The best months to visit the Somba country are November to February, in the cool dry season — clear skies, comfortable daytime temperatures, and the millet harvest in or just completed. December and January nights can be surprisingly cool up on the ridges; bring a light fleece.
From March the heat builds steadily; April and early May are brutal, with daytime temperatures often well over 40°C and the harmattan haze still lingering. The rains start in late May and run through October, when many of the unpaved tracks become difficult and walking between compounds is harder. There is, however, a green-season pleasure to visiting in September or October, once the rains have eased — the landscape is at its most beautiful, the millet is high, and visitor numbers are essentially zero.