Safari in September

September is the fourth month of the dry season in Botswana, arguably the best month of the year and certainly a prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes will be starting to become very desiccated, with the vegetation having long since died back and the wildlife migrating daily in and out of permanent water sources, making for very strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

By now, the flood should have arrived into almost all of the wetland areas and will be subsiding from more westerly parts.

The night time temperatures are now much more comfortable than preceding months, so probably no more need for hot water bottles in bed.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are at their highest. The lodges are likely to be fully booked, but that’s not a particular problem.

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

By September, the dry season is reaching its peak in Zimbabwe, with sunshine levels up around 10 hours per day, but with temperatures starting to climb towards less comfortable levels.

All of the key reserves remain fully open and all the little backtracks are passable.

The bush has long-ago turned yellow and the long grasses have dropped, providing better visibility. Life has become tough for the animals, which have been congregated around permanent water for some months now, obliged to walk further and further each day to find grazing. However, this does make for very productive wildlife viewing.

Visitor numbers are starting to drop from the peak in August, but lodges in more remote areas or quiet private concessions remain all the more attractive.

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

September is the first month of the long rainy season and is generally considered to be a more challenging month to visit Ecuador and Galapagos.

High up in the Andes around Quito, temperatures are steady year-round at 20C (68F), but rainfall increases sharply to 75mm (3”) over the month.

Down in the Yasuni Amazon to the east, temperatures rise slightly to 33C (92F), but rainfall rises sharply to 100mm (4”) over the month.

Out in the Galapagos, temperatures hold around 25C (76F) and rainfall also stays down at just 5mm (1”) over the month. However, Sep-Oct is the period when the ocean can get a little choppy, making liveaboard boat trips more challenging.

Visitor traffic should now be dropping fast.

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

The weather in Tanzania during September should be excellent in virtually all areas. The dry season should be in full flow, meaning there should be lots of sunshine, clear skies and very little rainfall. On the coast the tropical showers and onshore winds should be relatively light.

Temperatures should reach 25-30C/77-86F during the day, with low humidities inland, high humidities along the coast. Nights at higher elevations like Ngorongoro should no longer be too cold. The summit of Kilimanjaro should also not be so cold and snow is unlikely.

Safari in Tanzania in September should be excellent. Wildlife viewing in virtually all areas should be reaching its best as the long grasses should have died back and animals become settled around the permanent water sources.

It’s difficult to list all the safari highlights at this time of year, but in the Serengeti region alone one should look out for huge herds of elephant in Tarangire, the highest density of lions and cheetahs in Africa in Central Serengeti and migration river crossings in the Serengeti Mara area.

September is generally considered to be a good month to visit Brazil.

In the key wildlife area of Pantanal, September is the fourth month of the dry season, with temperatures at a potentially very uncomfortable 36C/97F and rainfall creeping up to 50mm (2”) over the month. Visitor numbers are still high, making it necessary to book early and deploy traffic avoidance measures.

In Rio de Janeiro, September is the fifth and final month of the dry season, with temperatures edging up to 27C/80F and rainfall up to 75mm (3”) over the month. The city attractions are still likely to be busy.

In the Manaus Amazon area, September is the fourth month of the dry season, with temperatures stable year-round at 31C/88F and rainfall remaining down at a relatively modest 50mm (2”) 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, September is the third month of the dry season, with temperatures steady year-round at an uncomfortable 31C/88F, but with rainfall remaining down at 15mm (0.5”) over the month.

In the northwest of the country, private-guided overland expeditions into the high Andes are again getting really good at this time. Temperatures in Salta rise to a comfortable 25C (77F), whilst the rainfall remains down at 10mm (0.5”) for the month. The dramatic high altitude areas can remain refreshingly cool.
Visitor traffic will be high, necessitating the need for early booking and traffic avoidance measures.

September is generally considered to be a very strong month to visit Kenya.

At this time, the whole of the country is enjoying dry and sunny conditions, with comfortable temperatures.

In the Maasai Mara, temperatures should be around 26C/79F, with rainfall down around 50mm/2″ for the month. The main migration herds should be spread out across the area, so river crossings are a major feature, with plenty of crocodile action. There should also be strong general wildlife viewing, with plenty of predator action.

In the northern areas of Laikipia, Samburu and Mathews Range, where conditions are generally more arid, temperatures should be comfortable, with very low chances of rain. Wildlife viewing should be very strong.

Conditions are also good down on the tropical coast, where temperatures should be around 30C/87F, with rainfall at a relatively low 50mm/2″ for the month.

Visitor numbers in September are very high in September, so traffic avoidance techniques should be applied, including the use of private concessions in the Maasai Mara and more remote lodges in other areas.

September is the sixth 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 increases slightly to 20mm (1”) over the month, with possible slight increases in cloud cover.

Down in the Tambopata Amazon to the east, temperatures rise slightly to 33C (92F), but rainfall rises sharply to 100mm (4”) over the month.

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

Visitor traffic will now be high, necessitating the need for early booking and traffic avoidance measures.

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 later part of this season, Sep-Oct, should be warmer, at 32C/90F daytime and 16C/61F at night. It can get a great deal cooler at night out in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic is often heavy through this period, with the main peak for international visitors Jul-Sep. The tonality definitely recovers through September. Traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should still be deployed.

September is a good time of year in South Africa if you are looking for a compromise in weather conditions between the safari areas and the Cape, leaning more towards the former.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) is in early spring at this time, with generally pleasant conditions and decreasing chances of storms.

The safari areas of South Africa (Kruger, Madikwe, Tswalu, Waterberg) are in the fifth month of the dry season, with good weather (starting to get a little warmer), receded foliage and wildlife spending a lot of time around the permanent waterholes.

Visitor traffic in September is just starting to increase in the Cape, but remains very high in the safari areas, making it necessary to deploy traffic avoidance techniques (such as sticking to private concession areas).

September is generally considered to be a more challenging month to visit Uganda.

In the Bwindi Forest area, the temperatures are stable at around 22C (70F), but rainfall is rising further to around 150mm (6”) through the month.

This rainfall is quite a bit higher than usual and is likely to make gorilla tracking considerably more difficult.

In the savanna safari areas at this time, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls share similar conditions to the above, which means that the wildlife is likely to be dispersed and more difficult to find.

Kidepo Valley is in the first month of its dry season, with better weather but still difficult wildlife viewing.

Visitor traffic tends to be medium to high in September, so it’s probably best to book well in advance in order to ensure rooms at the best lodges and permits for the best gorilla families.

September is the first month of fall and is generally considered to be a good time to visit Bhutan.

Sep-Nov is autumn in Bhutan, transitioning from the warm wet summer to the cool dry winter, with temperatures falling and rainfall decreasing through the period, in advance of the cold winter.

During this period the typical daytime temperatures fall through 23-18C (74-64F), whilst nighttime low temperatures fall through 15-5C (59-41F). Rainfall decreases through 150-10mm (6-0.5”) per month. Sunshine increases to 5-8hrs per day, which is around 40-80% of daylight hours, making for an increasing amount of pleasant sunny weather and often clear skies for mountain views (especially into Oct-Nov).

Although the weather should be generally good, there can occasionally be serious showers and periods of persistent drizzle, although these are usually limited to September.

Following the rains, visibility can be really good, with lovely mountain panoramas and crisp polarisation for photography.

This is a particularly good time of year if you are planning to undertake trekking, mountain-biking and camping trips up into the mountains.

September is the tail end of the southern winter and areas further south continue to be generally off the menu. Trips focus on the northern parts of Argentina.
In the deep south, Patagonia remains effectively closed, since the more remote and interesting lodges are yet to reopen.

In central areas such as Bariloche, the snow should be melting, with the first signs of spring in the forests. But conditions are unlikely to be ideal for either winter or summer activities. Temperatures continue to rise to around 13C (55F). Whilst precipitation drops to 50mm (2”) for the month, this is now more likely to be rain rather than snow in most areas.

Out on the coast, most of the migratory marine wildlife has not yet returned to the Península Valdés.

In the northwest of the country, private-guided overland expeditions into the high Andes are again getting really good at this time. Temperatures in Salta rise to a comfortable 25C (77F), whilst the rainfall remains down at 10mm (0.5”) for the month. The dramatic high altitude areas can remain refreshingly cool.

Up in the north of the country, the Iguazú Falls area is starting to get hot again. The water volumes on the falls may now be getting rather low, significantly detracting from the spectacle. Temperatures continue to increase to around 27C (80F), whilst rainfall also increases to a significant 150mm (6”) for the month.

Visitor traffic in September can be relatively high in the Iguazú and Buenos Aires areas, but should be low elsewhere.

By September, the dry season is reaching its peak in Zambia, with sunshine levels up around 10 hours per day, but with temperatures starting to climb towards less comfortable levels.

All of the key reserves remain fully open and all the little backtracks are passable.

The bush has long-ago turned yellow and the long grasses have dropped, providing better visibility. Life has become tough for the animals, which have been congregated around permanent water for some months now, obliged to walk further and further each day to find grazing. However, this does make for very productive wildlife viewing.

Visitor numbers are starting to drop from the peak in August, but lodges in more remote areas or quiet private concessions remain all the more attractive.

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

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

In the Andasibe area of the Central Highlands, September is the fourth month of the cool dry season. Temperatures have dropped to a pleasant 16C (62F). 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 32C (90F), with rainfall around 25mm (1”) for the month.

Down in Tulear, in the arid southwest, temperatures are down around 30C (86F), with rainfall at 10mm (0.5”) for the month. Much lower humidities make these temperatures feel much more comfortable.

September is the final month of the whale season, with humpbacks and southern rights migrating through the channels.

Visitor traffic in September starts very high and only drops a little through the month, so traffic avoidance measures should be deployed (mainly choosing more remote lodges and avoiding renowned hotspots).