Zimbabwe Weather

As Zimbabwe lies in the southern hemisphere(south of the equator), you will find that seasons here are the opposite of what one may be used to in London or New York. So while it is summer in the northern hemisphere, Zimbabwe experiences its winter. Thanks to its location and elevation that averages 3000 ft above sea level, temperatures in Zimbabwe are not extreme and so seasonal variations are not drastic. Highs rarely exceed 33 °C or 90 °F and lows seldom fall below 7 °C or 45 °F.

Your choice of time of year to visit will depend on two things - the level of comfort you expect in terms of the weather in Zimbabwe and the chances you want to spot more game. While May-June, after the rains, is the ideal travelling season it is also when the grass is tallest and the animals have scattered, and the must-see Victoria Falls are also shrouded in mist.

Summer begins in November and lasts until April and during this time the days are bright and sunny; it can get quite hot, with temperatures hovering around the 30 °C or 86 °F level in city centres and even higher in the Victoria Falls, Kariba and Zambezi Valley areas. Thunderstorms are also quite common, in the afternoons, across the country during summer. The Eastern Highlands get some amount of rain all through the year.

Winters tend to be dry and warm, with temperatures in Zimbabwe averaging 20 °C or 68 °F. Night temperatures can be quite low, though. This is a great time to spot game and to go white water rafting, but is also the main tourist season. The winter here is between June and August.