The Extraordinary Green Season
Serendipity. The accidental discovery of something delightful; extraordinary; pleasant or perfectly suited to your needs that beats everything you thought you were looking for.
-Heather Weaver
Anyone who has ever been on safari will surely tell you that every day is different. Since co-founding Tasimba in 2015, I have been privileged to spend many wonderful weeks in the African wilderness. I’ve witnessed many amazing wonders of nature and met some of the nicest, warmest, most hospitable people. I’ve shared with our guests the magic of the dry season herds, the ebb and flow of life at a dusty waterhole, the indescribably breathtaking sunsets and 1001 other magical moments, but until a couple of years ago, I had never experienced Zimbabwe’s ‘green season’.
Green season is in the summer months of December to April when the seasonal showers bring the parched landscape back to life in dazzling color.
It’s Extraordinary!
Now I have been to Tasimba’s ‘home away from home’ in Hwange National Park three times in the green season. It is an extraordinary time to visit. The bush is lush and leafy. When we first selected this area of Hwange to be Tasimba’s home range, we’d been told that it has incredible year-round game viewing. Now I can say it truly does. Yes, I expected fewer large herds that are typical for the dry season, but I certainly did not expect to see so many species of both bird and mammals. The game drives were epic!
Set against a backdrop of 50 shades of green and ever-changing skies, viewing wildlife in the green season is nothing short of magnificent. Huge puddles from the first rainfalls are everywhere so no longer do animals need to come to the waterholes to drink. On our game drives, every bend in the road revealed yet another jaw dropping discovery.
Space and Exclusivity
Since torrential downpours can occur in the summer, in many wildlife regions the green season is known as the ‘off season’ for tourists. To me this time of year is a ‘best kept secret.’ Having learnt the value of space and exclusivity in the dry season, the green season offers even more. I loved the solitude and serenity of the bush; the unexpected appearance of animals in the forest; the vast, open spaces and the endless cloud formations.
And oh, the rain! The camps easily work game drives, meals and activities around the weather so I did not feel like I missed a single thing. Appropriately dressed, like wildlife, we carried on regardless of what was happening and had the most amazing sightings. There were days where we were the only ones out on safari. What a gift!
Serendipity!
At this time of year, birding becomes an activity in itself as many migratory species return to Hwange in the green season. It seems like all 400 bird species that make Hwange home, are flirting for your attention. The birdsong is even more symphonic than I’ve typically known it to be. Frogs are plentiful and they too have their own resounding chorus especially after a thunderstorm.
Bundles of Joy
If you plan on a safari during the green season, be prepared to have your heart melt. Even though you read about it, nothing can quite prepare you for the abundance of wobbly legged wildebeest calves and impala lambs; the squirming, curious lion cub fur balls, the few months-old playful elephants who haven’t yet figured out what their trunk is for, or the roly-poly warthog youngsters.
Green Season – My New Favorite Feeling
I thought I could not love safari any more than I do until I had the immense pleasure of experiencing the green season. I know a visit is what you make it but Hwange National Park this time of year makes it impossible to not have the best time.
Safari is always a wonderful time for nature lovers, photographers, and those who want to discover the wonders of life in the bush. The green season is all of that plus it is blessed with the intoxicating, thundering booms of afternoon showers; the indescribable fresh smell of rain on hot soil (it even has a name: Petrichor!) and the ability to witness the rejuvenation of the wilderness as it bursts with new life and an explosion of color. The green season is also a time less travelled so safaris are less expensive and not as busy.
Discover green season in Hwange for yourself! It is nothing short of an extraordinary experience.
Green season. My new favorite feeling!
Safari is immersing yourself in nature that is raw, powerful and absolutely wonderful. It’s peaceful moments of heartwarming tranquility wrapped in exhilarating rushes of adrenaline. It’s a plethora of jaw-dropping, awesome, magical experiences that sear into your heart and soul as fabulous, forever feelings. Safari is serendipity on steroids.”
– Heather Weaver
Tasimba. Love Green Season. Naturally
