Kenya & Tanzania, Africa

East Africa Safari in May

Long rains taper late month. Herds begin pushing north and west through the central and western Serengeti; still a closures-and-mud season.

Think twiceRains continuing, highs near 77F (25C)

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

The straight answer

May is a month to think twice about visiting East Africa Safari. Long rains taper late month. Herds begin pushing north and west through the central and western Serengeti; still a closures-and-mud season.

Weather: Rains continuing, highs near 77F (25C)
Crowds: 1 of 5
Prices: 1 of 5

What May is like in East Africa Safari

May continues the long rains, with highs near 77F (25C), though the rains usually taper toward the end of the month. The herds begin pushing north and west through the central and western Serengeti. Many seasonal camps are still closed, and roads are muddy. Prices are at their lowest, and you will rarely see another vehicle.

It suits bargain hunters and photographers who want green landscapes and empty parks. It is not for first-timers or families who need smooth logistics. If you can wait, June is when the dry season and prime safari conditions begin.

Make the most of May

What is especially good about East Africa Safari this month.

Herds on the move

The migration starts moving through the central and western Serengeti. Late May can deliver big herds.

Baby animals and green grass

Young animals and fresh grass make for soft, colorful photos you cannot get in the dusty months.

Quiet game drives

Very few vehicles means peaceful sightings.

What to pack for May

A rain jacket
Quick-dry layers
Waterproof boots
Insect repellent

Our timing tip

If you go in May, pick the last week, when the rains usually ease and some camps reopen.

Book East Africa Safari for May.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in East Africa Safari
Opens a hotel search for East Africa Safari in May, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for May
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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 May. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in May

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

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.

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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.