Best African Safaris in October – Where to go in Africa in October? – Best places to go on safari in Africa – Top locations and experience.
Best African Safaris in October – October sees the first signs of the end of the famous dry season. October in Africa and the weather is in charge. In East Africa, the short rains have begun and the landscape replies with a blanket of fresh green grass. South of the Zambezi, however, it has barely rained since May, and animals mill around the remaining waterholes.
Northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara
Having survived big cats and even bigger crocs on their circuit around the Serengeti, the wildebeest turn to more serious matters: food. With fresh grazing available across the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara, they gather in vast numbers on the green plains. Predators are naturally in close attendance, moving in on the herds whenever they sense an opportunity.
You’ll like the weather: October temperatures don’t get much above 30C/86F and it’s mostly sunny though you need to prepare for the odd rain shower and cloudy day. And if you stick to the most popular safari areas, be prepared to share your sightings with other travelers. So, mix up the itinerary a little. Northern Kenya is a world away from the Masai Mara in terms of visitor numbers, but it’s home to the Samburu and Shaba reserves where you’ll find all the big game you can wish for and none of the human crowds – leaving no doubt of where to go in October.
For unique and more secluded places to vacation in October, try a different side of the Serengeti, and head west. Now that the wildebeest have left, the western Serengeti has amazing game viewing in beautiful private reserves. It’s the time of year to focus on the Serengeti’s other wild attractions – wild dogs and elephants, big cats, and antelope.
Tanzania and the Republic of Congo
With the attention focused on the Masai Mara and Serengeti in October, why not consider somewhere else in East Africa? There are plenty of unconventional places to vacation in October that deliver amazing seasonal game-viewing opportunities. October is the end of the long dry season for Ruaha and Katavi National Parks and their rivers are the only source of water for hundreds of miles around- which means wildlife is concentrated nearby, making great sightings more frequent and easier to find.
The parks aren’t at their greenest in October and the temperatures can be high, but this is when Ruaha National Park lives up to its legend as home to East Africa’s largest herds of elephants. It’s when Katavi boasts that you’ll see more lions there, than anywhere else on earth.
Even further afield, Congo’s Odzala National Park allows travelers access to a previously unreachable destination: Central Africa’s incredible rainforests. Here, forest elephants and lowland Gorillas make fascinating photographic subjects in the jungle’s clear, rain-washed air. High water levels mean you can explore coffee-colored rivers by boat which is a great way to see birds and smaller primates, making it one of the best places to travel in October.
