African Weather Systems
East and Central Africa
The long rains are from early April through early June, and the short rains from
late November through December. It is often less expensive to travel during the
long rainy season. Dry seasons offer excellent visibility and more reliable road
conditions, and game tends to congregate around the limited water sources, making
the animals easier to find. July and August are generally extremely busy in East
Africa, offering comfortable temperatures in addition to being a popular time
for travel world-wide, so be sure to book well in advance.
Southern Africa
The rainy season runs mainly from late November through mid-April in
the safari regions; however if you are travelling to South Africa,
the southern Cape is experiencing summer at that time and is a wonderful
place to visit. The Cape area can be cold and rainy during their winter
from June through August. Often high season rates for the safari regions
go into effect in July so it is sometimes possible to save a bit of
money by travelling prior to that - May and June can be delightful
months to travel. Due to the smaller size of safari camps and lodges
in southern Africa, it is necessary to book well in advance, particularly
for travel from June through September.
In particular, Zambia’s elevation on a plateau gives it a moderate climate, despite the fact that it is within tropical latitudes. There are three seasons, cool and dry from April to August, hot and dry from September to October and warm and wet from November to March. Only during the wet season is there noticeable humidity. In the river valleys of the Zambezi and Luangwa it only becomes very hot in the month of October (Zambia's Weather Seasons).
