Travel Info
Times to Travel
Winter - April to September
The days are dry, sunny, clear and cool to seductively warm while evening temperatures drop sharply. Day time temperatures generally reach 25º C and evening temperatures can be as low as 2ºC and in some areas can plummet below freezing. Virtually no rainfall occurs during the winter months.
Summer - October to March
The summer or rainy season begins in October and ends in March. In October the weeks preceding the coming of the rains tend to be the hottest with temperatures soaring up to 40ºc or more. Cloud coverage and the arrival of the first rains towards the end of November or in early December cool things down considerably, although usually only for a short period. During the rainy period, which lasts until the end of February or early March, the days are hot and generally sunny in the morning with afternoon thunderstorms – usually in short, torrential downpours during the late afternoon. Day time temperatures can rise to 38ºC and night time temperatures drop to around 20ºC - 25ºC. Northern areas receive up to 700mm of rain per annum while the Kalahari Desert area averages as low as 225mm per annum. Rainfall tends to be erratic, unpredictable and highly regional. Often a heavy downpour may occur in one area while 10 or 15 kilometres away there is no rain at all. Showers are often followed by strong sunshine so a good deal of the rainfall does not penetrate the ground, as it is lost to evaporation and transpiration