April in Africa
Serengeti
April is unfurling across Africa, but that means something different in each small corner of the continent. It is the perfect time for an African safari trip.
In Zimbabwe, April brings autumn. The rains have just ended but the grass is still green and the rivers are full. Days are warm and dry and the skies are a bright, vivid blue.
It’s a big month for the animals (both resident and tourist) of Zimbabwe’s mighty Zambezi River, which flows from the Congo basin in the north to the coast of Mozambique in the east. The fish in the river are jumping and the crocodiles are snapping. Rain means life, and wildlife (including lions and hippopotami) are rampant.
Westward, in Botswana, the skies are clear and lovely. April is the perfect time to go on safari in the region as the wet season has just ended. The best game viewing in Botswana shifts from the Kalahari to the game rich Okavango Delta. Herds are congregating around the Okavango Delta. A quiet paddling trip down the Selinda Spillway in a mokoro (traditional African canoe) is the perfect way to watch them.
Perhaps April’s most spectacular sight is the South Serengeti. The life-giving rains that fall from mid-November to early May are ending and the well fed wildebeest who have grazed on the short grass of the Southern Serengeti Plains are getting ready to restart the great migration. It is also the tail end of the calving season. Mothers are waiting for their young calves to fatten up and have the strength for the journey north. The Great Migration is the region’s greatest spectacle. Thousands of young wildebeest calves stick closely to their mothers while predators eye them cannily from the grasses. Massive African elephants cool themselves in the woodlands around Lakes Ndutu and Kusini.
Nearby sits the Ngorongoro Crater, one Africa’s greatest natural wonders. Though only ten miles across, the crater is home to black rhino, elephants, buffalo, lions, and cheetahs.
In Mozambique, the rainy season has already ended. The sun has come out and the humidity is passing. It’s a magical time of year to experience the country’s pristine coastline and islands. Mozambique's beaches are simply stunning and its the perfect way to end a luxury safari.
