Destination

Victoria Falls enjoys a mild and dry winter from around June to mid-August and is an all year round destination. We have a warm to hot spring until the rains start in mid-November; it becomes warm and wet and stays so until the rainy season passes at the end of April!

Learn more about the Victoria Falls weather seasons by month.

January

Height of Victoria Falls rainy season; hot and partially humid with thunderstorms and torrential downpours; Victoria Falls become more intense with increased river flow.

Days of Rain:  Thick vegetative growth; rainforest very damp; most rainforest flowers in bloom; grass at its most nutritious; animals disperse widely across the veld; lots of bird activity as many nestlings are raised.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 34/18

February

Hot days and warm nights, plenty of rain; the “smoke that thunders” rises high in the sky; most of rainforest is under constant shower; river level picks up significantly.

Days of Rain: 10 Dramatic bush growth because of rains; foliage dense; African ebony trees come into fruit; waterbuck breeding season; many nursery herds evident in game reserves.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 29/18

March

Hot days and warm nights; rainy season coming to an end but river levels very high and Falls gushing furiously.

Days of Rain: 7 Migrant birds begin departing; kudu and buffalo breeding peak; grasslands in full seed; baobabs begin fruiting.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 30/17

April

End of rainy season; Victoria Falls at its highest flow with average of 750 million litres/minute; “smoke that thunders” at its most intense.

Days of Rain: 2 Most animals in peak condition at the end of the wet season; impala, wildebeest and warthog rutting season; final departure of migrant birds.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 29/14

May

Beginning of autumn; days are warm to hot with a chill coming into the evening air; Zambezi flowing strongly despite advent of dry season.

Days of Rain: 1 Deciduous trees begin to lose their leaves; best month for fishing in Zambezi; white-backed vulture breeding season; wild dogs breed.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 27/10

June

Autumn gives way to winter; warm to hot days, dry weather, chilly at night; river level drops lower.

Days of Rain: 0 Raptor courtship displays more evident; game becomes concentrated near water as grass cover recedes.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 25/6

July

Height of dry season coincides with mid-winter; days are still warm to hot; no rain, nights can be chilly.

Days of Rain: 0 Elephants migrate to winter pastures; raptor breeding season; mopane leaves begin taking on their distinct winter hue.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 25/6

August

Dry, warm days and cool nights; sometimes windy, signaling a shift in seasons; Eastern Cataract often becomes exposed by low river level.

Days of Rain: 0 Increase in elephant population on Zambian side of river, which is a winter feeding ground for elephants from northern Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 28/8

September

Spring brings noticeable increase in temperatures; hot days, nights becoming warmer; excellent white water rafting time as low river levels expose rapids.

Days of Rain: 1 First migrant birds arrive from Europe and elsewhere in Africa; weavers begin breeding; knob thorns begin flowering indicating the change of season.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 32/13

October

Hottest month of the year – often known as “suicide month” because of the build-up towards the rainy season – usually a few storms to take the edge off the heat; Eastern Cataract usually dry.

Days of Rain: 4 Breeding plumage appears in certain birds and heightened courtship display; marulas in flower; long-tail cassias display yellow flowers; new mopane leaf growth begins.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 33/17

November

Usually the start of the rainy season although rains may be late or early; days are very hot and nights are warm; Victoria Falls at its lowest ahead of upstream rainy season.

Days of Rain: 8 Baobab in flower; mopane trees exhibit new growth; blood lilies in flower; white gardenia flowers are out; elephants begin dispersing back to Zimbabwe and Chobe; impala calving season, more migrant birds arrive; dramatic increase in insect activity.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 32/18

December

Hot and humid as the rainy season works towards a peak; cooler than October because of cloud cover; Falls levels still quite low; Eastern Cataract still exposed.

Days of Rain: 13 The Lwizii ancestral worship ceremony at the Falls; dragonflies at their most active in the rainforest; flame lily and other rainforest flowers in bloom; wildebeest breeding season.

Ave. Max/Min Temp: 30/18

Activities Affected by the seasons

We have a couple of activities that are affected by different seasons and weather patterns. Some can be a longer some can be very short.

Details of Activities Affected buy Weather

White Water Rafting

The water level of the Zambezi River is completely dictated by rainfall, and this has a huge impact on the white water rafting season. As every years rainfall is different so is every years rafting. High seasons start from the beginning of rain season that is mid November in which it starts running from rapid 11 to 24 and when water levels get higher the activity closes operations for about a month or so ending around end of May.
low Season starts in July all the way to end of November, this is the best timing for rafting. the activity starts at the boiling point , going under the bridge and all the exciting Rapids

Helicopter Flights

Helicopter flight a slightly affected by rains and low flying clouds which normally doesn’t last longer before it can operate again. rarely we can have more than 3 consecutive days without flying.

Devil’s Pool

Devils pool is a very seasonal activity because of its dependency on very low water. it is totally closed when the water levels start rising from rains in end of November and likely to re open in mid July

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