Montero
When to come, what there is to do, what a price actually covers, and the insurance question that catches most disabled travellers out. Everything here is written to be read before you enquire, not after.
Most seasonality charts tell you about the wildlife. This one also tells you what the ground will be like under a wheelchair, how hot it will be for your medication, and how many other people will be in camp.
| Month | Season | Game viewing | What is happening | Access & health | Crowds & privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Short dry spell | Best | Calving begins in the southern Serengeti; predators follow the herds. | Hot. Matters if heat affects your condition or your medication storage — our vehicle fridges are logged twice daily. | Moderate. Camps busy over New Year, quieter from mid-month. |
| February | Short dry spell | Best | Peak calving at Ndutu. The densest predator activity of the year. | Ground is firm and tracks are good — the easiest month for wheelchair transfers on the southern plains. | Moderate. Busy at Ndutu itself; easy to stay away from the crowd. |
| March | Long rains begin | Good | Herds start north. Green, lush, excellent for birds. | Black-cotton soil turns greasy once rain starts. Transfers lengthen and get rougher without warning. | Quiet and getting quieter. Good month for privacy. |
| April | Long rains | Hard | Lush and dramatic, but sightings are harder and some camps close. | The hardest month for access. Mud, long detours, and a real chance a route changes on the day. | Very quiet. Lowest rates of the year. |
| May | Long rains ease | Hard | Green season continues; herds moving through the western corridor. | Still muddy early in the month. We will usually suggest Tarangire over the Serengeti. | Very quiet. Staff have more time for adjustments, which genuinely helps. |
| June | Dry season begins | Best | Grumeti crossings start. Grass drops and visibility opens up. | Tracks firm up. One of the two best months for a step-free itinerary. | Building. Still easy to find quiet camps. |
| July | Peak dry | Best | Mara River crossings begin. The classic migration month. | Firm ground, dusty air. Worth knowing if dust affects your chest. | Busy. Privacy needs more planning — we lean on private concessions. |
| August | Peak dry | Best | Peak crossings. The busiest and most dramatic month. | Excellent underfoot. Book nine to twelve months out for step-free rooms. | Busiest of the year. The month where a private vehicle matters most. |
| September | Dry | Best | Crossings continue; superb general game throughout the north. | Dry, firm and predictable. Our usual recommendation for a first safari. | Busy but easing. Good balance. |
| October | Dry, hot | Good | Herds begin drifting south. Excellent predator sightings. | Hot and very dusty by month's end. Plan shorter mid-day drives. | Easing. Quieter in the second half. |
| November | Short rains | Good | Herds returning south. Birding is outstanding. | Brief afternoon storms. Mostly a nuisance rather than an obstacle. | Quiet. One of the best months for travelling discreetly. |
| December | Short rains ease | Good | Herds back on the southern plains. Green and photogenic. | Ground firms again. Good access, with occasional wet afternoons. | Quiet until about the 20th, then very busy. |
The short version. If you need firm ground and predictable transfers, come between June and October, or in February. If you want the country almost to yourselves and do not mind a wet afternoon, come in November or early December — it is also the easiest time to get a camp to make an adjustment for you, because they are not stretched.
Each with the access position stated up front, including the one we cannot make work.
Serengeti
An hour above the plains at first light, landing to breakfast on the grass.
Partial
The basket needs a standing pivot or an assisted lift, and operators may decline on the morning. We book it, brief it, and refund it if they do.
Tarangire
Three hours in one place, engine off, watching everything come to drink.
Step-free
Entirely vehicle-based and our most requested experience by blind and low-vision guests — the soundscape does the work.
Serengeti
A long table under canvas, lit by lamps, with the plain going dark beyond the rail.
Step-free
Level approach, 1:14 ramp, 920 mm doorway. Table heights adjusted on request before you arrive.
Ngorongoro
An arranged visit to a family we have worked with for years, not a staged performance.
Partial
Ground is uneven and unpaved. We can arrange a level meeting place instead, and we say when that changes the experience.
Kilimanjaro
Picking, roasting and drinking it in the same afternoon, on the lower slopes above Moshi.
Step-free
Mostly level, compacted paths. One of the easiest half-days in the whole programme.
Serengeti
No light pollution for a hundred miles, with a guide who knows the southern sky.
Step-free
Done from your deck or a level clearing. Seating and blankets provided; no walking required.
Zanzibar
Carved doors, spice markets and the old waterfront, with a guide who grew up there.
Not step-free
Honestly: the lanes are cobbled, often under 1,200 mm wide, and the buildings are protected. Not navigable by chair. We offer the accessible waterfront instead and say plainly it is not the same.
Zanzibar
Cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and vanilla, tasted straight off the plant.
Partial
Sandy, uneven paths between plots. A shorter level circuit is possible at two of the three farms we use.
Park fees are the largest single line in any Tanzanian safari and the one most often left out of a headline figure. Ours are inside it.
Park and conservation fees are set by the Tanzanian authorities and change, usually each July. A quote holds the fees current on the day it is issued and names them as a separate line, so you can see exactly what moved if it is re-quoted.
This is the single thing most likely to go wrong for a disabled traveller, and the one most operators mention in a footnote.
Declare every pre-existing condition. An undeclared condition voids the policy, including for an unrelated claim. Screening calls are tedious; a voided policy in Arusha is worse.
Insure equipment at replacement value. Standard baggage limits are often around £1,500. A powered chair is frequently ten times that, and airline liability is capped far below it.
Check repair and hire cover abroad. The useful clause is not replacement at home but a hire chair in Arusha within 24 hours.
Confirm repatriation includes your equipment and, if you need one, a travelling companion or carer.
Check the cancellation trigger. Many policies cover illness but not a planned procedure being brought forward. Ask specifically.
We cannot sell or recommend a policy. We are not regulated to, and an operator steering you to one insurer is a conflict of interest. We will read a policy with you and say what looks thin.
On flights with equipment. Battery chemistry is where most powered-chair trips come unstuck, and it has to be settled with the airline before ticketing, not at check-in. We do that call with you, and we put the reference number in your travel pack.
One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.
Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.
