The best locations for safari in Africa in May

May is the second and last month of the transition from the warm green season to the cool dry season.

By now, the landscapes should be starting to dry out significantly, with the grasses starting to yellow and drop and the wildlife starting to move back in towards permanent water, making for improved wildlife viewing.

This is also the first month when the floods typically arrive into the western side of the Okavango and Linyanti wetlands, which can be fun to witness and can create a clustering of wildlife.

Although sightings may not be quite up to the level of the upcoming dry season, they should be pretty close.

The night time temperatures are really starting to drop, meaning hot water bottles in bed and ponchos on morning drives.

Unfortunately, the prices in most lodges are closer to the dry season peaks than the green season lows.

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

The Apr-May is the early dry season, a period that marks a transition from the preceding summer green season and the subsequent winter dry season, with savanna safari conditions generally improving as the weeks pass.

The weather throughout this period should be warm and sunny. The concerns are more about the residual effects on the landscapes of rain during the previous period.

In years where the rains are substantial, the landscapes can remain green and the seasonal waterholes out in the surrounding hinterlands can remain active. These effects would delay the migration of animals in towards the permanent waterholes of the Etosha area and the river valleys of Damaraland North and Twyfelfontein, greatly reducing the intensity of the wildlife viewing.

In drier years these effects will have subsided by this time and wildlife viewing will already be approaching the heights of the main dry season to follow.

Through May, these factors are likely to be fading significantly

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 28C/82F at this time of year, dropping at night to around 14C/57F and possibly sinking even lower into May as the dry winter conditions start to take hold, especially in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although can peak over Easter, when traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should be deployed.

May 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 winter 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 first month of the cool dry season, with good weather, but a lot of long green grasses hindering visibility.

May is generally considered to be an improving time to visit Tanzania.

The weather during May is usually mixed. The start of the month can be a continuation of the heavy rains of the preceding month, but in many inland areas these rains can fall away very fast.

Statistics show that the rainfall in Serengeti during May has been very low in most of the last twenty years.

However, down on the coast conditions are much more likely to continue to be adverse, with high winds and persistent rain a real possibility.

Nevertheless there should be a good deal of hot sunny weather in between and daytime temperatures should still continue to reach 25-30C/77-86F in most areas.

Safari in Tanzania in May ranges from poor to very good. As the long rains come to an end in early May, so the animals remain widely dispersed. Furthermore, with the grass and other foliage has really put on some growth, that the animals remain difficult to find.

Reserves to the south and west of the country remain challenging, although Ruaha is starting to get really pleasant through the month.

In the Serengeti region, there are more viable safari options. Low visitor numbers make the core areas of Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti unusually attractive. As the month progresses, so the main wildebeest migration pushes north towards the Grumeti Stream and should be accessible.

Conditions on Mount Kilimanjaro remain difficult and dangerous and we only tend to outfit expeditions for hardcore mountaineers and military personnel.

Visitor traffic in May increases gently from very low to low, with slightly higher numbers starting to flow into the Serengeti region in the last week of the month.

May is a really good month to explore most parts of Madagascar.

In the Andasibe area of the Central Highlands, May marks the final transition from the warm rainy season to the cool dry season. Temperatures drop slightly to a comfortable 17C (63F). Rainfall remains up at 100mm (4”) for the month, but that is considered low by local standards.

Up in Nosy Be, in the tropical northwest, the always high temperatures remain up around 32C (90F), but rainfall drops further to a relatively low 50mm (2”) for the month. Conditions are getting good.

Down in Tulear, in the arid southwest, temperatures are holding at around 30C (86F), but with rainfall dropping sharply to around 15mm (0.5”) for the month.

Visitor traffic in May is starting to build, but should be nowhere near as high as the next four months.

May is generally considered to be an unpredictable time of year to visit Uganda, with significant rain in all areas.

In the Bwindi Forest area, the temperatures are stable at around 22C (70F), but rainfall has now dropped to around 100mm (4”) through the month.

This rainfall is still relatively high and could continue to make gorilla tracking more difficult, although this should ease considerably through the month.

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, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley, also experience higher than average rainfall, making for continued challenging wildlife viewing.

May is the first month of the dry season in Zambia, with pleasantly cool temperatures, but with sunshine levels dropping to around 8 hours per day.

Most of the key reserves are just starting to reopen after the rains, as the black cotton soils dry out and the tracks again become passable.

The bush remains pleasantly lush, but is starting to yellow. The wildlife remains widely dispersed and relatively difficult to view. As the seasonal waterholes start to dry out, the animals start to move in towards permanent water, although this effect is likely to be slight this early in the season.

The safari areas of nearby Botswana are more productive at this time, since there is far less rainfall in the Kalahari Desert and the dry season starts much earlier. However, the prices there have also risen to high season levels by now.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is late summer at this time, making it the perfect complement to a safari.

May is the first month of the dry season in Zimbabwe, with pleasantly cool temperatures, but with sunshine levels dropping to around 8 hours per day.

Most of the key reserves are just starting to reopen after the rains, as the black cotton soils dry out and the tracks again become passable.

The bush remains pleasantly lush, but is starting to yellow. The wildlife remains widely dispersed and relatively difficult to view. As the seasonal waterholes start to dry out, the animals start to move in towards permanent water, although this effect is likely to be slight this early in the season.

The safari areas of nearby Botswana are more productive at this time, since there is far less rainfall in the Kalahari Desert and the dry season starts much earlier. However, the prices there have also risen to high season levels by now.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is late summer at this time, making it the perfect complement to a safari.