Africa is a staggeringly vast continent, spanning approximately 11,700,000 square miles, though many still find it surprising to discover its various climates.
While large swathes of the continent are made up of hot, arid deserts, there are also colder countries that experience snowfall regularly.
The climates of Africa include equatorial, tropical wet and dry, tropical monsoon, semi-arid, desert, humid subtropical, and subtropical highland.
Five countries can expect snow – ones located at higher altitudes or further from the equator – demonstrating the region’s diversity.
In South Africa’s mountainous regions, snow is almost annual, for example, at Cedarberg and around Ceres in the South Western Cape.
The Tiffendell Resort is the country’s only commercial ski resort. It boasts “advanced snow-making capability” and allows skiing for three months of the year. Table Mountain, overlooking Cape Town, also gets a light dusting of snow every few years.
Lesotho, an enclave entirely surrounded by South Africa, is the coldest country on the continent, with an average annual temperature of 11C. In the winter months, temperatures can get as low as -7C in the lowlands and -18C in the highlands.
Snow is also an almost annual occurrence on the Drakensberg in Natal and Lesotho – which boasts some of the tallest mountains in Africa.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Morocco has emerged as the fifth most popular African country with British holidaymakers over the last ten years.
While most people go there to get some sun, it also gets a surprising amount of snow, primarily between December and February. This is mainly in the north, such as the Rif and Atlas mountains, and it’s not guaranteed yearly.
Though it’s nothing to rival Lesotho, temperatures drop in the coldest month of February, attracting people to the ski resorts in Oukaïmeden and Michlifen.
Tanzania also gets snow, though only on Mount Kilimanjaro. The summit can see Arctic temperatures and heavy snowfall during the dry season.
In Uganda, snow will fall only on the peaks of the Rwenzoria Mountains. Similarly to Kilimanjaro, Rwenzori has a very cold summit covered in snow and glaciers.
