Climate and Seasons

Zambia Climate and weather; when to go?

January to March

This is officially Zambia’s rainy season. Known as the ‘Green Season’ this is actually a time of staggering beauty as the parched landscape and dry rivers rapidly fill and flourish into a lush wetland paradise. Many people argue that this is when Zambia is at its most beautiful.

The ‘Green Season’ however is not the best time for game viewing solely because much of the country gets bogged down, quickly becoming a swampland impassable to even the most hardened safari vehicles. Because of this, the majority of the country has no choice but to shut down.

The exception to the rule is the Mfuwi area of South Luangwa, the gateway to the park. Here roads are passable and with very few visitors because of the rains, the quality of safari is superb. The Mfuwi area has a superb infrastructure and has always had an abundance of resident game. Couple this with the fact that the time of year sees incredible birdlife as the migrants come to feed, displaying their mating colors and Wilddog also tend to return to the Valley floor, and you have arguably Zambia’s best kept secret!
By mid March the rains start to ease off and the last of the Green Seasons impressive storms disappear over the escarpment. The Lower Zambezi, Kafue and North Luangwa's camps are all closed throughout the season.

April to May

This still sees much of the countries parks and lodges closed but the rains have ended and gradually the permanent lodges of the South Luangwa open up. Visually the country loses its vibrant lush green color and starts to turn a golden brown. The migrants the birders have been watching for the past few months fly out towards the end of May but big game starts to return to the rivers as the watering holes across the country start to dry out.

June to July

This is the start of the dry season and the middle of Zambian winter (a time for fleeces in the evenings). This period is officially the beginning of the season and sees the opening of all the camps and parks throughout the country; lodges start to fill as game viewing across the country picks up with the opening of all the areas that were impassable weeks before.

August to September

This period sees the very best months for game viewing as all the big game throughout the country gathers by the rivers and remaining lagoons. All the parks are open and the lodges now are in full swing; this is certainly the best time of year to be in the country for game.

October

This sees a constant increase in temperature and the country waits for its first storms to break. Game is focused solely around the rivers as all the lagoons have now dried up leaving virtually no areas of free standing water. The result is a superb time of year to see big game in large numbers. Towards the end of the month the skies tease the parched land with scattered storms provoking the first new born to arrive.

November and December

This however guarantees the start of the heavy storms and the country cools. The sense of relief amongst the animals is tangible; this is a time when the country becomes a nursery as young of all kinds are born. If ever the animals are at their happiest it is now; they know the rains and subsequent lush grazing months are just around the corner and celebrate by bringing their young into the world to thrive off the good grazing. It is a beautiful time to visit.