Weather Overview

Kariba, Victoria Falls/Zambezi River/Hwange and Lowveld Areas
November - March

In Summer you can experience hot days between 30-35 degrees and nights of around 22 degrees Celsius.  Thunderstorms and rain showers occur especially in the late afternoon and evening. Generally the Zambezi river camps close during this period, as rivers can flood and roads can become virtually impassable.  This time of the year there are plenty of mosquitoes so it is advisable to bring mosquito repellent.  Game viewing is difficult at this time of the year as the grass and bush is long and green making it harder to spot the animals.

April - August

The autumn season is a beautiful time of year to visit, during April and May when there are generally clear blue skies, warm days and very little rain.  It can get very cold at night, and in the early mornings (approx 8 degrees Celsius).  Game viewing starts to get better, especially towards August when the grass and bush has been grazed and browsed.

Sept – Oct

This is the ideal time of game viewing, as it is hot and dry, and also the perfect time for fishing in Kariba or the Zambezi valley.  It can get extremely hot, with no relief of rain, temperatures between 30-40 degrees during the day.

Eastern Highlands (Chimanimani, Troutbeck, Nyanga & Vumba) - Mutare 

These areas are mountainous, and the morning often starts with mist which lifts by mid morning.  The rainy season is from October to April, and it is not uncommon to have long periods of light drizzle in some years.  In winter, the nights can get very cold, with lots of frost and  the days are cool and sunny.  Mutare is the main city in this region.

 

Main City Centres

Harare

The capital of Zimbabwe, has an almost perfect climate all year round with Summer  (November to March) being hot but not unbearable, generally blue skies with afternoon thunderstorms and rain is pretty common.  September and October are hot and dry with temperatures that can reach the late thirties/forties degrees celsius.  During the winter months (May to Aug), July is generally the coldest reaching daily temperatures of around seven degrees.

 

Bulawayo

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and is found in the western part of the country, close to the Matobo Hills World Heritage Site. During the rainy season from November to April daytime temperatures are around twenty six degrees celsius, although the city does experience erratic rainfall, and some years has droughts.  June to August are dry, with the hottest month being October, with average temperatures of thirty degrees celsius.