Where to go in June
The best places to explore at this time of year
The best places to explore at this time of year
June heralds the start of the dry or peak season across most of safari Africa, and wherever you choose to go, you’ll be in for a treat! You’ll often hear June referred to as the start of ‘winter’; for most of Africa, this means dry, warm days with little to no rain at all. The most ‘wintery’ it gets is in the evenings and mornings when temperatures drop, so make sure to pack a warm jacket and a scarf for nights spent around the camp fire. All those intimate and wonderfully remote bush camps open again in June, and you’ll have your pick of the accommodation. The exceptions, however, are Cape Town (cold) and Chad (rainy!).
All of Tanzania is pretty fabulous in June (the Great Migration in the Serengeti and the Big Five in Ngorongoro spring to mind), but we’d like to draw your attention in particular to Ruaha and Selous in the south. Ruaha is a dry, arid sort of place, characterised by broad baobabs and big cats, and in June, the animals are drawn to the main waterways making them easy to spot. The Selous, by contrast, is a green and watery wonderland bursting with wildlife, and in June, the humidity drops making a safari pleasant and comfortable. Oh, and did we mention that Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia Islands are looking rather glorious too? There’s an ideal combination if ever we saw one.
Finding the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda can be a sweaty business. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be where they’re supposed to and if a scramble through the forest is required, the cooler weather in June will be most welcome! It’s also a great month to add a classic East Africa safari to your trek, be it in Kenya or Tanzania. European summer holidays haven’t quite kicked off yet, so you’ll benefit from quieter lodges and fewer tourist-stuffed 4x4s in the parks and reserves.
Zambia is famous for its walking safaris, fantastic wildlife, and off-the-beaten-track bush camps. Many of the camps are inaccessible in the green season due to rain, but when June comes along so does the sunshine, and they are rebuilt ready for a brand-new season. Head to the South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi or Kafue in June for dreamy walking safaris in the now-dry riverbeds, fly-camping under the stars, big cats, and an all-round brilliant wildlife experience that’s hard to beat.
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Namibrand, Namibia
