In Defence of the Green Season

Rwanda's long rains fall roughly March to May, and the short rains around October and November. Those months are quiet, and the reason is a set of assumptions that are mostly wrong.

What rain here actually means

Not a grey day. Rain in Rwanda usually arrives as a heavy afternoon downpour that lasts an hour or two and then clears, often into the best light of the day. Mornings are frequently bright.

You will get wet at some point. You will also get wet in August, because this is montane rainforest and it rains in every month. The season changes how muddy the ground is, not whether it rains at all.

The case for going anyway

• Gorilla permits are far easier to secure, sometimes at short notice, in months that would be sold out in July.
• Lodges are quieter and rates are often lower, which is where the real saving is.
• The landscape is genuinely green. The terraced hills Rwanda is famous for look like the photographs in the wet months and rather less so at the end of a dry season.
• Storm light. Photographers who can choose their dates frequently choose these ones.
• Birding is at its best, with Palearctic migrants present roughly November to April and breeding plumage on show.
• You will have sightings to yourself in Akagera.

The honest downsides

• The gorilla trek is harder. Volcanic mud on a slope is the single biggest difference and it is a real one.
• Chimpanzee tracking is less reliable, because the troops range more widely when fruit is scarce.
• Nyungwe's trails get properly slippery, and the steeper walks become genuinely demanding.
• Grass in Akagera is longer, which makes spotting harder even though the animals are still there.
• Afternoon storms will occasionally move or cancel a boat trip. Take boats in the morning.

Who it suits

Photographers, birders, anyone paying for their own permits, and anyone who would rather have the trail to themselves than have dry boots.

It suits families less well, and it suits anyone with mobility concerns less well, because the walking is the part that gets harder rather than the weather.

If you do come in the rains

• Gaiters. Not optional in these months.
• Proper waterproofs, jacket and trousers both.
• A second pair of boots, or at least a second pair of socks in your day pack.
• Dry bags for camera gear.
• Schedule the demanding walks early in the day.
• Build in a spare day. Weather occasionally reorders a plan.

The gorillas are there every day of the year. What changes is how many other people are.