Namibia - Climate and Travel Seasons

With 300 days of sunshine on average per year, Namibia is truly a sunny place. Only during the summer months from November to February does precipitation occur, mostly as heavy thunderstorms. Then the usually dry riverbeds, called "Riviere", become saturated with torrents of muddy water in a very short time. It is during this time that the sun-scorched land comes to life and develops a colourful horizon to horizon floral carpet within a few days.

You can travel Namibia at any time of the year. The best time, however, are the months from April to June, when the temperatures are around 25 degrees during the day and the sky is blue. The nights are cool and ideal for a good night's sleep.

The dry winter months (July to September) are also a good time to visit this desert country. The day temperature usually stays above 20 degrees. But on the Central Plateau and in the Namib Desert the nights can be freezing.

The summer months are very hot. The Namibians like to travel to the cooler coastal resorts, in particular Swakopmund. Here, heavy folds of fog often smother the coastline until late morning when they dissipate in the heat. At that time Namibia should be avoided, because the temperatures often climb up to the 40 degree mark. Likewise, the subtropical humid north-east of the country. Windhoek is hot in summer as well, but due to its height of 1650 m, it is bearable.

Top: Dramatic sky after a thunderstorm in Central Namibia (Rehoboth).
Left: After heavy rainfalls the dry "Riviere" can temporarily turn into torrents.

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