African Safaris in January – African safaris in January 2023-2024 – Discover Africa in January
African safaris in January – January is predominantly when most of Africa is entering its ‘green season when it comes to safari experiences in Africa. The bush is alive with the sounds of insects and wildflowers are abundant. Throughout eastern and southern Africa there is also great birding as the summer migratory visitors are prevalent.
January is a month that sees the majority of ‘Safari Africa’ entering its rainy ‘Green Season’. Animals move with the start of the rains, dispersing over huge areas in search of fresh grazing, knowing that waterholes will be everywhere.
Tanzania
Tanzania is a great destination in January; the Northern Circuit especially the Serengeti is outrageously good throughout January, February, and March. The first Great Migration herds have reached the Ndutu plains just south of the Serengeti itself and are starting to get ready for the calving weeks in February.
It is at this time of year that the Serengeti becomes the finest place in Africa to view cheetah, and the sheer concentrations of predators on open plains are astonishing. We use a couple of camps down here that also offer some of the finest cultural interactions and walking operations we know of in Africa. Designing a trip around the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater makes for a superb safari for January.
South Africa
South Africa is absolutely beautiful at this time of year. The weather is perfect and driving trips up and down the famous Garden Route are never better. The negative to traveling at this time of year, however, is that combining the fabulous Cape Town and Wine lands with high-quality wilderness safari is hard Botswana is entering its rainy season and the vast majority of Zambia is closed due to rain and floods. Nevertheless, South Africa’s safari, specifically Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands, is still superb (though there is a chance of rain) and this is the area we would combine with Cape Town for a short add-on safari.
Kenya
January is a lovely time to visit Kenya. With clear hot days and little rain, game viewing in areas such as the Masai Mara is at its peak and the month also heralds the start of the calving season. This means that the country is a popular destination in January. Some areas can get extremely busy, so it’s important to design an itinerary that keeps you away from any overcrowding.
Rwanda
January is a popular time to visit Rwanda, due to warm, sunny weather and largely dry days. This weather makes for pleasant gorilla-trekking conditions, offered by the well-located Sabinyo Silverback Lodge and Bisate Lodge. January is not completely rain-free, however, and the unpredictable weather patterns around Volcanoes National Park mean that a downpour could happen at any time.
