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Where to go · August

Where to go in Africa in August

The short answer

In August, the main safari areas of Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are in the dry season. Ethiopia is in the rainy or green season there. Places at their best include Maasai Mara National Reserve, Liwonde National Park, Majete Wildlife Reserve and Gorongosa National Park.

By RepBudUpdated

Baobab and palms on dry floodplain grassland in Liwonde National Park

Photo: Ludger Heide, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is the season in each country in August?

In the dry season

  • BotswanaDry seasonFloodwaters spread through the Delta, peaking mid-year; animals gather at water; peak rates
  • KenyaLong dry seasonPeak safari season; wildebeest herds usually in the Maasai Mara from around July
  • MalawiCool dry seasonSunny, pleasant days; cold nights on the Nyika, Zomba and Mulanje uplands
  • MozambiqueCool dry seasonThe driest, mildest months; cooler evenings in the south
  • NamibiaDry winterWarm days and cold nights, below freezing in places; good wildlife viewing at waterholes
  • RwandaLong dry seasonDriest months; roads and forest paths are easier going
  • South AfricaWinterKruger and the north-east: dry winter; thinner bush and good game viewing. Cape Town and the Western Cape: cooler and wetter; whale season on the south coast begins mid-year
  • TanzaniaLong dry seasonPeak safari season; herds move north through the Serengeti
  • UgandaMid-year dry seasonNormally dry in the south-west, centre and Lake Victoria basin; rain continues in the north
  • ZambiaCool dry seasonLittle or no rain, cool mornings and nights; the bush thins as it dries
  • ZimbabweCool dry seasonClear, dry days and cold nights, with ground frost possible in June and July; game starts to concentrate at water

In the main rains

  • EthiopiaKiremt (main rains)Main rainy season for most of the country, though not the southern and south-eastern lowlands

General pattern from each country’s guide; it varies by region and from year to year. Compare all twelve months.

Which places are at their best in August?

A hot-air balloon over the grassland of the Maasai Mara, with herds spread across the plain belowGame reserve

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Narok County, south-west Kenya, Kenya

Kenya’s best-known safari area, a national reserve run by Narok County rather than Kenya Wildlife Service, on the Tanzanian border where it meets the Serengeti. Private conservancies on its boundaries lease land from Maasai landowners and charge their own conservation fees, which are usually built into camp rates.

Best months
July to October for the wildebeest herds, which vary in timing from year to year
Getting there
Scheduled light aircraft from Nairobi Wilson to the reserve and conservancy airstrips
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Baobab and palms on dry floodplain grassland in Liwonde National ParkNational park

Liwonde National Park

Southern Region, Malawi

A park on the Shire River, managed by African Parks since 2015, where boat safaris add to game drives. It is the safari half of many Malawi itineraries that pair wildlife with a lake stay.

Best months
May to October
Getting there
By road from Blantyre or Lilongwe
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Ludger Heide, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Shire River flowing past dry-season woodland in Majete Wildlife ReserveGame reserve

Majete Wildlife Reserve

Southern Region, Malawi

A reserve in the Lower Shire Valley whose wildlife was restored after African Parks took over management in 2003; it now holds the Big Five. It is often paired with Liwonde on a southern Malawi safari circuit.

Best months
May to October
Getting there
By road from Blantyre
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: David Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Floodplain wetland in Gorongosa National Park at dusk, with hills on the horizonNational park

Gorongosa National Park

Sofala Province, Mozambique

A park of more than 4,000 km² at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley, where seasonal floods shape grassland, woodland and pans. It is the main mainland wildlife product in Mozambique and pairs with a coastal or island stay.

Best months
May to October
Getting there
By road or light aircraft, usually via Beira
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zebras and springbok drinking at the Okaukuejo waterhole in Etosha National ParkNational park

Etosha National Park

North-central Namibia, Namibia

One of Africa's largest national parks, around the vast Etosha salt pan, where wildlife gathers at waterholes in the dry season. Rest camps such as Okaukuejo have floodlit waterholes, and it is Namibia's main safari product.

Best months
May to October
Getting there
By road from Windhoek, or by light aircraft
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The layered rock walls and plateau rim of the Fish River Canyon under a clear skyNational park

Fish River Canyon

ǁKaras Region, Namibia

Africa's largest canyon, about 160 km long and up to 550 m deep, in the far south of Namibia, with the Ai-Ais hot springs at its southern end. It is often combined with a route to or from South Africa.

Best months
May to September
Getting there
By road to Hobas or Ai-Ais
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

African buffalo wallowing at Mazithi Dam with zebra grazing behind, Kruger National ParkNational park

Kruger National Park

Mpumalanga and Limpopo, South Africa

South Africa's largest national park, run by SANParks, with public rest camps and private concessions, bordered on the west by private reserves including the Sabi Sand. TravelHealthPro places it in a malaria risk area, mainly from September to May.

Best months
May to September
Getting there
Domestic flights to Kruger Mpumalanga International or Hoedspruit, or by road from Johannesburg
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Sand River winding through grassland and riverine trees in the Sabi Sand Game ReserveGame reserve

Sabi Sand Game Reserve

Mpumalanga, South Africa

A private reserve of lodges on Kruger's south-western boundary, with no fence between it and the national park. Guests stay at lodges and see wildlife on guided drives rather than by self-drive.

Best months
May to September
Getting there
Light aircraft to airstrips in the reserve, or by road from Kruger Mpumalanga International
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: flowcomm, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A large baobab tree beside a sandy track through green bush in Tarangire National ParkNational park

Tarangire National Park

Manyara Region, northern Tanzania, Tanzania

A 2,850 km² park gazetted in 1970, known for large numbers of elephants and for its baobab trees. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and predators to its banks.

Best months
June to October, when wildlife gathers along the Tarangire River
Getting there
By road from Arusha
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Maximilian Staub, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Aerial view of the braided Rufiji River with sandbanks and riverine woodland in the Selous ecosystem, now Nyerere National ParkNational park

Nyerere National Park

Southern Tanzania, Tanzania

A 30,893 km² park in the south, created in 2019 from the northern part of the Selous Game Reserve and described by Tanzania National Parks as Africa’s largest national park. The Rufiji River runs through it, and boat trips on the river sit alongside game drives and walks.

Best months
June to October
Getting there
Scheduled light aircraft from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar to the park’s airstrips
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Rob from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A herd of elephants with calves crossing the Luangwa River in South Luangwa National Park, ZambiaNational park

South Luangwa National Park

Eastern and Muchinga provinces, Zambia

A national park in the Luangwa Valley known for walking safaris, night drives and leopard sightings, with most camps along the Luangwa River near Mfuwe.

Best months
June to October
Getting there
Scheduled flights from Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport (MFU)
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Geoff Gallice, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A herd of elephants drinking at a waterhole in Hwange National Park, ZimbabweNational park

Hwange National Park

Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's largest national park, on the edge of the Kalahari sands, known for its large elephant population. Waterholes are pumped in the dry season, which concentrates game around them.

Best months
July to October
Getting there
By road from Victoria Falls, or light aircraft
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Jürgen Kehrberger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Trees on an island in the Zambezi River at Mana Pools National Park, with the Zambezi escarpment in Zambia behindNational park

Mana Pools National Park

Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe

A park on the Zambezi floodplain, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where large numbers of elephant and buffalo gather in the dry months. It is known for walking safaris and canoeing, with the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia on the opposite bank.

Best months
June to October
Getting there
Light aircraft, or 4x4 by road from Harare
Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Babakathy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions travel agents ask about August

Is August a good time for a safari in Africa?

For dry-season game viewing, yes in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which are in their dry season in August. Ethiopia is in the rainy or green season, with greener landscapes and, in some areas, lower rates or closed camps.

Where is it rainy in Africa in August?

The country in this guide with rain in August: Ethiopia. Patterns vary by region and year.

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Photo: Ludger Heide, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons