What's on in Arusha (Kilimanjaro), Tanzania through the year

Peak crowds — Festive season peak, December–January long break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Festive season peak (18 Dec – 5 Jan (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The long rains

  15 Mar – 31 May · usuallyMonsoon

  The masika rains close a good part of the northern circuit and the town goes quiet with them. Operators discount hard, and Arusha itself stays perfectly workable; it is the parks that turn to mud.

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: The long rains (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: The long rains (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Safari high season, Karibu-KiliFair

• Season

  Safari high season

  1 Jun – 15 Oct · usuallyDry seasonCrowdedBook early

  Every vehicle in town is out, the Serengeti crossings are on, and Arusha runs as a staging post rather than a destination. Beds near the airport and the good ground handlers go early.

• Festival

  Karibu-KiliFair

  4–7 JunMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  East Africa's tourism trade fair takes every usable hotel bed in Arusha for four days in early June. If you are not in the business, this is the week to arrive somewhere else. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Safari high season, Mid-year break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Safari high season (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Safari high season, Nane Nane farmers' show

• Festival

  Nane Nane farmers' show

  1–8 Aug · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Farmers' Day falls on the 8th and the agricultural show on the Themi grounds runs the week up to it: livestock, machinery, food stalls, and a public holiday to finish. Source ↗

Still on: Safari high season (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Safari high season, September short break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Safari high season (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Safari high season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Safari high season (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  The short rains

  1 Nov – 15 Dec · usuallyMonsoon

  Afternoon storms rather than all-day rain, and the dust settles out of the air. Camps stay open, prices sit between the two peaks and the light is the best of the year for photographs.

Peak crowds — Festive season peak, December–January long break in Tanzania

• Holiday

  Festive season peak

  18 Dec – 5 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The northern circuit's second peak. Lodges add festive supplements, the Ngorongoro and Serengeti gates are busy, and anything not booked by October has gone. Source ↗

Still on: The short rains (1 Nov – 15 Dec (usually))