Our verdict
The best time to visit Africa is May-October
During the peak of the warmer months, temperatures in Lagos, Africa can rise to a maximum of around 35℃ (95℉). In the colder months such as August, temperatures usually get down to an average minimum of 24℃ (75℉). Temperatures often differ in other areas of Africa though so you can find out more information about this below.
If you want to get the most out of your time visiting Africa, or you’re just afraid of the dark, the days in December are usually the longest between sunrise and sunset. You don’t want to get wet on your holiday, do you? Well if you’re trying to avoid the rain, then steer clear of Africa in June. Head there in January instead if you want to increase your chances of not being rained on.
To learn everything you need to know (and none of the stuff you don’t) about when to go to Africa, keep reading below. Plus, you’ll find tools to help you get the best deals on travel and hotels too!Quick links: Fast facts / Seasons / Average temperatures / FAQs / Map
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Africa seasons
Before you plan your trip, it’s important to know when the seasons are as they may be different to yours depending on where you’re travelling from. Africa is in the Southern hemisphere, so the seasons fall on:
Season | Months |
---|---|
Summer | December to February |
Autumn/fall | March to May |
Winter | June to August |
Spring | September to November |
Best time to visit the top destinations in Africa
We’ve put together a breakdown of the average minimum and maximum temperatures by month, as well as the best times to visit for each. To learn more about these destinations including detailed climate breakdowns and much more, click or tap the city/destination name below.
City | Best time to visit | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algiers | May-June | ↑↓ | 14℃9℃ | 15℃9℃ | 17℃10℃ | 19℃12℃ | 22℃15℃ | 27℃19℃ | 30℃23℃ | 31℃23℃ | 27℃21℃ | 25℃18℃ | 19℃13℃ | 16℃10℃ |
Luanda | June-September | ↑↓ | 30℃25℃ | 31℃26℃ | 31℃26℃ | 30℃26℃ | 30℃24℃ | 28℃21℃ | 26℃20℃ | 26℃20℃ | 26℃22℃ | 28℃24℃ | 29℃25℃ | 29℃25℃ |
Porto-Novo | September-October | ↑↓ | 34℃24℃ | 34℃26℃ | 34℃27℃ | 34℃27℃ | 33℃26℃ | 30℃25℃ | 29℃24℃ | 29℃23℃ | 30℃24℃ | 31℃25℃ | 32℃25℃ | 34℃25℃ |
Gaborone | September-October | ↑↓ | 31℃21℃ | 31℃20℃ | 30℃18℃ | 27℃15℃ | 24℃12℃ | 21℃8℃ | 21℃8℃ | 25℃10℃ | 29℃14℃ | 31℃18℃ | 31℃20℃ | 32℃21℃ |
Yaounde | May-July | ↑↓ | 33℃20℃ | 33℃21℃ | 32℃21℃ | 31℃21℃ | 30℃20℃ | 28℃20℃ | 27℃20℃ | 27℃20℃ | 27℃20℃ | 27℃20℃ | 29℃20℃ | 31℃20℃ |
Praia | May | ↑↓ | 24℃22℃ | 24℃21℃ | 24℃21℃ | 24℃21℃ | 25℃22℃ | 25℃23℃ | 26℃24℃ | 28℃25℃ | 28℃26℃ | 28℃26℃ | 27℃25℃ | 26℃23℃ |
Brazzaville | July-August | ↑↓ | 31℃22℃ | 31℃22℃ | 31℃22℃ | 31℃22℃ | 31℃22℃ | 31℃21℃ | 32℃21℃ | 33℃22℃ | 33℃23℃ | 31℃22℃ | 30℃22℃ | 30℃22℃ |
Djibouti | May-August | ↑↓ | 26℃22℃ | 27℃23℃ | 28℃24℃ | 31℃26℃ | 34℃28℃ | 38℃31℃ | 38℃32℃ | 37℃31℃ | 36℃30℃ | 32℃27℃ | 29℃25℃ | 27℃23℃ |
Alexandria | June-October | ↑↓ | 18℃13℃ | 19℃13℃ | 21℃14℃ | 23℃16℃ | 26℃19℃ | 29℃22℃ | 30℃24℃ | 30℃25℃ | 29℃24℃ | 27℃22℃ | 24℃19℃ | 20℃16℃ |
Cairo | August | ↑↓ | 19℃10℃ | 21℃11℃ | 25℃13℃ | 29℃15℃ | 33℃19℃ | 35℃22℃ | 37℃23℃ | 36℃23℃ | 34℃22℃ | 30℃20℃ | 25℃16℃ | 20℃12℃ |
Dahab | July-October | ↑↓ | 20℃13℃ | 21℃15℃ | 24℃16℃ | 27℃19℃ | 31℃23℃ | 34℃25℃ | 35℃26℃ | 35℃27℃ | 33℃25℃ | 30℃23℃ | 25℃19℃ | 21℃15℃ |
Hurghada | May | ↑↓ | 20℃15℃ | 22℃17℃ | 24℃18℃ | 27℃21℃ | 30℃24℃ | 33℃26℃ | 34℃28℃ | 34℃28℃ | 32℃26℃ | 30℃24℃ | 25℃21℃ | 22℃17℃ |
Luxor | June-July | ↑↓ | 21℃8℃ | 24℃11℃ | 28℃13℃ | 33℃17℃ | 37℃22℃ | 40℃24℃ | 40℃24℃ | 40℃25℃ | 38℃22℃ | 34℃19℃ | 28℃14℃ | 22℃10℃ |
Marsa Alam | June-July | ↑↓ | 21℃16℃ | 23℃17℃ | 25℃19℃ | 28℃21℃ | 31℃25℃ | 33℃27℃ | 34℃28℃ | 35℃28℃ | 33℃27℃ | 30℃24℃ | 26℃21℃ | 23℃18℃ |
Sharm El Sheikh | March-May | ↑↓ | 21℃16℃ | 22℃18℃ | 24℃19℃ | 27℃22℃ | 31℃25℃ | 33℃27℃ | 34℃28℃ | 35℃29℃ | 33℃27℃ | 30℃26℃ | 26℃22℃ | 22℃18℃ |
Mbabane | August-September | ↑↓ | 26℃17℃ | 26℃16℃ | 25℃15℃ | 23℃13℃ | 22℃11℃ | 21℃8℃ | 20℃8℃ | 23℃10℃ | 25℃13℃ | 25℃14℃ | 25℃15℃ | 26℃17℃ |
Addis Ababa | July-August | ↑↓ | 22℃8℃ | 23℃10℃ | 24℃11℃ | 23℃12℃ | 23℃12℃ | 23℃12℃ | 20℃12℃ | 19℃11℃ | 20℃9℃ | 21℃8℃ | 21℃7℃ | 21℃8℃ |
Lalibela | May | ↑↓ | 20℃9℃ | 21℃10℃ | 21℃11℃ | 22℃11℃ | 23℃12℃ | 25℃13℃ | 23℃14℃ | 22℃12℃ | 22℃10℃ | 21℃8℃ | 20℃8℃ | 19℃8℃ |
Libreville | July-September | ↑↓ | 29℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 29℃25℃ | 28℃23℃ | 27℃22℃ | 27℃23℃ | 28℃24℃ | 28℃24℃ | 28℃24℃ | 29℃25℃ |
Banjul | May-October | ↑↓ | 30℃22℃ | 29℃22℃ | 29℃22℃ | 29℃22℃ | 28℃23℃ | 29℃25℃ | 29℃26℃ | 29℃26℃ | 30℃26℃ | 31℃27℃ | 32℃26℃ | 31℃24℃ |
Accra | July-October | ↑↓ | 31℃26℃ | 31℃26℃ | 31℃27℃ | 31℃27℃ | 31℃26℃ | 29℃25℃ | 27℃24℃ | 27℃23℃ | 27℃24℃ | 29℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 31℃26℃ |
Conakry | September-October | ↑↓ | 31℃23℃ | 31℃23℃ | 31℃24℃ | 31℃24℃ | 30℃26℃ | 29℃25℃ | 28℃24℃ | 27℃24℃ | 28℃24℃ | 29℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 31℃24℃ |
Bissau | July-October | ↑↓ | 34℃22℃ | 35℃22℃ | 36℃23℃ | 35℃24℃ | 34℃24℃ | 33℃26℃ | 31℃26℃ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 33℃26℃ | 34℃25℃ | 34℃22℃ |
Malindi | May-October | ↑↓ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 31℃26℃ | 31℃26℃ | 29℃26℃ | 28℃25℃ | 28℃24℃ | 28℃24℃ | 28℃24℃ | 29℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃26℃ |
Mombasa | June-August | ↑↓ | 31℃24℃ | 31℃25℃ | 32℃25℃ | 31℃25℃ | 29℃24℃ | 28℃23℃ | 27℃22℃ | 28℃22℃ | 28℃22℃ | 29℃23℃ | 30℃24℃ | 31℃24℃ |
Nairobi | July-October | ↑↓ | 26℃13℃ | 27℃14℃ | 27℃15℃ | 25℃16℃ | 23℃14℃ | 22℃13℃ | 23℃13℃ | 23℃14℃ | 25℃14℃ | 25℃15℃ | 24℃15℃ | 24℃14℃ |
Maseru | July-August | ↑↓ | 26℃15℃ | 25℃13℃ | 24℃11℃ | 20℃8℃ | 17℃5℃ | 13℃2℃ | 14℃2℃ | 17℃4℃ | 21℃8℃ | 23℃11℃ | 24℃12℃ | 26℃14℃ |
Monrovia | June-August | ↑↓ | 30℃25℃ | 30℃26℃ | 30℃26℃ | 30℃26℃ | 29℃26℃ | 28℃25℃ | 27℃24℃ | 26℃24℃ | 27℃24℃ | 28℃25℃ | 29℃25℃ | 30℃25℃ |
Bardia | May-September | ↑↓ | 17℃12℃ | 19℃12℃ | 21℃14℃ | 24℃16℃ | 27℃19℃ | 30℃22℃ | 31℃23℃ | 32℃24℃ | 30℃23℃ | 27℃21℃ | 23℃17℃ | 19℃14℃ |
Antananarivo | September-October | ↑↓ | 24℃16℃ | 24℃16℃ | 24℃16℃ | 23℃14℃ | 21℃12℃ | 19℃10℃ | 18℃9℃ | 20℃10℃ | 22℃11℃ | 25℃14℃ | 26℃16℃ | 25℃16℃ |
Lilongwe | May-September | ↑↓ | 26℃18℃ | 26℃17℃ | 26℃16℃ | 25℃15℃ | 25℃13℃ | 24℃11℃ | 24℃11℃ | 26℃13℃ | 29℃16℃ | 31℃19℃ | 30℃19℃ | 28℃19℃ |