PLACES TO VISIT IN JANUARY
Blue Sky with white clouds above and the vast salt pan below.
Get lost in this expanse, Mgadhigadhi Pan, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Zebra Migration, Mgadhigadhi Pan, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Kalahari Desert - Botswana
Season - Summer
Average Temperature for January - 28 Celcius
What to do ?
Excellent birding, game viewing and the zebra migration in the now-green Kalahari Desert.
Why go ?
January falls within Botswana's intense rainy season, making animals hard to find in the northern parts of the country like Chobe National Park. The Kalahari is in the south, however, and being a desert, doesn't receive the same level of rain. But what rain it does receive transforms it from red sand to green grazing, attracting predators, prey and plenty of migrant and resident birds.
Zebra migration through Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans.
When to book ?
The Kalahari is not nearly as visited as Botswana's superstar wilderness areas, the Okavango Delta and Chobe. You should be able to get good accommodation and rates without booking too far in advance.
Birthing of Wildebeest, Ndutu,Plains, Serengeti, Tanzania
Lions up on the camelthorn tree Ndutu Plains, Serengeti, Tanzania
Zebra and Wildebeest Migration Ndutu Plains, Serengeti, Tanzania
Southern Serengeti - Tanzania
Season - Summer
Average Temperature for January - 17 Celcius
What to do ?
Calving season during the Great Wildebeest Migration.
Why to go?
The herds mass in the Southern Serengeti at this time of year to take advantage of the excellent grazing – depending on whether good rains fell in time – that will sustain their calves. About 8 000 calves are born every day and there is plenty of predator action from lions, hyenas, leopards, wild dogs and jackals. Game drives will take you to the heart of the action.
When to book ?
This is considered the low or Green Season in Serengeti National Park and is much less-visited than the mid-year high season. You generally don't need to book too far in advance to get accommodation. Bear in mind that the time around New Year will be busier as local Tanzanian families go on holiday.