Botswana

A country with a landscaped defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a large animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.

Capital City: Gaborone

Climate: Botswana’s climate is semi-arid. Though it is hot and dry for much of the year, there is a rainy season, which runs through the summer months. Rainfall tends to be erratic, unpredictable and highly regional. Often a heavy downpour may occur in one area while 10 or 15 kilometres away there is no rain at all. Showers are often followed by strong sunshine so that a good deal of the rainfall does not penetrate the ground but is lost to evaporation and transpiration. ‘Pula’, one of the most frequently heard words in Botswana, is not only the name of Botswana’s currency, but also the Setswana word for rain. So much of what takes place in Botswana relies on this essential, frequently scarce commodity.

Language:  Official spoken languages are English, Tswana.

Public Holidays
Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Mar 30 Good Friday
Apr 02 Easter Monday
Apr 03 Easter Tuesday
May 01 Workers Day
May 10 Ascension Day
Jul 01 Sir Seretse Kham Day
Jul 16 President’s Day
Sep 30 Botswana Day

Oct 01 Botswana Day Holiday

Dec 25 Christmas Day

Dec 26 Boxing Day

Mozambique.

It has a long Indian Ocean coastline dotted with popular beach as well off-shore marine parks. In Qurimbas Archipelago a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from the era of the Portuguese rule. The Bazaruto Archipelago further south has reefs which protects rare marine life including Dugongs.

Capital City: Maputo

Climate: The climate is tropical in Maputo. In winter, there is much less rainfall than in summer. The climate here is classified as Aw by the Köppen-Geiger system. The average annual temperature is 22.7 °C in Maputo. The average annual rainfall is 781 mm.

Language:  Official spoken languages are English & Portuguese

Public Holidays
Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Feb 03 Heroes Day
Apr 07 Women’s Day
Jun 25 Independence Day
Sep 07 Victory Day
Sep 25 Revolution Day
Oct 04 Day of Peace and Reconciliation
Dec 25 Christmas Day
Dec 26 Boxing Day

GMT time
South Africa is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in summer.

Namibia.

Capital City: Windhoek

Climate: With an average of 300 days of sunshine annually Namibia is one of the sunniest countries in worldwide. The climate is generally arid which means that the potential evaporation is higher than the precipitation, which again results in a very low humidity. In general Namibia’s climate can be described as hot and dry, substantial fluctuations during the seasons or even within one day are typical. The different regions show considerable climatic differences regarding precipitation and temperature though. The amount of precipitation increases from the southwest to the northeast from an annual 0 mm to a maximum of 600 mm

Language:  Official spoken languages are English, Afrikaans, Damara and Oshivambo.

Public Holidays
Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Mar 21 Independence Day
Mar 30 Good Friday
Apr 02 Easter Monday
Apr 27 Freedom Day
May 01 Workers Day
May 04 Cassinga Day
May 10 Ascension Day
Aug 27 Heroes Day
Dec 10 International Human Rights Day

Dec 25 Christmas Day

Dec 26 Boxing Day

GMT time
Namibia is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in summer.

South Africa

The rainbow nation. South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 25th largest country in the world by land area and, with close to 56 million people, is the world’s 24th most populous nation. South Africa is one of the most diverse and interesting countries in the world. Tourists flock to South Africa for it’s natural beauty, wildlife and sunshine. South Africa’s immensely varied terrain supports a rich diversity of animals, birds, and plant life and offers and incomparable range of experiences. Whether you are in South Africa on safari or to enjoy the beaches, breath taking drives, whale-watching or unspoiled wilderness, we strive to help you experience the very best that the Country has to offer.

Capital City: Pretoria

Climate: South Africa’s climatic conditions generally range from Mediterranean in the southwestern corner of South Africa to temperate in the interior plateau, and subtropical in the northeast. A small area in the northwest has a desert climate. Most of the country has warm, sunny days and cool nights. Rainfall generally occurs during summer (November through to March), although in the southwest, around Cape Town, rainfall occurs in winter (June to August. Temperatures are influenced by variations in elevation, terrain and ocean currents more than latitude.

Language:  Official spoken languages are English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana & Venda

Public Holidays
Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Mar 21 Human Rights day
Mar 30 Good Friday
Apr 02 Easter Monday 
Apr 27 Freedom Day
May 01 Workers Day
Jun 16 Youth Day
Sep 24 Heritage Day
Dec 16 Day of Reconciliation
Dec 25 Christmas Day
Dec 26 Boxing Day

GMT time
South Africa is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in summer.

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Re-introducing Zimbabwe to the world. Known for its dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas on the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, make a thundering 108m drop into a narrow Batoka gorge, where there’s white-water rafting and bungee jumping. Downstream are Matusadona & Manapools National Parks, home to wildlife and lots of birdlife.

Capital City: Harare

Climate:
Zimbabwe one of the finest climates in the world, which is warm with a daily average sunshine of approximately ten hours all year round. Generally, the days are bright and sunny, the nights clear and cool. November to April is summer
(rainy season) while winter is from May to August. From September to November is very hot and dry. Altitude has a direct influence on temperature and rainfall. Rainy season is generally from late November to March.

Language: Official spoken languages are Shona & Ndebele.

Public Holidays
Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Mar 25 Good Friday
Mar 28 Easter Monday
Apr 18 Independence Day
May 1 May Day
May 25 Africa Day
Aug 8 Heroes Day
Aug 9 Defence Forces Day
Dec 22 National Unity Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day
Dec 26 Boxing Day

GMT time
Zimbabwe is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in summer. Zimbabwe falls into the Central African Time zone.