Weather and climate

Ruaha National Park weather

What it is doing right now, what the next two weeks look like, and what each month of the year means for the game viewing.

Right now in the park

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The next two weeks

Straight from the forecast, updated when you open this page. Useful if you are packing. Not useful for choosing a month, which is what the year below is for.

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The year at a glance

Bars are rainfall, the line is the daytime high. Thirty-year averages. The green band marks the months this park is at its driest, which is when most people want to be here.

Rainfall in millimetres along the bottom. Highest month 181 mm, daytime highs from 15.2 to 32.5 degrees.

Every month, and what it means for the wildlife

The temperature tells you what to pack. The rainfall column decides what you will see.

Month	Day	Night	Rain	Wet days	What that means here
January	27.7°C	19.3°C	181 mm	22	Green season: landscape transforms, newborn animals everywhere, and birding peaks as migrants arrive (Eleonora's falcon Dec–Jan). Hot, with rain showers. Excellent lodge rates.
February	27.3°C	19.1°C	179 mm	18	Green season: landscape transforms, newborn animals everywhere, and birding peaks as migrants arrive (Eleonora's falcon Dec–Jan). Hot, with rain showers. Excellent lodge rates.
March	28.0°C	19.1°C	135 mm	15	The long rains. Most camps close (typically March through May); black-cotton roads get difficult; malaria risk peaks. The park stays open and the Iringa road is passable year-round. This is the specialist's season, not the first-timer's.
April	28.1°C	18.8°C	45 mm	7	The long rains. Most camps close (typically March through May); black-cotton roads get difficult; malaria risk peaks. The park stays open and the Iringa road is passable year-round. This is the specialist's season, not the first-timer's.
May	28.2°C	17.5°C	5 mm	1	The long rains. Most camps close (typically March through May); black-cotton roads get difficult; malaria risk peaks. The park stays open and the Iringa road is passable year-round. This is the specialist's season, not the first-timer's.
June prime	27.8°C	15.8°C	1 mm	0	Dry season begins; coolest months (days ±30°C, nights down to 8°C. Pack warm layers for morning drives). Bush thinning, game viewing improving fast. Wild dog denning season starts.
July prime	27.5°C	15.2°C	0 mm	0	Dry season begins; coolest months (days ±30°C, nights down to 8°C. Pack warm layers for morning drives). Bush thinning, game viewing improving fast. Wild dog denning season starts.
August prime	28.5°C	16.0°C	0 mm	0	Peak season. Wildlife crowds the shrinking river pools; predator action at its best. October turns properly hot (to 40°C). Balloon safaris run in this window.
September prime	30.6°C	17.5°C	0 mm	0	Peak season. Wildlife crowds the shrinking river pools; predator action at its best. October turns properly hot (to 40°C). Balloon safaris run in this window.
October	32.5°C	19.4°C	3 mm	0	Peak season. Wildlife crowds the shrinking river pools; predator action at its best. October turns properly hot (to 40°C). Balloon safaris run in this window.
November	32.4°C	20.4°C	32 mm	5	Shoulder month: game viewing still strong, first rains possible, low prices and almost no visitors.
December	28.6°C	19.7°C	162 mm	20	Green season: landscape transforms, newborn animals everywhere, and birding peaks as migrants arrive (Eleonora's falcon Dec–Jan). Hot, with rain showers. Excellent lodge rates.

Climate figures are Open-Meteo climate normals, 1991 to 2020, taken at -7.3, 34.8. The wildlife column is ours, from the sources on the best time to visit page. Averages hide bad years: a dry January still happens, and so does a wet July.