Zimbabwe: When to Go

The dry winter months (May to October) are the most comfortable for travelling, but you'll miss the green landscapes that characterise the hotter and wetter summer season (November to April). In winter, night-time temperatures can fall below freezing but the days are best for wildlife viewing because animals tend to concentrate close to water holes and are therefore easily observed. National parks are most crowded during South African school holidays, so to avoid the throngs, avoid mid-April to mid-May and mid-July to mid-September. There's a secondary rush around the Namibian school holidays in December and early January.

Weather

As most of Zimbabwe sits on highveld (high grassland) and middleveld (lower altitude grassland) plateaus, the tropical conditions normally associated with this region of Africa are tempered - except in the lowland regions. It's never particularly hot, most of the time climbing from cool nights to around 25°C (77°F) during the day. Temperatures are higher from November to April during summer and lower from May to October in winter. The mid-year dry season peaks around August with a very pleasant balance of sunshine, heat and humidity.