Botswana`s Great Herds

Weather

outh Africa, in the Southern Hemisphere, has its seasons reversed from the Northern Hemisphere. Winter is May through August, when daytime temperatures in Cape Town and Johannesburg are in the 50s and 60s, dropping to the 30s and 40s at night. With the exception of Cape Town, it rarely rains in the winter. In the summer months (November – March) temperatures in Cape Town and Johannesburg are usually in the 70s and 80s during the day, and 60s at night. There are sometimes afternoon thundershowers, generally lasting about an hour and often including an electrifying display of thunder and lightning. The southwestern Cape (Cape Town) has its own unique weather patterns. Here the rain comes between April and October, with daytime highs in the 50s and nights in the mid 40s.

In Botswana, daytime winter temperatures may reach the 70’s during the day, but drop to the 50’s and low 60’s at night. Daytime summer temperatures may reach the 90’s –100’s during the day, and drop to the 70’s at night. Botswana’s rainy season is in summer (October through March), although much of Botswana is desert, and rainfall numbers are low. All of which make Botswana safaris amazing in every way.

Although Livingstone is hotter and more arid than the rest of Zambia, it is always relatively cool in Victoria Falls itself (due in part to the ever-present mists). There are three different seasons here. May to August is slightly cooler, with temperatures in the 70s during the day and 40s-50s at night. In September and October it is usually hotter, with highs in the 90s and lows in the 60s. The rainy season is in summer (November-March), when temperatures are warm and it is more humid.