and all the little backtracks should again be passable.

The bush is starting to yellow and the long grasses should be dropping. As the seasonal waterholes continue to dry out, the animals continue to move in towards permanent water, making wildlife viewing significantly more reliable.

Visitor numbers are relatively low in areas that cater to international visitors, but self-drive areas can get very busy due to the long school vacation in South Africa.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

June is a good time of year in South Africa if you are looking to prioritise weather conditions in the safari areas, rather than the Cape.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) is in midwinter at this time, still with generally pleasant conditions, but with occasional prolonged storms.

The safari areas of South Africa (Kruger, Madikwe, Tswalu, Waterberg) are in the second month of the cool dry season, with good weather and with the long grasses starting to yellow and fall, improving wildlife visibility.

Visitor traffic in June can be relatively low in the Cape, but is starting to build in the safari areas, making it necessary to deploy traffic avoidance techniques (such as sticking to private concession areas).

June is the first month of the short dry season and is generally considered to be a really good month to visit Ecuador and Galapagos.

High up in the Andes around Quito, temperatures are steady year-round at 20C (68F), but rainfall drops to 35mm (1.5”) over the month.

Down in the Yasuni Amazon to the east, temperatures are steady year-round at 30C (86F), but rainfall falls further to just 50mm (2”) over the month.

Out in the Galapagos, temperatures are continuing to drop slightly to 27C (80F). Rainfall also falls to just 5mm (1”) over the month.

Visitor traffic should be nowhere near as high as the upcoming high season, but it will still be worth planning carefully to avoid any traffic hotspots.

June is the third month of the dry season and is generally considered to be a very good month to visit most parts of Peru.

High up in the Andes around Cusco, temperatures are steady year-round at 20C (68F), but rainfall has dropped to 10mm (0.5”) over the month.

Down in the Tambopata Amazon to the east, temperatures are steady year-round at 30C (86F), but rainfall falls further to just 50mm (2”) over the month.

Down on the coastal plateau to the west, temperatures drop further to 21C (68F), whilst rainfall is virtually zero year round.

Visitor traffic should be nowhere near as high as the upcoming high season, but it will still be worth planning carefully to avoid any traffic hotspots.

June is generally considered to be a very good time to visit Tanzania.

The weather in Tanzania during June is usually very good. It’s during this month that the dry season really gets under way. There remains a slight risk of light rain, quite pronounced in some localised areas, but overall we should be looking at decent sunshine hours, with skies possibly becoming a little hazy at times.

Although slightly cooler than usual at night, temperatures should still reach 25-30C/77-86F during the day, with low humidities inland, high humidities along the coast. The weather in Ngorongoro can be very cold, even dropping below freezing at night and often with heavy fog in the mornings. The summit of Kilimanjaro can drop to -35C/-31F and snow showers may be heavy.

Down on the coast the chance of rain showers remains high and there are likely to be strong winds that can rattle the palm trees mornings and evenings during the first part of the month.

Safari in Tanzania in June ranges from good to very good. As the dry season gets underway, areas which have been closed for the past two months at last start to open back up. The animals are likely to remain widely scattered and grass cover continues to be an impediment to wildlife viewing, but the bush should still be quite fresh and pretty. A major highlight is the migration movement in the Serengeti, which in early June should still be crossing the Grumeti Stream.

Conditions on Kilimanjaro are variable, but we do reopen our mountain operations to a wider range of trekkers. Temperatures are at their lowest and heavy snow is often experienced on the summit approaches.

Visitor traffic in June ranges from low to high. This month tends to be populated by well-informed visitors who are getting in early to avoid the peak season traffic. During the first half of the month traffic is therefore less of an issue, but in the latter two weeks core areas such as the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Central and Zanzibar will be starting to get busy and strategic planning will be needed to avoid the crowds.

By June, the dry season should be fully underway in Zimbabwe, with pleasantly cool temperatures, but with sunshine levels remaining down at around 8 hours per day.

Most of the key reserves are now fully open and all the little backtracks should again be passable.

The bush is starting to yellow and the long grasses should be dropping. As the seasonal waterholes continue to dry out, the animals continue to move in towards permanent water, making wildlife viewing significantly more reliable.

Visitor numbers are relatively low in areas that cater to international visitors, but self-drive areas can get very busy due to the long school vacation in South Africa.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

June is generally considered to be a reasonably good time of year to visit Uganda, with lower rainfall in some key areas.

In the Bwindi Forest area, the temperatures are stable at around 22C (70F), but rainfall has now dropped to around 50mm (2”) through the month.
This rainfall is about as low as it gets in this part of the world, leading to good conditions for gorilla tracking.

Temperatures can get relatively cold at night, dropping to around 7C (45F). Early morning activities can therefore be quite chilly so travellers should bring appropriate clothing.

In the savanna safari areas at this time, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls share similar conditions to the above, but Kidepo Valley continues to experience considerable rain and is really not good.

Visitor traffic tends to be medium in June, but it is always good to book permits as early as possible, to get on the best gorilla families.