A first-time guide to East Africa

19.01.2025 - 17:27 / lonelyplanet.com

Jan 18, 2025 • 13 min read

East Africa is the true spiritual home of the safari. It’s also the best place to watch wildlife on the planet.

It was here in East Africa that the world first fell in love with the continent’s wildlife and wild places, with the magic of its landscapes, and with its people. Nothing captures that magic quite like lying awake in a safari tent and listening to a lion roaring the world’s unrest not far away. Or a sunset framed by an umbrella thorn acacia and savannah grasslands that never seem to end. Or the mystical experience of encountering chimpanzees or gorillas in the forest.

But Africa’s story didn’t begin with the safari. This is a continent with an incredibly rich human history. It is the Maasai, the Swahili, Buganda and so many other communities who bring these landscapes to life and it is they who must find ways to live alongside the wildlife. Their presence in this story is a sign of how much the East African safari has evolved, with fascinating conservation projects now very much a part of the experience.

And therein lies the astonishing richness of going on safari: spending time among the people, the wildlife and the wild places that they share.

East Africa carries many meanings and no firm boundaries. But in the context of the safari, it’s a rather simple equation taking in four countries: the first safaris arose around the East African heartland of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, but the possibilities have since extended throughout both countries, and into neighboring Uganda and Rwanda.

In a geopolitical and strictly geographical sense, Burundi and Ethiopia both belong to East Africa, although their safari possibilities lie beyond the scope of this article.

May to October: When it comes to the weather, the best time to visit East Africa is the dry season, which loosely corresponds to the cooler winter months. This season usually begins around May or June and continues through to October. Within this, June to September or October is usually considered the high season, which means more visitors, limited availability in lodges and tented camps, and higher prices. June to August can be mild during the day and quite cool in the evening. Temperatures start to build through September and into October; the latter is often the best time to find and see wildlife, as water supplies dwindle and animals are drawn to the few remaining water sources.

November to April: For all that, visiting during the warmer, wetter summer months can also be excellent. Fewer visitors go on safari at this time, reservations are easier to come by, and prices tend to be lower. While more unpredictable, the weather at this time can also make for a wonderful safari.

The so-called short rains usually