Kenya & Tanzania, Africa
East Africa Safari in April
The wettest month: many seasonal camps close, roads bog, skies dump. Deep discounts at the lodges that stay open.
The straight answer
April is a month to think twice about visiting East Africa Safari. The wettest month: many seasonal camps close, roads bog, skies dump. Deep discounts at the lodges that stay open.
- Weather
- Long rains, highs near 79F (26C), heavy downpours
- Crowds
- 1 of 5
- Prices
- 1 of 5
What April is like in East Africa Safari
April is the wettest month, with highs near 79F (26C) and heavy downpours. Many seasonal camps close, dirt roads bog down, and bush flights can cancel. The parks themselves never close, and the permanent lodges that stay open offer the deepest discounts of the year. Crowds are almost nonexistent, and the plains turn a deep, lush green.
This is not a first-timer's month. It suits experienced safari-goers, photographers who want green scenery, and bargain hunters who can live with mud and changing plans. Families and most first-timers should wait for June, when the dry season starts, or go in February for calving.
Make the most of April
What is especially good about East Africa Safari this month.
Deep green-season discounts
Permanent lodges that stay open cut rates sharply. It is the cheapest time of year.
Empty parks
You may have sightings to yourself, even in famous areas.
Lush scenery
The plains are at their greenest, a very different look from dry season.
What to pack for April
- A good rain jacket and pants
- Waterproof boots
- Quick-dry clothes
- Insect repellent
Our timing tip
Book only permanent lodges that stay open year-round, and leave a spare day around any bush flight in case of weather cancellations.
Book East Africa Safari for April.
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- Hotels for April
Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in East Africa SafariOpens a hotel search for East Africa Safari in April, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
- Rentals on Vrbo
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in East Africa SafariWhole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
- Tours and tickets
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in East Africa SafariTimed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in East Africa Safari for April. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
What's on in April
The long rains
Roughly April into May
The heavier of the two rainy seasons: many seasonal camps close, roads deteriorate, and rates at open lodges drop steeply. The green-season photography trade.
Things to do in East Africa Safari
A Mara River crossing
Roughly July into October from the northern Serengeti or the Masai Mara. Crossings are unpredictable: base yourself in the crossing zones for several nights and let a good guide play the waiting game.
Calving season at Ndutu
Usually late January into February on the southern short-grass plains: thousands of calves born daily at the peak, and the year's most intense predator viewing.
Ngorongoro Crater
A single-day descent onto the crater floor delivers the Big Five setting of a lifetime, including some of East Africa's best black rhino chances. Enter at gate opening; midday gets busy year-round.
The Masai Mara's conservancies
Private conservancies bordering the reserve limit vehicle numbers and allow night drives and walks. Fewer crowds at sightings than the national reserve, at a premium worth paying.
A dawn balloon flight over the plains
Floating over the herds at first light, with a champagne bush breakfast on landing, is the classic safari splurge in both the Serengeti and the Mara.
Amboseli's elephants under Kilimanjaro
Big-tusked elephant herds crossing dusty flats with Africa's highest mountain behind: the continent's most iconic photo setup, best in dry-season mornings before the cloud builds.
Beat the crowds
- Book crossing-season camps in the northern Serengeti and the Mara 9 to 15 months out; the best-positioned camps in July through September sell out first and the leftovers mean long drives to the river.
- Choose private conservancies over the busiest reserve sectors in Kenya: vehicle limits at sightings mean three trucks at a leopard instead of twenty, and the wildlife does not read boundary signs.
- Consider February over August: calving season delivers migration drama and big-cat action with meaningfully fewer vehicles than crossing season.
- Do Ngorongoro at gate opening and the famous river viewpoints early or late: middays draw the density everywhere, in every season.
Know before you go
- The long rains, April into May, are the real closure season: many mobile and seasonal tented camps in the Serengeti and Mara ecosystems shut entirely, and some lodges use the lull for maintenance. Permanent lodges stay open at deep discounts, with mud and storms as the trade.
- The migration is somewhere every month: southern plains roughly December to March, west and center roughly April to June, north and the Mara roughly July to October, moving south again in November. Book the region that matches your month, not the camp with the best brochure.
- The parks themselves never close: the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro, and Amboseli operate year-round, so a low-season trip is about camp availability and road conditions, not locked gates.
- Balloon flights and small bush flights are weather-dependent year-round and cancel most often in the rains; keep flexible margins around any flight-dependent connection in April, May, and November.
East Africa Safari in April, quick answers
Is April a good time to visit East Africa Safari?
April is a month to think twice about visiting East Africa Safari. The wettest month: many seasonal camps close, roads bog, skies dump. Deep discounts at the lodges that stay open.
What is the weather like in East Africa Safari in April?
Long rains, highs near 79F (26C), heavy downpours.
Is East Africa Safari crowded in April?
April is one of the quieter months in East Africa Safari; most sights can be done without long waits.
What is happening in East Africa Safari in April?
The long rains (roughly april into may).
Keep planning East Africa Safari.
The months either side, and the best one if this is not it.
Also at their best in April
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