Tanzania Weather in November

November is supposed to be the start of the short rains (mvuli) period across Tanzania but this does vary depending on where you want to travel. Generally speaking the northern parks are good for game year-round and although the Serengeti receives rain, this subsequently means the wildebeest will be moving south across the plains to make the most of this moisture. If they have not already arrived from Kenya, they will do by November. The chart below shows the averages for the Serengeti throughout the month and the comparative average rainfall in Zanzibar

Tarangire National Park particularly hots up from November onwards with humidity joining the rains throughout summer. This makes for a slightly more uncomfortable climate, but of course, great game numbers (despite them being more difficult to see).

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We think November is a great time to travel: “there are plenty of predators seeking out newborn herbivores as the rainy season starts and seeing the stormy clouds rolling in is really exciting. Not only that, there are significantly fewer safari vehicles about which makes for a much more intimate game viewing experience”.

If you do want to try and avoid the rains in November though, your best option is heading down to Selous where the rains usually arrive later than other parks in Tanzania. The dry landscapes usually last until into December before the heavy rains commence. 

The Kaskazi winds blow in from the north-east from November onwards which are relatively dry meaning the coast is not as badly affected by the short rains at the start of the month. The winds also help to temper the intense humidity which sits at around 76% during November! However, as you can see from the chart Zanzibar does receive significant rainfall which is extremely unpredictable. Visibility is still good on the coast in November and the billfish marlin fishing season begins around the middle of the month.