Character Type: Southern Africa’s Safari Seasons
Think of Southern Africa’s safari year as a single entity, changing in character over the months, sometimes imperceptibly; other times dramatically. Each aspect of the character lasts only a couple of months but the experience is vastly different in each: temperature, precipitation, wildlife viewing, water levels, personal comfort and don’t forget price.
Most people in the safari business regard March or April as the beginning of the safari year. The reason is simple: it’s when the rainy season comes to an end in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and most of South Africa. It’s been hot and wet: many areas were flooded and wildlife often dispersed. But then things turn.
MILD & TURNING: APRIL to MAY
The drop in temperature and rainfall is noticeable – and appreciated – in April and May. Daytime temperatures are mild and you’ll need a blanket at night but the landscape is still green and lush with water sources for animals widely available. Wildlife viewing isn’t at its peak but Victoria Falls is in full thundering flood at this time of year. It is clear, however, that the rains won’t last much longer: herds of zebra and elephant are on the move; migrant birds are gathering to leave.
Summer’s rain & heat are drying up but the Zambezi River is at its fullest, turning Victoria Falls into the ‘Smoke that Thunders’.
With the chance of rain and dispersed wildlife, this time of year is shoulder season, in reference to its position between high and low seasons, and safari accommodation is priced accordingly. This is a good opportunity to visit high-end destinations at a reduced cost but with little difference in experience.
COOL & DRY: JUNE to MID-AUGUST
The rain has disappeared and the night time thermometer hovers around – and sometimes below – freezing. With the malaria risk at its lowest, and with almost guaranteed cool and dry weather, June through to mid-August delivers the most comfortable conditions to go on safari with the best return on wildlife viewing. These peak season months see animals gathering in large numbers at the Chobe, Zambezi and Luangwa rivers as the surrounding vegetation thins out and dies back. Visibility improves and predators begin to concentrate at the main water sources.
Short grass & limited water means this is a good time to see predators as they lie in wait by rivers & waterholes.
It’s now that Botswana’s Okavango Delta is in full flood, providing excellent water-based safaris which you can complement with the start of whale season in Cape Town, itself entering the beginning of flower season by late July.
PRIME TIME: MID-AUGUST to SEPTEMBER
The temperature is up but it still hasn’t started raining yet. Animals such as elephant and buffalo cluster around the last few remaining water sources; herds of giraffe, antelope and zebra stand in the wings, waiting for their turn. And all the time, the predators are watching. Spoil yourself with the top destinations: Etosha, Chobe, Lower Zambezi, Hwange.
Increasing aridity & heat drive animals to water in rapidly rising numbers; chose a lodge with an in-house waterhole & you’ll be rewarded.
Mid-August through September is peak safari season and a great time for predator/prey interaction. A popular time for photographers, it is also peak whale season in the Western Cape and the best time to see flowers when in Cape Town. Book an Indian Ocean beach holiday extension: this is when the tropical coast is at its best.
AMBER SEASON: OCTOBER to NOVEMBER
Okay, now it gets hot; make sure to book a lodge with a pool and a view. Amber season is the very end of the dry season: the vegetation is the colour of autumn: gold, orange, brown … amber. Temperatures are hot both night and day, animals are thin and nervous; rumbles of distant thunder tell you what’s coming.
It’s hot, dry & dusty: the landscape is at its most desperate but wildlife viewing around water sources is now the best of the year.
But don’t that character description put you off: Amber Season is one of the most exciting times of the year. Given the concentrations of animals at water and their weakened state, it is easy pickings for predators, perhaps the best time of year to count on seeing a kill, or at least some part of it. October and November also see migrant birds arriving across Southern Africa and – because the conditions are tough, this period also falls under shoulder season, giving you cheaper rates to the best destinations.
GREEN SEASON: DECEMBER to MARCH
It has to rain of course, and now it does. The first downpours begin in November but the big rains arrive in December and generally increase into January and February. That’s enough to deter most people but the Green Season has a charm of its own, and is usually the favourite season for many seasoned safari-goers as well as birders at the best birding destinations. And if it does rain, then balance things out with a trip to Cape Town which is now at its very driest.
The calming colours of green dominate the summer savannah; it’s wet but warm & one of the favourite times of year for photographers.
Much of the Green Season’s character derives from the explosion of life: new-born antelope, courting birds, fresh greenery and insect-covered flowers: who’d think this was an amber-burnt wasteland a few weeks ago?
Offering competitive rates for accommodation – this is, after all, low season – December through March is generally a preferred time for wildlife photographers. The light is softer, the colours more nuanced, animals at their healthiest, and there is not sand and dust in the air.
