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Discover The Best Times For Your South African Safari Vacation!

Want to discover the best time for your South African safari Vacation?
You've come to the right place!

Find peace of mind & answers to your questions about the best time for your South African safari! Free expert advice. Learn about the best times for your South African vacation.

We’ve lived in South Africa as a family since 1993. My wife is a local. So I can tell you first hand that South Africa is a year round destination. You can have a wonderful African safari vacation anytime of year.

Of course, there are “peak seasons” and “low seasons”. Indeed the more than 80 African safari vacation experiences that we have had since 1993 have been during all times of year – low season as well as peak season. And we have thoroughly enjoyed each African safari vacation we have taken!

giraffe on South African safari vacation
Discover The Best Time For Your South African Safari Vacation
photo of giraffe family courtesy of Michael Poliza


"I never knew of a morning in Africa
when I woke that I was not happy"
Ernest Hemingway
Google
 

When Is The Best Time To Take Your To South African Safari Vacation

For us there are two factors to weigh for considering the best time for your South African safari vacation.
The first factor is the weather – typical temperature & rainfall. A temperature and rainfall guide is below.

The second factor to consider for your African safari vacation is the quality of game viewing in the national parks or private game reserves for the times you want to travel.

Be aware that during peak seasons many safari lodges fill up fast. Many are small so this is not surprising. So you will have to book well in advance.

African Safari Vacation - South Africa Seasons & Weather

Spring: September – October
Summer: November – March
Fall: April – May
Winter: June – August

Summers in South Africa are hot with the northern regions being summer rainfall areas and have warm, dry winter days and cool to cold nights. The southern areas have a winter rainfall season and the summers are hot and dry. In the southern parts of South Africa mountains are often covered in snow during the winter season.

Winter can be an excellent time to go on safari in South Africa. The animals are easy to spot on an African safari vacation in parks like Kruger. The days will be warm at Kruger and in Johannesburg but it does get very cool at night -- 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees C).

Cape Town's weather can be rainy, and windy.
However if you love lush vegetation (the Cape is very green then) and whale watching then winter enables you to combine a great white shark and whale watching safari with an excellent big five South African safari vacation.

The winter is also an excellent time to come if you love golf. To the east of Cape Town, behind a spine of beautiful mountains, winter is a season of blue skies and dry days, it is perfect for golf. It is also nearly perfect for golf at Sun City and around Johannesburg during the winter months.

South African Safari Parks At A Glance
Kruger National Park
How Big 35,000 sq. km or 13,510 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Excellent: July-Oct
  • Good: Jan-June,& Nov, Dec
Where Is It Northwestern corner of South Africa
Why Visit
  • World-famous park with celebrated management & great infrastructure
  • Kruger has the greatest diversity of wildlife in the world
  • Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo as well as 147 species of mammals; 512 bird species; 300 tree species
  • Numerous camps, types of accommodation
  • Wilderness hikes
  • Infrastructure is excellent in Kruger - good self-drive destination
  • Now part of a Transfrontier Park and those areas in Mozambique are 4 x 4 territory now
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park
How Big 960 sq. km or 371 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Excellent: July-Oct
  • Good: April-June,& Nov, Dec
  • Fair: Jan, Feb, Mar
Where Is It In eastern South Africa, in Kwa Zulu Natal Province - north of Durban
Why Visit
  • Africa's oldest game reserve
  • Credited with helping to bring the white rhino back from the brink of extinction
  • Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo
  • Hiking safaris
Pilanesberg National Park
How Big 550 sq. km or 212 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Excellent: July-Oct
  • Good: Jan-June,& Nov, Dec
Where Is It Northwestern South Africa, but west of Johannesburg, near Sun City & Rustenberg
Why Visit
  • Big Five - lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, rhino
  • Less than 2 hour drive from Johannesburg
  • Guided hiking safari trails
  • Malaria free
  • Geologically fascinating landscape: formed by volcanic action
  • Hot air balloon safaris
Madikwe Game Reserve
How Big 600 sq. km or 232 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Excellent: July-Oct
  • Good: Jan-June,& Nov, Dec
Where Is It In northwestern South Africa on the Botswana border
Why Visit
  • Malaria free
  • Big five
  • A comfortable 4 to 5 hour drive from Johannesburg
  • Very large elephant population
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
How Big 36,000 sq. km or 13,900 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Best time to go is April to September when it is cooler. All year round good game viewing in dry riverbed areas
Where Is It In northern South Africa and southwestern Botswana
Why Visit
  • The black-maned Kalahari lion is unique to the area, can also see cheetah and leopard
  • View the unique Kalahari Desert
  • Great for viewing raptors
Pongola Game Reserve
How Big 310 sq. km or 120 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide Best time to go: March to August
Where Is It In eastern South Africa, close to the Swaziland border, near Pongola
Why Visit
  • It is one of the oldest reserves in the world
  • Lush combination of different landscapes
  • It has four of the Big Five (no lion)
  • Great birding - more than 300 bird species
  • Rhino tracking on foot
Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park
How Big 885 sq. km or 342 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide Can have good game viewing all year round
Where Is It In northeastern South Africa, near Mkuze, south of Mozambique border
Why Visit
  • See black rhino, hippo, buffalo, leopard, nyala, waterbuck
  • A World Heritage Site becausetropical and temperate forms of animal & plant life are part of its unique ecosystem
  • More than 420 bird species
  • Has the largest variety of amphibians in South Africa, plus vast species of marine animals & trees
  • Hikers' paradise
  • Great fishing and boating
Mkuzi Game Reserve
How Big 360 sq. km or 139 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Best time to go is March to August
Where Is It In eastern South Africa, close to the Swaziland border, near Pongola
Why Visit
  • Great hides for game viewing in an unobserved manner
  • Excellent birding - 412 bird species including rare Pel's fishing owl
  • See leopard, cheetah, black and white rhino, crocodile and hippo
Itala Game Reserve
How Big 296 sq. km or 114 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide Best time to go is March to August
Where Is It In eastern South Africa, close to the Swaziland border, near Pongola
Why Visit
  • See rhino, elephant, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, eland
  • Overlooks the beautiful Pongola river valley
Phinda Private Game Reserve
How Big 170 sq. km or 62 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide Best time to go is March to August
Where Is It In eastern South Africa close to the Swaziland border, near Mkuze
Why Visit
  • Big five territory
  • Seven diverse ecosystems - including beautiful beaches, forests & savannah
  • See endangered leather back turtles come to lay eggs on the coast nearby
  • Scuba dive at world's southernmost coral reefs
  • Close to the St. Lucia Wetlands - a World Heritage Site
Tswalu Game Reserve
How Big 900 sq. km or 327 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • Best time to go is March to August
Where Is It In northern South Africa, near Kuruman
Why Visit
  • One of the largest single owned private game reserves
  • Malaria free
  • See and track the endangered desert black rhino
  • See lion, white rhino, king cheetah, giraffe, Cape buffalo
  • Horse riding
  • Golf at nearby Sishen Golf club - rated one of the top golf courses in South Africa
Addo Elephant Park
How Big 121 sq. km or 44 sq. mi. with plans to double this
Game Viewing Guide
  • All year round
Where Is It Southeastern South Africa, near Port Elizabeth
Why Visit
  • Boasts the Big Seven - lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard plus whales and great white sharks
  • Extends to the Indian Ocean
  • Unrivalled natural diversity - has 5 of South Africa's 7 major vegetation zones (biomes)
  • Malaria free
  • Horse riding
  • Camping
Waterberg & Lapalala Wilderness
How Big 254 sq. km or 94 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • All year round game viewing
Where Is It In northern South Africa, near Thabazimbi
Why Visit
  • See black and white rhino, buffalo, leopard, giraffe, hippo, zebra
  • Malaria free
  • Horse riding safaris
Shamwari
How Big 180 sq. km or 62 sq. mi.
Game Viewing Guide
  • All year round good game viewing
Where Is It In southeastern South Africa, near Grahamstown
Why Visit
  • Africa's southernmost game reserve
  • Malaria free
  • Big five

Intrigued? Contact us now for a customized South African safari vacation for when you want to travel, suited to your interests & budget!

Expert Advice On The Best South African Safaris For You!
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name*
E-mail Address*
Country*
P*
How many days do you want to spend on your African safari?*
Which parks would you like to visit (click all that apply)*
Kruger National Park
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park
Pilanesberg National Park
Madikwe Game Reserve
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Pongola Game Reserve
Great St Lucia Wetland Park
Mkusi Game Reserve
Itala Game Reserve
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Tswalu Game Reserve
Addo Elephant Park
Lapalala Wilderness and Waterberg
Shamwari
Please choose a park or parks that you think are best for me
Please tell us which parks do you want to spend most of your time in.
What type of accommodation do you want to stay in? Please check all that apply.*
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
large hotels, safari lodges
small hotels,b&bs,guesthouses
small safari lodges, safari camps
permanent tented safari camps
mobile tented safari camps
What is your budget per person per day? (Excluding international airfare)*
Do you need international airfare?*
Yes
No
What city would you like to fly from and return to?
Total number of persons traveling (please include youself) *
Are any of the above under 12? If so, how many.
Know your travel dates? Please enter month/day/year like this Jan 1, 2007.
What is your preferred traveling style?*
Do you want a self drive trip?*
Yes
No
Where else would you like to go on this trip? Please check all that apply.
Botswana
Kenya
Lesotho
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
Seychelles
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Victoria Falls
Zambia
Zanzibar
Zimbabwe
What else do you want to tell us so we can give you more advice? (honeymoon, anniversary?)
Would you like a free cellphone for this trip? (Only available if you fly through South Africa.)
Yes
No
Travel insurance is strongly recommended. Would you like advice on travel insurance?*
Yes
No
How We Work: The first itinerary is free & it will be based on your interests & budget. After that we offer a service where by we continue to work with you to get you the best trip for the price you want to pay. To do that we require a $150 USD deposit that is applied to your trip (without regard to the number in your traveling party). If you don’t take your trip it is non refundable. You pay that via Paypal.

Please enter the word that you see below.

  

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