Best time to visit Namibia: When to travel to Namibia?

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You're wondering: What is the best time to travel Namibia to visit? Not only the more than 1,000 kilometer long coastline of the country is one of the most impressive places on earth, but also the endless desert offers vacationers impressive views. Mountain and valley landscapes are strung together here, with an immense wealth of wildlife.

Even if one Namibia can travel all year round, there are some months that are particularly popular with tourists. The best time to travel are considered the months between the end of May and the end of SeptemberThese are the months with the least rainfall and the temperatures are pleasant and not too hot to explore the country. During these months, the average temperatures are around 20 degrees Celsius. During the best time to travel, you will benefit from the most hours of sunshine per month. Although the air cools down extremely during the nights, this can also be very pleasant after a lot of sun.

If you don't mind the heat so much, you can alternatively switch to the months of October and November. Then you have to expect higher temperatures, which can be extremely hot. Nevertheless, they are an optimal time to travel, because the sun shines many hours a day and there are few rainy days in these months.

Weather and climate

Namibia is located in the southern part of Africa and has a subtropical continental climate, which is characterized by a very long dry season and a short rainy season. The dry season takes place from May to September, while it rains more often from October to April. The southwest African country is considered to have very little rainfall, even though there is a rainy season. Rainy season in this country means that it rains briefly and heavily. Under no circumstances does it rain for days on end.

Basically, there are high temperatures, it is hot and dry. However, depending on the region, there are big differences, for example at the Atlantic Ocean, the desert regions or the central highlands. However, Namibia is rather not a destination for a classic beach holiday! The Atlantic Ocean is extremely cool all year round and only for the hardy. It is much more about getting to know the country, the people and the animals.

Best time to visit Namibia: Windhoek

Windhoek has been the capital of Namibia since 1992, as well as the hub of every traveller in the country. Windhoek is also an economic and cultural center, university town and seat of government of the Namibian Parliament. Windhoek is situated in a valley basin at an altitude of 1,600 metres. The city is surrounded by the Auas Mountains (2,479 metres) in the southeast and the Grand Duke Friedrich Mountain in the south (2,339 metres). The pleasant highland climate with 300 days of sunshine and 260 millimetres of precipitation a year - as well as the colourful hustle and bustle of the city put you in the best mood for Namibia.

However, it should be noted that the capital is located in the Central Highlands region and thus falls in the area of summer rains. This means that heavy rainfall is more frequent between November and April. 

Best time to visit Namibia: Safari

If you travel to Africa, you can't avoid a safari. If you want to see as many animals as possible on your jeep tour in the grasslands, it is important to know the months in which you have a particularly high chance of seeing many animals. 

The best time to travel for wildlife viewing is August and September. They are in the above-mentioned best time to travel and are the end of the Namibian winter. At this time it is particularly dry and warm and the vegetation is no longer so pronounced, which deprives the animals of hiding places. Because of the dryness, there are only a few water holes where the animals cavort at this time.

Best time to visit Namibia: Etosha National Park

The months of December and January are less suitable for wildlife viewing in the protected areas. At this time it rains a lot in Namibia. As a result, there are many watering holes available for the animals and they spread out in different areas. Therefore you can see many animals grazing on the green meadows.

Popular travel time Namibia for photographers

Namibia is definitely a Paradise for photographers. Especially May and June are very popular travel months for photographers, because they offer with their mixture of rainfall and dryness, few tourists and good conditions for animal observations everything you need as a prerequisite for good pictures.

In May the last rain showers fall, but it is mostly dry and warm. Mostly you can still get the one or other last rain cloud in front of the lens, which gives the photos a mystical mood. The green and bright colours slowly change from the south to the Namibian winter tones of red and brown.

Did the weather of Namibia convince you and you are curious to discover more of the country? Then our Namibia Group Tours definitely something for you. With us you can get to know the traditions and lifestyles of this diverse country on the southwest coast of Africa for yourself.

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