Malawi
When To Visit
Although very pleasant all year round, the climate in Malawi varies depending on how high up you are. The hotter times of year are more bearable in the highlands or on the breezy shores of Lake Malawi.
Malawi'S Climate
Malawi's tropical climate is moderated across much of the country by altitude; the dry season lasts from April through to November while the wet season lasts some four months, December to March.
Squeezed in between these two seasons is a hot and rather humid period which generally characterises November and early December. Over the last decade or so, the wet season has often been delayed. Rains which used to start in early December now, quite regularly, don't occur until the New Year.
Even in the so-called wet season, the rains are usually short-lived storms, as is typical of the tropics, and at no time does the climate seriously inhibit the traveller.
Much of the country is at an altitude which keeps potentially high temperatures down to very acceptable levels. Only in the Lower Shire Valley can temperatures become unpleasantly high, and then only in the summer months. Malawi’s tropical climate is moderated across much of the country by altitude.
Although the period May to October is often described as the ideal time to travel in Malawi, the rainy season ( December to March) is attractive for the displays of orchids and other flowers on Nyika Plateau, for birdwatching in some of the Reserves and for seeing Malawi’s vegetation at its most lush. The main drawback of a visit in the wet season is in driving the dirt roads including those within the game parks. You should also bear in mind that, as everywhere, game viewing is best towards the end of the dry season.
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