Hunting season in Namibia
When is the best time to hunt in Namibia?
Namibia has around 320 days of sunshine a year, yet the seasons are very different. Good to know: the seasons in Namibia are the opposite of those in North America. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. When it is spring in Namibia, it is fall in the US.
February 1 to November 30
The hunting season in Namibia
The hunting season in Namibia runs from February 1 to November 30 every year. For two months – December and January – hunting is not allowed. This is the resting time, when the game has its young.
Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset
Daily hunting hours
From February to November, hunting is only allowed from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Hunting at night or with spotlights is strictly forbidden.
Winter – hunting season in Namibia
The dry season is often considered the best time to hunt in Namibia
From May to September there is no rain – this is the dry season. Expect bright blue skies and clear, starry nights without a single cloud. Days are pleasantly warm but not too hot, and evenings and nights can get really cold.
In the dry months, game is easier to spot in the dry, sparse (and later in the year grazed-down) vegetation. Game also gathers at the precious waterholes.
May / June / July / August
Spring – hunting season in Namibia
Spectacular nature: dry season, dry thunderstorms and the "small rains"
It is still very dry and can now get really hot. Around October the first dry thunderstorms arrive, which greatly increases the risk of bush fires – destructive, but ecologically important. With luck the first drops fall, to the great joy of land and people after months of drought. After a bush fire, the burnt areas are the first to turn green again with fresh, juicy grass – and that is where you will find the game first. Spectacular cloud formations, sunrises and sunsets make this season special.
September / October / November
Summer – no hunting season in Namibia
Hunting is not allowed – time for nature and wildlife to recover
Namibia turns green. About two weeks after the first rain, the whole landscape changes. It is humid and warm, and heavy rains finally refill the water reserves. You often see a spectacle of rainbows, dark storm clouds and glowing skies at sunrise and sunset. The green, nutritious grass puts the animals in their best condition. There are lots of young animals, water is everywhere and the game spreads out instead of gathering at the waterholes. It is the resting time: no hunting in December and January, so nature and wildlife can fully recover.
December / January
Fall – hunting season in Namibia
The green veil turns to gold
Namibia is still green and the rain continues, but it becomes less as the months go by. How well the game gets through the coming dry season depends on how long and how hard it rains – this decides how long the water reserves will last for the rest of the year. Some farmers and reserves catch the water in dams or keep waterholes running with solar pumps. It is still humid and warm. The animals enjoy the nutritious vegetation and, ideally, have brought their young through the first months, so they are strong enough now. The less rain falls, the more the grass dries out and turns golden. Soon there is hardly anything left of the green veil.
February / March / April
Any questions?
This guide is meant to help you make the right decision for your hunting trip. Need more information?