Where to Go on Safari in December (2026)

December splits two ways. In East Africa the short rains ease and the migration herds are back on the green southern Serengeti and Ndutu plains, with the first calves appearing late in the month. In Southern Africa it is festive green season — lush, newborn antelope, dramatic skies — pairing beautifully with Cape Town in high summer. The one rule: book the festive fortnight, roughly 20 December to 2 January, six to twelve months ahead.

By Richard J. · Updated July 2026 · 10 min read

The quick answer

December is a month of two safaris. For the Great Migration, the herds have completed their southbound return and are spread across the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu; the grass is greening after the short rains, and the very first calves start to drop in the last week or two — a precursor to the February calving peak. It is genuinely good game viewing wrapped in a festive atmosphere, and outside the holiday fortnight it is well priced.

For a classic festive-season trip, look south: the private reserves around Kruger — above all Sabi Sand — are in green season, lush and full of newborn antelope, and they sit a short hop from Cape Town at the height of its summer. That safari-and-beach combination is the reason December is the busiest, priciest fortnight of the Southern African year over Christmas and New Year. You can compare that month’s trips and availability on BookAllSafaris before you commit to dates — and if you want the holidays, do it early.

One more strong December pick: gorilla trekking in Rwanda, where December to February is a drier, firmer-underfoot window on the Volcanoes National Park trails. For where the herds sit in every other month, our Great Migration month-by-month tracker follows them week by week; this page is the seasonal decision layer above it.

December’s price split, in one picture

December is not one price. Travel in the first three weeks and you get green-season value; travel over the festive fortnight and rates jump sharply, with the best family lodges and Cape Town booked out months in advance. The graphic below shows the split plainly.

East Africa this month: herds back on the southern plains

November’s short rains push the herds south off the northern Serengeti, and by December the roughly 1.5 million wildebeest of the Great Migration are spread across the southern short-grass plains around Ndutu. The rains ease through the month, the plains green up, and the first calves begin to drop in the last week or two — the opening act of the January–February calving that peaks at some 8,000 births a day. Predators are already shadowing the herds. It is excellent, uncrowded game viewing outside the festive fortnight.

Weather is warm with short, clearing afternoon showers that rarely disrupt a drive. Kenya’s Maasai Mara is quiet now — the migration has left — but its resident game and private conservancies still deliver, at green-season rates. For the granular country picture, see the best time for a Tanzania safari and the best time for a Kenya safari. If you want a specialist to position a mobile camp on the southern plains for the early calving, Safari.com can build a tailored December itinerary.

Southern Africa and the Cape: the festive green season

Across Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, December is the green (emerald) season: the summer rains have arrived, the bush is lush, migratory birds are in, and impala and other antelope are dropping their young. Game viewing is a little harder than the bare-bush peak of August to October because animals disperse and vegetation thickens — but the reserves are photogenic, quiet in early December, and priced accordingly. The honest caveat: parts of the deep-water wilderness, such as Zambia’s South Luangwa, are in their wettest window and some camps close.

The December sweet spot is South Africa. The malaria-managed private reserves of the Sabi Sand, famed for relaxed leopard sightings, stay excellent year-round and are ideal for families. Pair three or four nights in the bush with Cape Town and the Winelands, which are in full high-summer swing — beaches, harvest-season vineyards and long evenings. See the best time for a South Africa safari for the regional detail, or sense-check a bush-and-beach itinerary with Go2Africa.

Gorillas, Victoria Falls and Botswana

Gorilla trekking is a standout December call. In Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Bwindi, December to February is one of the drier, easier trekking windows — firmer trails and less mud than the March–May and October–November wet spells, though a mountain rainforest is never guaranteed dry. Rwanda’s permit is US$1,500 and the trek runs year-round; December simply makes the climb more comfortable. Full detail in the best time for Rwanda gorilla trekking.

At Victoria Falls, water levels are low and clear in December, building slowly toward the autumn flood — you see more of the rock face and the gorge, and it is a fine season for a helicopter flip, a sundowner cruise or white-water rafting. It slots neatly onto a Botswana or Zambia leg; you can pre-book the Falls activities and Cape Town add-ons through GetYourGuide. In Botswana, the Okavango’s floodwaters are long gone (they peak June–August), so December is a green, birding-rich, land-focused season rather than a mokoro one — good value, more rain, tougher access to some camps. Weigh it against the dry months in the best time for a Botswana safari.

Where to go on safari in December: compared

The honest one-glance summary of December’s options — including where not to prioritise this month.

What you’ll see this month

In East Africa, the headline is the migration back on the southern plains: vast, loose herds of wildebeest and zebra across Ndutu’s short grass, the earliest wobbly-legged calves in the final week or two, and lion, cheetah and hyena already tracking them. It is the quiet, green precursor to the February spectacle rather than the peak itself.

In Southern Africa, December delivers newborn impala and other antelope, dramatic thunderhead skies, and outstanding birding as migratory species arrive in breeding plumage — a photographer’s green season. Big cats remain reliable in the Sabi Sand whatever the month. For realistic species expectations park by park, our guide to where the migration sits month by month sets the calendar around the herds.

Weather and what to pack

East Africa is warm with humid, showery afternoons — pack lightweight layers, a light waterproof and neutral colours, plus something warmer for chilly early-morning drives on the plains and the Ngorongoro rim. Southern Africa is hot summer with afternoon thunderstorms: sun protection, a hat, a rain shell and good insect repellent (December is a higher-risk malaria window in the lowveld — take prophylaxis and confirm with your doctor). Cape Town is hot and can be windy; bring beachwear and layers for cool evenings.

Price and booking for December

December is genuinely two price bands. Early December (roughly the 1st to the 19th) is green-season value across both regions: rates sit well below the July–October peak, camps are quiet, and availability is easy. The festive fortnight (about 20 December to 2 January) is the sharpest peak of the Southern African year — family lodges, Cape Town hotels and popular Serengeti camps command their highest rates and sell out six to twelve months ahead. If Christmas or New Year in the bush is the goal, book now; if you have any flexibility, shift a week earlier and pay materially less for much the same experience.

All figures are indicative 2026 benchmarks excluding international flights — always get a live quote. Model the difference between the two December windows before you commit; our luxury safari cost guide breaks down what each tier actually costs, all in, and the master best time to go on safari calendar sets December against the rest of the year.

Who December suits — and who should wait

December suits you if you want a festive safari with atmosphere: families combining bush and Cape Town beaches, photographers after green-season skies and newborn wildlife, migration watchers happy to catch the herds back on the southern plains with the earliest calves, and gorilla trekkers wanting a drier trail. Early-December travellers get much of this at real value.

Wait for another month if your heart is set on the Mara River crossings (July to October), on peak calving with thousands of births a day (late January to March, especially February), or on the sparse-bush, animals-at-water game density of the Southern African dry season (August to October). For those, see the adjacent months below.

Frequently asked questions