Safari holidays from the UK: where to go and what to arrange first

Safari holidays from the UK need different paperwork in each country: Kenya asks for an online travel authorisation, Tanzania and Namibia for a visa, while South Africa and Botswana allow 90 days without one. Four of the five countries want a passport valid for six months after arrival.

This guide covers African safari holidays in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. It reads the FCDO entry requirements for each country, TravelHealthPro for health, and the park and tourism bodies that publish a season. Where we found no official page on game-viewing seasons, we say so. This site is a guide: it prices nothing and books nothing. For vaccines in general, see our guide to travel vaccinations, or the holiday ideas hub.

Three bodies give a timing we could read. For the Serengeti, Tanzania National Parks lists "June-October (dry season) for migration; January-February for calving season." For Kenya's Maasai Mara, the Mara Conservancy says the migration "usually starts somewhere in June-July and goes on until November". For Botswana, the Botswana Tourism Organisation puts the best months for weather and game viewing at April to October.

The sources differ at the edges: the Tanzanian window ends in October, the Mara page runs to November, and the Botswana window starts in April.

Botswana's tourism body describes two clear halves. Summer "begins in November and ends in March", and "January and February are generally regarded as the peak months" for rain. Winter, May to August, is "the dry season when virtually no rainfall occurs", with under 10 per cent of the year's rain. It adds that winter nights are cold: "frost is common and small quantities of water can freeze". April, early May, September and October are "in-between periods" that "still tend to be dry".

The same body says the Chobe riverfront is "most famous for the large herds of elephants and Cape Buffalo that converge on the riverbank to drink during the dry winter months". The Okavango Delta changes with the water: its Delta page says it can vary in size from 15,000 square kilometres during drier periods to 22,000 sq. km during wetter periods.

The FCDO writes its entry rules for people on a full British citizen passport travelling from the UK, and says the authorities in each country set and enforce them. Its advice for Kenya and Tanzania was updated on 30 October 2026, for South Africa on 8 July 2026, for Botswana on 1 June 2026 and for Namibia on 10 December 2025, and all five were still current on 4 November 2026.

The passport rule is the one most likely to catch a traveller out. Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia all count six months from the day you arrive, and the blank-page minimum runs from one page in Tanzania to three in Botswana and Namibia. South Africa is the exception: 30 days after you leave, and 2 blank pages.

Kenya wants the authorisation applied for online, and the FCDO quotes the local authorities recommending at least 2 weeks. Tanzania asks for an e-visa before travel, although a single-entry visa can be got on arrival and "You will not be able to get a multiple entry visa on arrival." Namibia accepts either route.

If you combine countries on one trip, apply the strictest passport rule to the whole journey and check each country on its own FCDO page. The Namibian page also sends travellers who pass through South Africa to the South African advice. Our guide to entry rules for other destinations is at visa and entry requirements for British passport holders.

All five FCDO pages say you need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. That is about where you have been, not only where you are going. TravelHealthPro adds that the risk itself differs by country, and that travellers should "ideally arrange an appointment with their health professional at least four to six weeks before travel".

The malaria calendar differs by country. In the Kruger area the risk is rated "very low" in June, July and August. In northern Botswana the high-risk months are October to May. Namibia has a high risk all year in its Kavango East, Kavango West and Zambezi regions. TravelHealthPro says the mosquitoes "predominantly feed between dusk and dawn".

TravelHealthPro lists three tablets, and which one suits a traveller is a decision for a health professional. The timings below are from its Kenya page.

Symptoms can start late. TravelHealthPro says anyone with symptoms suggestive of malaria "within a year of return should seek immediate medical care". The wider picture of routine and travel vaccines is in our guide to travel vaccinations and where to get them.

Beyond the visa and the passport, the FCDO pages flag several rules that fall on people packing for a safari. They are short, and each is easy to miss.

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  Wildlife souvenirs in Tanzania: The FCDO says it is illegal to take wildlife items out of Tanzania without a certified export permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, and not to bring animal skin accessories in.
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  Drones in Kenya: It is illegal to import or export drones without prior approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
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  Unstamped passports in Botswana: The FCDO says unstamped passports "will raise suspicions of illegal entry", so ask for the stamp.
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  Children in Botswana: You must have an original or certified copy of the full birth certificate of any child aged 17 or under when entering or leaving.
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  Short birth certificates in Namibia: Namibian immigration officials will not accept an abridged (short) birth certificate, and they check your entry stamp when you leave.

Those rules are the ones the FCDO writes for British travellers. The authorities of each country can change them without notice, so read the live page again in the week before you fly.

• Do I need a visa for a safari in Kenya?

  You need an online electronic travel authorisation before you travel, according to the FCDO. The local authorities recommend applying at least 2 weeks before departure.

• Can I get a Tanzania visa at the airport?

  The FCDO says you can get a single-entry tourist or business visa on arrival at the main ports of entry, subject to the immigration requirements, but it advises applying for an e-visa before you travel. You cannot get a multiple entry visa on arrival.

• Does South Africa need a visa for a British passport?

  Not for up to 90 days for business or tourism, according to the FCDO. Since 1 July 2026 an online traveller declaration is required before you travel.

• How long must my passport be valid for a safari?

  Six months after the day you arrive for Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. South Africa asks for 30 days after the day you leave. The blank-page minimum is 2 pages in Kenya and South Africa, one in Tanzania and 3 in Botswana and Namibia.

• Do I need a yellow fever certificate?

  For all five countries the FCDO says you need one if you are coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. TravelHealthPro says there is a low potential for exposure in Tanzania and a risk in parts of Kenya.

• Is there malaria in Kruger National Park?

  TravelHealthPro says there is a risk in the low-altitude areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, including Kruger, during the transmission season from September to May. In June, July and August it rates the risk there as very low.

• When are the best months for a safari in Botswana?

  The Botswana Tourism Organisation puts the best months for weather and game viewing at April to October, and says winter, May to August, is the dry season when virtually no rainfall occurs.

• When is the Serengeti migration season?

  Tanzania National Parks lists June to October (dry season) for the migration and January to February for the calving season.

• When does the wildebeest migration reach the Maasai Mara?

  The Mara Conservancy says it usually starts somewhere in June-July and goes on until November.

• Can I bring back wildlife souvenirs from Tanzania?

  The FCDO says it is illegal to take wildlife items out of Tanzania without a certified export permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, and that border officials have arrested foreigners for trying.