Tourist Information
Is April a good time to visit Namibia or South Africa?
Question: Is April a good time to visit Namibia or South Africa?
My Mom and I are looking in to a safari – East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania etc) isn’t looking good due to the rain fall and general difficulty with seeing wildlife, but I was wondering about the possibility of southern africa.
Does anyone know what the weather and chances of being able to see wildlife are like in Nambia and/or South Africa during the first half of April?
Any help much appreciated! Thanks,
Kat
(east africa safaris)
Best answer:
Answer by Tony J
The best time for a safari in Southern Africa is in winter, for three reasons, it is not that hot and obviously more enjoyable, there is no rain so the game must go to the waterholes to drink and of course the “bush” is a lot thinner and one can see deeper into the bush and more easily spot game.
Thus, the best time is June to August but the first half of April ( Autumn )is not too bad so if you cannot delay your visit it will be OK.
Definitely worth a visit, Kruger National Park or private game park Sabi Sabi in South Africa is my recommendation…..enjoy.
I am not from South Africa but I spend almost half a year here every year. Whether April is a good time for you to come depends a lot on what you are expecting. If you are from the United States and have watched a lot of National Geographic type shows you may well be expecting hot dry weather. April in South Africa is like early fall in the U.S. It is not always hot or dry. But it can be pleasant. Bring sweaters and jackets. You will want them in the evenings.
Economically April can be very rewarding as some places have gone to off season rates. When you are looking at the rates, look to see if you are being charged for high or low season. If you can hold off till May, pretty well all of them are on low season rates.
You may want to think about where you want to go on safari. Animals here migrate north in the fall and winter. This is not a huge problem on the smaller or more centrally located game farms and reserves. I am thinking of places like Kapama and Pilansberg respectively. Kruger is a great place but it is huge and you would want to spend several days there and drive fairly north to see the all the animals. They are not in pens at the side of the road and you cannot just go breaking new roads to track them down. You can, in fact, spend a good amount of time seeing precious little or you might see a lot but no one can guarantee that you will see all of the animals in the bigger reserves. Having said that, If time is not an issue and if you organize your time so you can be at or near the watering holes when the animals come to drink, it is a great place to safari. Check out some of the sites that have CAMs at the watering holes and make note of the times then arrange to be at one at about the same time.
If you are working on budgeted time, look to the smaller game farms and there are a lot of them. Kapama and Garonga are two I have returned to several times but there are similar places all over South Africa. They may seem pricey but you do get to see a lot of wildlife. Search for them at http://www.google.co.za/ and you will get better search results if you know what province you are going to. Here is one place to find some
http://www.sa-venues.com/game_lodges_nationwide_south_afr.htm
and I have put Kapama, Pilanesberg and Garonga URls below for you.
Whenever you come, have a great time!