Safari events calendar

January 2027

• Wildebeest calving season

  Late January – March · Tanzania · Wildlife · Expected

  Around 8,000 calves a day are born on the Ndutu and southern Serengeti short-grass plains; predators follow closely.

February 2027

• Sauti za Busara music festival

  Usually mid-February · Zanzibar · Festival · Expected

  East Africa's best-known live music festival, held in Stone Town's Old Fort.

• Kilimanjaro Marathon

  Usually late February or early March · Tanzania · Sport · Expected

  Road race in Moshi beneath Kilimanjaro, with full, half and fun-run distances.

March 2027

• Good Friday

  Fri 26 March · Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Busy holiday weekend — book lodges early.

• Easter Monday

  Mon 29 March · Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday.

April 2027

• Green season

  April – May · Kenya & Tanzania · Wildlife · Expected

  Long rains bring lush scenery, quiet parks and the lowest lodge rates of the year.

May 2027

No major events — quieter parks.

June 2027

• Grumeti River crossings

  June – July · Tanzania · Wildlife · Expected

  The herds move through the Western Corridor and cross the Grumeti River.

• Gorilla & chimp dry season

  June – September · Rwanda & Uganda · Wildlife · Expected

  Drier forest trails make gorilla and chimpanzee trekking easiest; permits sell out early.

• Madaraka Day

  Tue 1 June · Kenya · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday.

July 2027

• Mara River crossings

  July – October · Kenya & Tanzania · Wildlife · Expected

  Peak migration in the Maasai Mara and northern Serengeti; crossings happen on the herds' timing, never a fixed day.

• Zanzibar International Film Festival

  Usually July · Zanzibar · Festival · Expected

  Film, music and arts across Stone Town.

• Liberation Day

  Sun 4 July · Rwanda · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday.

August 2027

• Umuganura harvest day

  Fri 6 August · Rwanda · Public holiday · Fixed date

  National harvest celebration held on the first Friday of August.

September 2027

• Kwita Izina gorilla naming

  Usually early September · Rwanda · Festival · Expected

  National ceremony naming the year's newborn mountain gorillas near Volcanoes National Park.

• Mara Day

  Wed 15 September · Kenya & Tanzania · Festival · Fixed date

  Cross-border day celebrating the Mara River basin and its conservation.

October 2027

• Mashujaa Day

  Wed 20 October · Kenya · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday.

November 2027

• Herds return south

  November – December · Tanzania · Wildlife · Expected

  Short rains draw the migration back toward the southern Serengeti.

• Lamu Cultural Festival

  Usually November · Kenya · Festival · Expected

  Dhow races, Swahili poetry and crafts in Lamu Old Town.

December 2027

• Independence Day

  Thu 9 December · Tanzania · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday.

• Jamhuri Day

  Sun 12 December · Kenya · Public holiday · Fixed date

  Public holiday; festive-season lodge rates begin around now.