What is the weather like during December in Namibia
December is high summer in Namibia. Expect 31–40°C inland, 20–25°C on the coast and 40–70 mm of rain as afternoon storms. Landscapes turn green, animals calve, and festive rates apply from mid-month.
What is the weather like during December in Namibia
December is high summer in Namibia: hot, green where the rain has fallen, and busy in a way no other month is. Interior days run roughly 32°C to 38°C, nights sit at 18°C to 22°C, and rainfall averages 40–70 mm in the centre, falling as afternoon thunderstorms.
It is also the one month where Namibian domestic travel drives availability. The coast fills, the popular lodges book out, and festive-season rates apply almost everywhere — a pattern that has nothing to do with international tourism and catches visitors out.
Weather in Namibia in December
Hot and increasingly wet. Mornings are usually clear, cloud builds through the afternoon, and a storm arrives in the late afternoon — brief, heavy, and followed by a washed evening. The coast stays cool throughout and is the only reliable escape from the heat.
December is not just hot, it is humid — inland humidity climbs well above its winter average of around 32% after rain. A 34°C December afternoon in Etosha is considerably harder work than a 36°C September one, and visitors consistently underestimate the difference.
Wildlife and Safari in Namibia in December
The green season proper. Everything that makes December attractive to a photographer makes it harder for someone counting animals.
- Calving is under way. Springbok, wildebeest and zebra drop young with the rains, and predators concentrate around them.
- Birding is excellent and improving. Summer migrants are in and breeding; the northern pans can hold flamingo after good rain.
- Game disperses. Surface water is widely available, so animals no longer depend on permanent waterholes. Sightings are less predictable than in the dry months.
- Cover is thick. Grass grows fast after rain, which hides everything from a springbok upward.
- The landscape transforms. Dry savanna turns green within a fortnight, and the desert takes on colour it does not carry for the other eight months.
Etosha’s park camps are run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. December fills earlier than the shoulder months because of domestic holiday demand, so book ahead despite it being green season.
Best Regions to Visit in December
Etosha and the North
Green, humid and productive for birds and young animals. Game viewing is at its most dispersed, so expect more driving between sightings and more time at the few permanent waterholes that still draw traffic. The floodlit camp waterholes remain worthwhile after dark.
The Namib Desert and Sossusvlei
A dawn destination and nothing else — 35 to 40°C by midday. The reward is storm cloud behind red dune, which only exists in these months, and the possibility of green plains between the dunes if the rain has reached that far south.
Swakopmund and the Coast
Twenty to twenty-five degrees, and the busiest place in Namibia. December is the Namibian domestic holiday, and Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Henties Bay fill with local families. Book coastal accommodation months ahead or plan around it — this is the single biggest availability constraint in the Namibian calendar.
Damaraland and the Erongo
Hot but transformed. Rock art at Twyfelfontein and the Brandberg is a first-light activity only. If the ephemeral rivers run, desert-adapted elephant move and become harder to locate; if they do not, tracking stays good.
The Zambezi and Caprivi
The wettest corner in the wettest part of the year. Lush, humid, excellent for birds, and genuinely difficult for self-drive access — some tracks become impassable. This is the one region December can rule out of an itinerary.
Crowds, Costs and Comfort in December
December is the month where the pricing logic inverts. It is green season — normally the cheap half of the year — but festive-season rates apply from roughly mid-December to early January, and domestic demand fills the coast and the popular lodges regardless.
The practical consequence: the first two weeks of December behave like November, with low-season rates and easy availability. From about the 15th, everything changes. If your dates are movable, early December is one of the better trades in the calendar; late December is the most expensive green-season travel in Namibia.
Split the month in two. Before the 15th: quiet, cheap, green, easy. After the 15th: festive rates, full coastal towns, and popular lodges booked out months ahead. The weather is identical either side of that line.
Highlights and Lowlights
Festivals and Events in December
December carries three public holidays: Human Rights Day on 10 December, Christmas Day on 25 December and Family Day on 26 December. Government offices, banks and many businesses close on each; lodges, restaurants and park gates operate normally.
The practical effect is the domestic travel that surrounds them. Namibian families take their main holiday over Christmas and New Year, overwhelmingly to the coast, and Swakopmund is transformed — busy restaurants, full accommodation, and a genuinely festive atmosphere that is worth experiencing if you are not trying to book into it at short notice.
Activities and Packing for December
- Photograph the green desert. Red dune against green plain and storm cloud exists for about six weeks a year.
- Bird the northern pans. Migrants in, residents breeding, flamingo possible after good rain.
- Sit at a waterhole early and late. Less productive than July, still the best use of the cool hours.
- Take the coast as a rest stop. Fifteen degrees cooler, if you can find a bed.
- Watch the afternoon storms. An hour of theatre most days, and the light either side of them is exceptional.
What to pack:
- Lightweight, loose, long-sleeved clothing — better in heat and against insects
- A light rain jacket, not a heavy one
- Insect repellent — December is peak mosquito season in the north
- A fleece for the coast, which will be fifteen degrees cooler than the interior
- Shoes that cope with mud as well as dust
- High-SPF sunscreen, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, SPF lip balm
- Rehydration sachets — three litres of water a day inland
December sits inside the seasonal transmission window, which runs November to June in Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa, and year-round along the Kunene, Okavango and Zambezi rivers. This is peak mosquito season in the north. Windhoek has no transmission and the classic southern circuit stays outside the risk regions. Take your route and dates to a travel clinic.
Is December a Good Time to Visit Namibia?
For landscape, photography and birds, yes. For classic waterhole game viewing, no — that belongs to June through October, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong month.
The strongest case for December is the first fortnight: green scenery, storm light, newborn animals, very few international visitors and rates that have not yet gone festive. After mid-month you are paying peak prices for green-season game viewing, which is the least favourable trade in the Namibian year unless the timing is fixed for you by school holidays.
Our Namibia weather by month guide compares all twelve directly. For a route built to handle green-season conditions, the 14-day Namibia self-drive safari is our starting point.
December is one of twelve, and the differences between them are larger than most visitors expect. Every month is covered in the same detail in our Namibia weather by month.
Frequently asked questions
Is December a good time to visit Namibia?
For green landscapes, storm light, newborn animals and birding, yes — particularly the first half of the month. For waterhole game viewing it is one of the weaker months, and festive rates apply from mid-December.
How hot is Namibia in December?
Interior days run 31–40°C, hottest at Sossusvlei and in the Kalahari. Nights stay at 18–23°C. The coast at Swakopmund holds 20–25°C.
Does it rain a lot in Namibia in December?
A fair amount, as afternoon thunderstorms rather than all-day rain. Central Namibia averages 40–70 mm, Etosha 60–90 mm and the Zambezi 120–160 mm. The coast gets almost none.
Is Etosha good in December?
For scenery, birds and young animals, yes. Game is dispersed because water is widely available, so sightings are less predictable than in the dry season.
Why is Namibia busy in December?
Domestic holidays. Namibian families take their main break over Christmas and New Year and head for the coast, so Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Henties Bay fill up and festive rates apply from about mid-December.
Are there public holidays in Namibia in December?
Three: Human Rights Day on 10 December, Christmas Day on 25 December and Family Day on 26 December. Offices and banks close; lodges, restaurants and park gates run normally.
Last verified August 2026. Temperature and rainfall figures are seasonal norms, not forecasts; any individual year will vary. Long-run climate data is published by the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Tell us your dates and we will tell you what the weather usually does on your route, and which lodges are worth booking early.