When is the best time to visit Nyerere national park, is a question asked by many travelers wishing to visit the park on a Tanzania safari. The best time to visit Nyerere national park is during the dry season of july through October, this period is the best time of the year for the greatest overall concentrations of game in the park. the wildlife normally congregates around watering holes and lake to drink water.
However, the rainy season of April and May offers good game viewing in Nyerere national park, December through February is a lovely time of the year to visit the park as it is a green season when the scenery is lush and green. February is a great time of the year to see newly born animals and is the best time to do birding.
Note: The presence and absence of rain in Nyerere national park affects vegetation and water sources thus affecting the movement and concentration of animals in the park and the neighboring protected area which is Selous Game Reserve.
Generally the best time to visit Nyerere national park depends on weather (season), wildlife and seasons as explained below.
Weather
Average temperatures experienced in Nyerere national park vary very little throughout the year, considering humidity, temperatures feek hot for most of the year with a low chance of precipitation for most of the year. In Nyerere national park, the warmest time of the year is generally mid to late November where the highs are regularly are around 92°F (33.3°C) with temperatures dropping below 70.5°F (21.4°C) rarely at night. Bimodal rainfall season is experienced in Nyerere national park with the short rain in November and December, the short rains are followed by a partial drying out in January and February. The long rains in the park are experienced in early May.
January – February
This period is a rainy season and there will be several days with short intervals of rain, usually the afternoons. Day time temperatures range close to 30°C/86°F while night and early morning’s average temperatures are 22°C/72°F.
March – May
March – May are the rainiest months in Nyerere national park and Tanzania, most of the days are wet although it hardly ever rains for the entire day. Average maximum temperatures are usually 28°C/82°Fand the minimum is 21°C/69°F.
June – October
Most of the days in this period are full of sunshine and have clear sky, in the afternoon temperatures are usually around 28°C/82°F, at night temperatures drop to about 19°C/66°F.
November – December
November is the beginning of the wet season in Nyerere national park and Tanzania as well, although the exact start of the wet season is hard to predict. Rainfall tends to be occasional and short mostly in the afternoon and probably won’t hinder your safari.
Weather partners in Nyerere national park are not as predicated as it was in years ago so variations are possible to experience.
Wildlife
Nyerere national park is the largest national park in Africa and Tanzania hosting a diversity and remarkable wildlife and birdlife, the park hosts the famous big Five “lions, leopards, cape buffaloes, rhinos and elephants” and huge numbers of Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, antelopes, wild African dogs, waterbucks, elands, Nile crocodiles and bushbucks. Nyerere national park is a habitat to over 440 species of birds recorded to be in the park include African skimmer, black winged stilt, Bohm’s bee eater, broad billed roller, brown – headed parrot, brown- necked parrot among others.
The best time to visit Nyerere national park is during the dry season between June to October, although timing s may vary from year to year due to the rainfall patterns.
Prices
The price of a safari package to Nyerere national park is determined by a number of factors that influence how much you will pay, these factors include
- The number of persons travelling
When traveling in a group, your safari obviously becomes cheaper as you get to share costs as compared to when you are traveling alone or two persons, this also depends on the ages of the travelers which affects the cost. Children on the trip under the age of 12 will pay a reduced cost compared to what the adults will pay.
- The season you are traveling
The season you chose to visit Nyerere national park in also influences the cost of the safari to Nyerere national park, in the peak season, the prices tend to be high as many travelers visit the park thus making it difficult to secure most of the beautiful and comfortable accommodations. Peak Seasons in Nyerere national park are July to October, if you are travelers on limited budget it is best to avoid the peak season.
July and August are the most expensive months to travel to Nyerere Park. September to October are equally expensive but due to higher room availability it is possible to enjoy slightly lower prices. The cheapest months to visit Nyerere National Park are April to mid June excluding Easter period.
- Transportation
The mode of transport you would prefer to use during the safari to Nyerere national park either by flying or by road will affect the price of your safari, flying to Nyerere national park is more expensive compared to traveling by road.
For road transport, two types of vehicles are normally used that is land cruisers and safari vans carrying up to 7 people.
Note: Land cruisers are more expensive than the tour vans but more comfortable as you hardly feel the road while traveling
- The type of accommodation
The type of accommodation one prefers to stay in during their safari to Nyerere national park will determine the cost of your safari, as a traveler you have an option to book for accommodation either in safari lodges or tented camps . Accommodations are in different categories ranging from budget, midrange to luxury.
Summary of seasons in Nyerere national park
- January – March and November to Mid December – Mid to High Season
- July to October – Peak Season
- April – June – Low Season
