Best time to go?

judy05

For those who have taken this tour -- what month did you go -- and were you happy with your choice? I have done some research on temperature -- rainfall -- animal sightings -- etc. -- but would really appreciate some feedback from those who have actually taken this specific tour. Thanks!!!

British

I think I was there August/ September time. Several things to think about for me----temperatures and rainfall. We were there in Winter, so it was colder at night but pleasant during the day. Cape Town has funky weather, can be rainy at certain times of year, that might impact you being able to see anything at the top of Table Mountain. Also, consider the weather where you are coming from, I always have that in the back of my mind during our winter and allow extra time for a snow delay or what ever from here. Another thing, unless it has changed, South Africa is having a very severe drought at the moment, the worst for many years, so I am not sure if that will impact seeing animals--- it might be better if they are all congregated by the few water holes that still have water--- or maybe there will be dead animals around. That happened some years ago on the K and T tour and it got so bad around Amboseli that Tauck left that area out for a while. Flight prices might also influence your choice. We were totally happy with our choice and are going on the Botswana, Zambia Zouth Africa tour at a similar time next month.

rsj

I went last year at the end of July. I think this was a great time to go with one minor issue - The tram in Cape Town was shut down for 1-2 weeks for annual maintenance so we didn't get to go on it.

Cape Town is about the same latitude as Los Angeles (except south instead of north) so when you think about winter weather in Cape Town think about winters in LA. Prices in their summer are higher because Cape Town has some nice beaches which are very popular in their summer months. If that is your priority go during their summer months.

The travel guides I looked at said the best time to go for safaris was May - Sept. Everything I saw/heard confirmed this. It isn't too hot (animals are more likely to be out when it's cooler). In the dry season the animals are more likely to be around the rivers so they are easier to find in the safari areas. Also, when it's dry you can go off road and are much more likely to find lions, leopards etc. Our guide said that only 25% of the groups see all of the big 5. We saw them all multiple times. I was told this was due to the time of year that we went.

Victoria Falls hits peak flow in April. The falls were still spectacular last August despite lower flow due to poor rainfall that year and being a few months past the peak. I read that in April you have trouble seeing because there is so much mist although I can't confirm that.

judy05

Thanks so much to both of you! Great information and very much appreciated!