BEST TIME TO VISIT RUBONDO FOR A NORTHERN TANZANIA SAFARI

Your Rubondo Island safari experiences depend on the time of year that you visit. Not only does the already small number of visitors in the park vary during the rainy and dry periods but that change of the landscape is significant especially after the rains with the influx of migratory birds from December to February. Because Rubondo Island National Park is less visited than other national parks in Tanzania, you generally find very few visitors in the park year-round, even during the peak season from July through February.

The low season from March through June, though, would offer you a complete sense of isolation. The only proper AfricanMecca recommended tourist accommodation in the park is Rubondo Island Camp, which is closed from April to May due to the long rains. With an average low and high temperature ranging from 66 -80 F (19-27 C), Rubondo Island Park offers a pleasant climate throughout the year with humidity primarily in the forests that covers the majority of the park, and the most comfortable months are June through September.

The short rainy season at Rubondo is from November to December with occasional showers in between January and February with most of the long rains occurring from the middle of March through May into early June.



The water runoff from the rain may impact your activities; therefore, your walking trails may become demanding to navigate on foot. You should bring comfortable hiking boots, as well as clothing to protect you from the natural elements during your activities and to keep you comfortable in the evenings. AfricanMecca recommends that you bring insect repellant as the tropical park is home to many types of ground and avian insects.

If you are looking for extraordinary wildflowers during your floral tour of Tanzania, few zones offer the diversity of flower species that is found within Rubondo. By mid-November, the landscape erupts with vivid color and shapes and the show continues through March. Tall grasses are joined by wild jasmine, 40 species of wild orchid, and during the short rains, Gloriosa and Fireball lilies, as well as many other gorgeous flowers.

In December while the flowers are blooming, the migratory birds arrive and usually remain in the park until February. You may see martial eagle, sacred ibis, bee-eaters, coucal, hornbill, sunbirds and many other feathered fauna foraging, hunting and breeding within the park.