Kenya & Tanzania, Africa

East Africa Safari in February

Peak calving on the southern plains: the migration's other great spectacle, with newborns and hunting cats in the same frame.

BestWarm, highs near 84F (29C), scattered storms

A lion in the grass of the Serengeti — East Africa SafariPhoto: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0

The straight answer

February is one of the best months of the year to visit East Africa Safari. Peak calving on the southern plains: the migration's other great spectacle, with newborns and hunting cats in the same frame.

Weather: Warm, highs near 84F (29C), scattered storms
Crowds: 3 of 5
Prices: 4 of 5

What February is like in East Africa Safari

February is peak calving season on the southern Serengeti plains. Highs sit near 84F (29C), with scattered afternoon storms that pass quickly. Hundreds of thousands of calves are born in a few weeks, and predators are everywhere. Crowds are moderate, far fewer vehicles than August, though prices are high.

This is one of the best safari months for anyone who wants drama and baby animals, including families with kids who can handle early starts. It is the wrong month for Mara River crossings or a Kenya-only trip. If crossings are the goal, come July through October.

Make the most of February

What is especially good about East Africa Safari this month.

Peak calving at Ndutu

Thousands of calves are born daily at the peak. It is the migration's other great spectacle.

Big-cat action

Cheetahs and lions hunt among the herds on open plains, so sightings are close and easy to follow.

Fewer vehicles than crossing season

You get migration drama with far less traffic than the famous river crossings.

What to pack for February

A light rain jacket for passing storms
Earth-toned clothing
A warm layer for cold dawns
A camera with a long zoom lens

Our timing tip

Book Ndutu camps 6 to 12 months ahead, since the best-placed ones fill early for February.

Book East Africa Safari for February.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in East Africa Safari
Opens a hotel search for East Africa Safari in February, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for February
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Vacation rentals in East Africa Safari
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
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Tours and tickets in East Africa Safari
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in East Africa Safari for February. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in February

The Great Migration

Year-round, with calving in the southern Serengeti from roughly late January to March and river crossings from about July to October

Around 1.5 million wildebeest plus zebra and gazelle on a year-round loop through the Serengeti and Masai Mara.

Calving season on the southern Serengeti plains

Usually late January into February

A concentrated burst of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest births around Ndutu and the short-grass plains, with predators in close attendance.

Things to do in East Africa Safari

Full guide

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.

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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.

Tickets and tours →

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.