Climate in Namibia

Namibia's climate is typical of semi-desert terrain, hot days and cool nights. The coastal regions are cooled by the cold Benguela current, causing fog and inhibiting rainfall. Over the central plateau in the country which is higher up, temperatures are understandably lower.

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 rain occur, mostly as heavy thunderstorms. Then the usually dry riverbeds 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. The interior enjoys two rainy seasons: the short season is between October and December, marked by frequent thunderstorms. The longer season is from mid-January to April.

Summer is from October to April. Temperatures can reach 40º C which plummet at night to cool levels. Average daily temperatures range from 20 to 34º C. Winter is from May to September with wonderful warm days which are contrasted by very cold nights, when temperatures often drop to below freezing.

Namibia enjoys an average of 300 sunny days a year and the main camps in Etosha National Park are open all year round. The best time for visiting the Namib desert is from May - September when temperatures are cooler - note however the nights can get cold. Swakopmund is a popular seaside resort especially over Christmas and Easter so advance bookings or avoiding those times should be considered. In the Fish River Canyon area some of the camps may close from November until mid-March mainly due to high temperatures.