Weather and climate

Nyika National Park weather

What it is doing right now, what the next two weeks look like, and what each month of the year means for the game viewing.

Right now in the park

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The next two weeks

Straight from the forecast, updated when you open this page. Useful if you are packing. Not useful for choosing a month, which is what the year below is for.

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The year at a glance

Bars are rainfall, the line is the daytime high. Thirty-year averages. The green band marks the months this park is at its driest, which is when most people want to be here.

Rainfall in millimetres along the bottom. Highest month 571 mm, daytime highs from 8.5 to 26.1 degrees.

Every month, and what it means for the wildlife

The temperature tells you what to pack. The rainfall column decides what you will see.

Month	Day	Night	Rain	Wet days	What that means here
January	21.6°C	14.1°C	571 mm	30	Peak rain and peak flowers: the orchid concentration on the plateau is the richest in south-central Africa. Days run mild, roughly 15 to 28°C, but mud restricts self-driving and some roads are curtailed.
February	21.4°C	14.1°C	547 mm	28	Peak rain and peak flowers: the orchid concentration on the plateau is the richest in south-central Africa. Days run mild, roughly 15 to 28°C, but mud restricts self-driving and some roads are curtailed.
March	21.8°C	13.9°C	358 mm	28	Peak rain and peak flowers: the orchid concentration on the plateau is the richest in south-central Africa. Days run mild, roughly 15 to 28°C, but mud restricts self-driving and some roads are curtailed.
April	21.8°C	13.0°C	145 mm	23	Peak rain and peak flowers: the orchid concentration on the plateau is the richest in south-central Africa. Days run mild, roughly 15 to 28°C, but mud restricts self-driving and some roads are curtailed.
May	20.9°C	11.3°C	68 mm	14	The dry season opens: little or no rain, short grass, good roads and the easiest self-drive conditions. Cold nights arrive, with the first frosts.
June prime	19.5°C	9.2°C	20 mm	6	The dry season opens: little or no rain, short grass, good roads and the easiest self-drive conditions. Cold nights arrive, with the first frosts.
July prime	19.6°C	8.5°C	5 mm	1	The coldest stretch, with frost a regular feature at dawn, and the start of the operators' high season. Crisp, clear days over golden grassland; pack proper winter layers for morning drives.
August prime	21.5°C	9.8°C	4 mm	1	The coldest stretch, with frost a regular feature at dawn, and the start of the operators' high season. Crisp, clear days over golden grassland; pack proper winter layers for morning drives.
September prime	24.3°C	11.5°C	6 mm	1	Still dry and slightly warmer, with peak-season lodge rates. The trout season opens in September. Prime months for combining game drives, biking and fishing.
October	26.1°C	13.1°C	21 mm	4	Still dry and slightly warmer, with peak-season lodge rates. The trout season opens in September. Prime months for combining game drives, biking and fishing.
November	24.8°C	14.3°C	134 mm	16	The rains begin, the plateau greens and the roads soften. Fewer visitors, dramatic skies, and the first wildflowers of the season.
December	22.0°C	14.2°C	404 mm	29	The rains begin, the plateau greens and the roads soften. Fewer visitors, dramatic skies, and the first wildflowers of the season.

Climate figures are Open-Meteo climate normals, 1991 to 2020, taken at -10.7, 33.775. The wildlife column is ours, from the sources on the best time to visit page. Averages hide bad years: a dry January still happens, and so does a wet July.