African Travel Calendar

January
Great time to visit Cape Town and the Western Cape as it’s high summer: pleasantly hot days and low rainfall make it ideal for an evening round the braai. In coastal Maputaland the sea is warm but you may experience afternoon thunderstorms and it’s the crossover period between the nesting and hatching seasons of the leatherback and loggerhead turtles. It’s probably a month or so too late to go whale watching at False and Walker Bays.

Still very hot in Namibia although December is slightly warmer. The rainy season officially starts a little earlier, but in many parts the rain really arrives now.

Excellent time for safari in Kenya, with the dry, hot weather concentrating the game. Not so clear cut in Tanzania as the short rains may still be making their presence felt, and the rains may be heavy in the south of the country.

It’s cyclone season in Mauritius, Madagascar (especially the east coast) and, to a lesser extent, the coast of Mozambique.

February
The Sunday evening concerts in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are in full swing (December through to March). The turtle season comes to and end in coastal Maputaland as the last of the fragile hatchlings cuts through its egg and runs for the safety of the sea. Although only one or two in a thousand will survive, this population is one of the few in the world that is increasing in numbers. It’s still pretty hot up in the Greater Kruger Park, especially the north. There’s also a high probability of afternoon rains and the denser vegetation makes the game harder to spot. But the bush looks magnificent and lush, birdlife is more abundant and animals give birth to their young during the summer months. Very hot up in the Cedarberg region – definitely not the best time to plan a walking trip there.

In Botswana water levels in the Okavango Delta are still low, although the rainy season is still in the ascendant (water levels in the Delta are dictated by rainfall many months earlier in Angola).

In Zambia it’s still hot and wet, with many of the lodges being closed between December and March. However, Vic Falls is still very much accessible and flow levels over the Falls should be on the rise.

It’s peak cyclone season in Madagascar, Mauritius and Mozambique.
 
March
The summer in South Africa draws to an end though it’s still warm – perfect for slightly more active holidays such as our Hiking Tours. It is usually still dry in Cape Town – the rain often starts to fall in late April. Conversely in the Kruger area it should be the last of the wettest months; it’s the same story up in Madikwe.

At Victoria Falls white water rafting is often unavailable from mid March to early June because of dangerously high water levels, but the precise timing varies from year to year.

Kenya still an excellent option at this time. Most of Tanzania should still be dry, but it’s likely to be wet in the south of the country.

In Namibia it’s still hot and likely to still be experiencing the typical pattern afternoon thunderstorms. If travelling to areas like Sossusvlei you need to tolerate the heat well, but you could be fortunate and witness the desert in bloom after the rains.

March sees the start of the two best periods for diving in the Seychelles; from March to May and then from September to November.

April
In South Africa the days are getting cooler but this is a great time for an active holiday.  April often sees the onset of wetter weather in Cape Town and the Western Cape, but the warm ocean, low rainfall and comfortable temperatures attract many to costal Maputaland.

Be aware that the long rains usually arrive around the beginning of April in the most popular destinations of East Africa: many camps and lodges will be closed in Kenya and Tanzania during April and May. In Uganda it’s bang in the middle of the rainy season that typically extends from March to May: trekking through the forests in search of primates will be less comfortable but paradoxically locating the primates is easier as the groups are less active.

The cyclone season should now be over in Mauritius, Madagascar and Mozambique; it’s the end of the prime big game fishing season in Mauritius. Diving is good now in the Seychelles with good visibility and calm seas – this pattern continues through to May and repeats in October and November.

The lodges in Zambia are starting to open up at the beginning of the “Green Season” which normally operates now, in May and again in November.  At Vic Falls April and May see peak flows – dramatic but the large amounts of spray may limit visibility.

In the Seychelles, conditions for swimming, snorkelling and diving are superb. It's one of the two calmer periods between the trade winds. Birders will note that this is the start of the breeding season.

May
This is a great time for our Cedarberg Hiking Tour or our Cedarberg Rock Art Tour as the scorching hot summer days are replaced by warm sunny winter days from May to September. In Cape Town winter has arrived, sometimes marked by windy, wet weather. It’s the beginning of high season for shark diving in and around Gansbaai, continuing through to September. May could be a canny time to visit one of the superb lodges in the private game reserves bordering the Kruger National Park as it’s fairly quiet, is generally dry by this stage, the temperatures have moderated nicely and many of the lodges go onto their low season rate (dictated by this not being peak holiday season and the less favourable weather in the Western Cape).

This is the beginning of the dry (precipitation-wise) winter season in the Okavango Delta in Botswana with sunny, cool to warm days and quite cold evening and night time temperatures. Peak season in the Delta starts in June but rates in May are often more affordable.

A great time to visit Namibia as it’s before the busy peak season, the rains should have ceased and the night time temperatures are not as cold as they’ll become in mid winter.

Near to the equator, Kenya and the Seychelles in particular, this is the start of the stronger south-easterly trade winds which are good for windsurfing, surfing and kite-surfing.

June
We generally advise caution if planning to travel the Garden Route between now and August. Whilst there are plenty of amusements and distractions in Cape Town if the weather is poor you may find that on the Garden Route there are fewer alternatives as the focus is more exclusively on being outdoors. Beginning of the prime season to visit the Greater Kruger Park or Madikwe: dry winter weather and waterholes drying out are concentrating the game.

Flow levels over Vic Falls are still high. By August the spray has usually subsided substantially, giving better visibility.

From now through until August is a great time for surfing in Mauritius, though the temperatures are relatively cool now.

In Tanzania, the migration is heading north through the western corridor of the Serengeti. Beach lodges in Zanzibar that have closed for the rainy season (not all of them do) reopen. June and July and December through to February are the driest periods in East Africa, so possibly the most pleasant time for activities such as gorilla tracking in Uganda.
 
July
Between May and July each year, huge shoals of sardines move into the coastal waters of southern KwaZulu Natal in what is known to locals as The Sardine Run - the marine equivalent of the annual migration of the wildebeest in the Masai Mara. This is a perfect time and destination for an affordable family holiday, with a great combination of bush, berg and beach.

July and August are typically the driest months in the Seychelles.

The Okavango Delta is in full flood and this is peak season – you need to plan early to get availability. Also peak season in Namibia with similar constraints on availability. Mornings and evenings can be very cold.

August
Spring Wild Flowers are usually in bloom in the Cedarberg & Namaqualand in August and early September. The Clanwilliam Wild Flower show is in late August/early September.

The Okavango Delta is in peak flood from July to August and this also probably the best time for game viewing in all of Southern Africa.

The migration should have arrived in Kenya’s Masai Mara and the multitudes of wildebeest, zebra and friends tend to stick around until they start their return journey to the southern Serengeti in November. Now and in September is peak season in Kenya – both in terms of demand and pricing.

September
The Royal Reed dance is the most spectacular event in Zululand, when between five and 10,000 young Zulu maidens, carrying reeds to honour the monarch, congregate at King Goodwill's home in Nongoma for ritual dancing and singing. This is also peak season for whale watching at Hermanus and surrounding areas as southern right whales come in to Walker Bay to calve. Though the season lasts from July to December, September and October are frequently the best months.

Traditionally September until November is a great time to visit Mauritius or Madagascar. In Mauritius it’s warm but not excessively hot and humidity is not at its peak. The eastern rainforests of Madagascar experience high rainfall at other times of the year, so these drier months are popular with visitors.

The Great Fish River Canyon in Namibia is usually closed to walkers from mid September through to May because of the heat and the risk of flash floods.

October
One of the nicest months of the year in many parts of South Africa - it’s Spring and the fynbos is spectacular in the nature reserves and Botanical Gardens.

The end of peak season in Botswana, and often marks the end of the dry winter period. A month later you’re into the more affordable green season, but the risk of rain is significantly higher.

The best time for diving in East Africa is generally reckoned to start now and extend until April. After around April time the long rains wash sediment out into the Indian Ocean, reducing visibility for diving.
 
November
Leatherbacks Turtles, weighing almost a ton, lumber ashore in Northern Maputaland and start to lay eggs in holes they dig in the sand. This is the start of the rainy season up in the Greater Kruger Park, but rain is usually restricted to afternoon thunderstorms and November/ December sees the arrival of many migrant birds.

It’s now green season for most of the Zambian lodges, before the anticipated onset of the rains in December which sees most of them close until April.

One of the best months for seeing the Desert Adapted Elephant in Namibia’s Damaraland. late in the month.

December
Peak holiday season in the Cape, with the sunniest weather and events to celebrate the outdoor lifestyle - plus the heady southern hemisphere treat of Christmas on the beach! The Northern Cape is very hot (up to 40ºC in the shade). The Cape is dry but the Indian Ocean coast and islands have rainfall and short thunderstorms. These are the last few weeks in which you are likely to see whales in False and Walker Bays.

The Christmas period brings peak pricing to many lodges and hotels throughout southern and eastern Africa; early planning is especially important if planning a visit at this time.