Discover The Best Times To Travel To Africa For Safari & Vacation!

Want to discover the best time to travel to Africa? You've come to the right place!

Find peace of mind & answers to your questions about the best times to travel to Africa for safari & vacation! Learn the best time for your African travels or safari vacation.

We've taken over 80 African safaris since 1993.

They have been during all times of year – low season, shoulder season, high season, peak season.

We've also taken African island vacations – to places like Zanzibar, Mauritius & the islands off the coast of Mozambique – throughout the year.

Discover The Best Time For Your Travel To Africa photo of cheetah cubs courtesy of Michael Poliza

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Here's our first hand advice about the best time to travel to Africa or go on an African safari. Bear in mind that most countries in Africa are a year round destination. Thus you can have a wonderful African safari or vacation anytime of year. But there are “peak seasons” and “low seasons” for specific countries or safari destinations. Those seasons are determined by the time most tourists can travel not by the weather or quality of the game viewing. So you can have a great African safari, for example, during "off season". Or find that low season in a particular country is a great time to travel to Africa.

Travel To Africa - Weather & Game Viewing

There are two main factors to weigh for considering the best time to travel to Africa.

One issue in considering when to travel to Africa is the weather ie temperature, rainfall.

The second is game viewing. This one applies if you are interested in an African safari. Then you a guide to the quality of game viewing in the top African safari parks for the times you want to travel. Click here to go to the page that has links to our Top African Safari Park Game Viewing Guides

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 if you want to travel to Africa in high season.

Best Time To Travel To Africa – Seasons & Weather Guide By Country

In general in East Africa, the dry season is the best game viewing season. In southern Africa the winter has a big advantage. In both areas these times of year mean that you don’t have dense foliage since the trees have dropped their leaves, the grass is not as high and the animals are forced to go to permanent water. So these are great times to travel to Africa.

Botswana Seasons & Weather

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

The winters in Botswana are pleasant and the nights are cool. The temperatures during the days are in the 60's but during the hot, dry summers temperatures can reach highs in the high 90's and higher.

Kenya Seasons and Weather

Spring: September – November
Summer: December – March
Fall: April – June
Winter: July – August

Kenya has a definite rainy season that occurs from March to May. It is known as the long rains and it is common to have a sunny morning and a downpour later in the day. The rains are of short duration. So you could still have a good safari.

Malawi Seasons & Weather

Spring: August – December
Summer: January – March
Fall: April – May
Winter: June – July

The higher altitude areas are generally hotter and the shores of Lake Malawi also boast high temperatures. During summer the average temperature is in the 80's. The rainy season lasts from October to April.

Mozambique Seasons & Weather

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

Mozambique has a hot, tropical climate and it is ideal if you want to escape to sun and sea. The dry season is cooler but still warm (April/May and October/November). The pristine Quirimbas Islands are ideal, remote getaways virtually any time of year. Mozambique can have cyclones in February and March.

Namibia Seasons & Weather

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

Namibia is hot and sunny all year round but the temperatures and rainfall vary. The rainfall is not high in Namibia but there are areas of extreme heat (Etosha Park) which make it sunny alternative to American and European winters.

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. Warm, dry winter days and cool to cold nights. The southern areas have rainfall in winter. 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 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 land safari in South Africa.

The winter is also an excellent time to travel to Africa if you love to play 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. So these are great times to travel to Africa for golf!

Tanzania Seasons & Weather

Spring: June – November
Summer: December – February
Fall: March – April
Winter: April - May

Tanzania has an interesting geography which contributes to its differing climatic conditions. Zanzibar and the other spice islands off of Tanzania’s coast have a sunny, hot, & humid climate. The Serengeti and especially Ngorongoro Crater can be cool at night because they are on a high plateau. The north east enjoys temperate climates.

Uganda Seasons & Weather

Spring: November – December
Summer: December – February
Fall: March – April
Winter: May – October

Uganda has tropical weather conditions which are moderated by the country’s high altitudes. The hottest months are from December to February. But even during this time nights are much cooler. The wet seasons in the south of Uganda are from March until May and in northern Uganda from April to October.

Zambia Seasons & Weather

Spring: September – November
Summer: December – April
Fall: April – May
Winter: May – August

Zambia is one of the few African countries that has 3 distinct seasons. December to April is warm, wet and humid. Zambia’s Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa National Parks can be impassable due to bad road conditions. Thus several properties there close between November and April.

May to August is cool and dry and September to November is hot and dry. The climate is moderated by the altitude. It is one of Africa’s hottest new safari destinations!

Zimbabwe Seasons & Weather

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

The summers in Zimbabwe are hot with heavy rainfalls in the mountain regions and forest areas. Zimbabwean winters are delightful – sunny, dry and cool. There is little rainfall in the southern regions of Zimbabwe.

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