Top 10 Coldest Cities in Africa

When people hear “Africa,” the first thing that comes to mind is usually heat. Deserts, sunshine, dry harmattan winds, that kind of picture. And for the most part, that picture is correct. But Africa is a massive continent with mountains, high plateaus, and cities sitting thousands of metres above sea level. That altitude changes everything.

In places like Morocco’s Middle Atlas or the highlands of Lesotho, winter mornings can dip below freezing, frost can coat rooftops, and in a few rare spots, snow can actually settle on the ground. It sounds unbelievable until you see the photos.

Here’s a realistic, well-researched look at the ten coldest cities on the continent, starting with the one that holds the record.

1. Ifrane, Morocco

There’s no debating this one. Ifrane is Africa’s coldest city, and it isn’t close.

Tucked away in the Middle Atlas Mountains about an hour from Fez, Ifrane sits at roughly 1,635 to 1,700 metres above sea level. It was originally built by the French in the 1920s as a summer retreat, styled after alpine European towns, complete with sloped roofs, chalet style buildings, and neat little streets. Locals call it “Little Switzerland,” and once you see pictures of snow sitting on those roofs, you’ll understand why.

The numbers:

• Coldest recorded temperature: -23.9°C, recorded on February 11, 1935. This remains the lowest temperature ever officially recorded anywhere in Africa.
• Average January temperature: around 5°C
• Winter daytime highs: 0°C to 7°C
• Winter nighttime lows: frequently below freezing, sometimes dropping to -5°C or lower
• Average January snowfall: around 15cm

Does it snow? Yes, heavily. Snow season typically runs from December to February, though light snow has appeared as early as November in colder years. Nearby Michlifen and Oukaimeden even have ski resorts, since the surrounding Middle Atlas gets enough consistent snowfall to support winter sports.

Ifrane is also home to a population of Barbary macaques, monkeys that have adapted to the region’s harsh winters, which is not something you’d expect to hear about an African city.

2. Sutherland, South Africa

If Ifrane holds the all time record, Sutherland is the most consistently cold spot on the continent. It’s a small town in the Northern Cape, sitting in the Roggeveld Mountains at about 1,450 metres.

Sutherland is nicknamed the “Gateway to the Universe” because of its clear skies and thin, dry air, which is exactly why South Africa’s largest telescope, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), was built nearby.

The numbers:

• Coldest officially recorded temperature: -16.4°C, recorded on July 12, 2003
• Typical midwinter nights: -10°C to -15°C
• Winter (May to September) is the coldest stretch, with July being the peak

Does it snow? Yes, fairly often. Snowfall in Sutherland is common between May and August, with August generally being the snowiest month. Because the climate is semi arid, the snow tends to be light rather than the heavy, thick blankets you’d see in Ifrane, but it’s frequent enough that locals plan around it.

One quirky fact: because Sutherland sits in a valley, cold air settles and gets trapped overnight, a phenomenon called a temperature inversion. That’s part of why the town gets so much colder than the surrounding highlands.

3. Mokhotlong, Lesotho

Lesotho is often called Africa’s coldest country, and Mokhotlong is arguably its coldest town. It sits in the eastern highlands at an elevation of over 2,100 metres, some sources put parts of the district above 2,700 metres, making it one of the highest settlements on the continent.

The numbers:

• Coldest month: July, with average highs around 10°C and average lows around -1.4°C
• Winter nights across the wider Mokhotlong district can fall well below -10°C, especially at higher points
• Snowfall typically begins in April and can continue through November, though it’s heaviest from June to August

Does it snow? Yes, regularly. Mokhotlong is one of the few places in Africa where snow is a normal, expected part of winter rather than a rare event. Rivers and small dams in the highlands can freeze over completely during the coldest stretches.

Lesotho also has Afriski, a working ski resort in the Maloti Mountains, which tells you everything about how seriously winter is taken here.

4. Maseru, Lesotho

Lesotho’s capital doesn’t get quite as brutal as Mokhotlong since it sits lower, around 1,600 metres, but it’s still one of the coldest capital cities in Africa.

The numbers:

• Winter (June to August) daytime temperatures: mild, generally in the mid-teens Celsius
• Winter nights: regularly drop below 0°C, sometimes into the negative single digits
• Summer (December to February) highs: 24°C to 28°C

Does it snow? Occasionally, though it’s less frequent than in the eastern highlands. When cold fronts sweep through, Maseru can see light snow or at least heavy frost, especially compared to nearby lower altitude regions.

5. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s capital sits at an elevation of around 2,300 to 2,400 metres, which is genuinely high, higher than Denver, Colorado. That altitude is the entire reason Addis Ababa feels nothing like the tropical heat people expect from East Africa.

The numbers:

• Coldest months: November to February
• Winter nighttime lows: typically 7°C to 8°C, occasionally approaching freezing in the highlands surrounding the city
• Daytime highs stay comfortable, usually 20°C to 23°C, so the cold is mostly a morning and nighttime thing

Does it snow? Not in the city itself. Addis Ababa doesn’t get snow, but nearby highland areas and mountain ranges like the Bale Mountains and Simien Mountains do see frost and occasional snow at higher elevations. Addis is more about that crisp, cool morning air than actual snowfall.

For anyone documenting Ethiopia, this cool highland climate is honestly one of the most surprising and underused visual contrasts. Frosty mornings, mist rolling over hills, all just an hour or two from areas that are considerably warmer.

6. Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi sits on a plateau at about 1,650 to 1,700 metres, and the British colonial administration deliberately chose the location because of its cooler climate compared to the rest of Kenya.

The numbers:

• Coldest month: July
• Average July highs: around 21°C to 24°C
• Average July lows: around 11°C to 13°C, with recorded nighttime drops to 7°C on unusually cold nights
• Nairobi almost never exceeds 30°C, even at the height of summer

Does it snow? No, Nairobi itself does not get snow. But nearby Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak, is snow capped year round, and its upper slopes regularly see fresh snowfall. The contrast between Nairobi’s cool, temperate city climate and the icy peak just a few hours away is one of Kenya’s most underrated features.

7. Antananarivo, Madagascar

Madagascar’s capital sits at roughly 1,250 to 1,400 metres in the central highlands, and its winters, from June to August, catch a lot of first time visitors off guard.

The numbers:

• Coldest month: July, averaging around 14.5°C to 15.6°C
• Winter nighttime lows: commonly 9°C to 11°C
• Daytime winter highs: around 19°C to 20°C

Does it snow? No, not in the city. Antananarivo gets cold, damp, and occasionally frosty mornings, but not snow. Frost is more common in the surrounding highland countryside than within the city itself.

8. Arusha and the Northern Tanzania Highlands

Arusha sits at the base of Mount Meru, close to Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Highlands, at an elevation of around 1,400 metres.

The numbers:

• Coolest months: June to August
• Morning temperatures in the Arusha and Ngorongoro highlands: can drop close to 5°C to 10°C
• Ngorongoro Crater rim, specifically, gets noticeably colder than Arusha town itself due to its higher elevation

Does it snow? Not in Arusha itself, but Mount Kilimanjaro, visible from the city on a clear day, is permanently snow capped, and temperatures at its summit can plunge to around -20°C. It’s one of the most famous examples of snow existing almost on the equator, purely because of altitude.

9. Windhoek, Namibia

Namibia’s capital sits at around 1,700 metres on the Khomas Highland plateau, and while Namibia is mostly known for its deserts, Windhoek’s winter nights can genuinely surprise visitors.

The numbers:

• Coldest months: June and July
• Winter nighttime lows: frequently drop to 0°C to 5°C, and can occasionally go below freezing
• Daytime winter temperatures stay pleasant, usually in the low to mid 20s Celsius

Does it snow? No. Windhoek stays dry through winter, so the cold shows up as sharp overnight drops and frost rather than snowfall, but the day to night temperature swing here is one of the widest on this list.

10. Fes, Morocco

Rounding out the list is another Moroccan city, Fes, which sits close to Ifrane geographically but at a lower elevation of around 400 to 600 metres. It doesn’t get nearly as brutal as Ifrane, but it’s still notably cold by Moroccan standards.

The numbers:

• Winter daytime highs: 15°C to 17°C
• Winter nighttime lows: often drop to 3°C to 5°C, sometimes lower during cold snaps
• Occasional light frost in January, the coldest month

Does it snow? Rarely in the city itself, though when cold fronts push through the region, light snow has been known to reach Fes, especially given its proximity to the snowy Middle Atlas just an hour away.

Quick Comparison Table

Why Does Africa Even Have Cold Cities?

It comes down to one word: altitude. Most of the cities on this list sit well above 1,000 metres, and several are above 2,000 metres. As elevation increases, air pressure and temperature both drop. That’s the same reason mountain peaks near the equator, like Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, can carry snow year round even though they’re technically in the tropics.

A second factor is latitude combined with dry winter air. Places like Sutherland and Ifrane sit far enough south or at high enough elevation that winter cold fronts, sometimes carrying air that originated near Antarctica or the Atlantic, sweep through and drop temperatures fast, especially at night when clear skies let heat escape quickly.

So no, Africa is not always hot. Pack a jacket if you’re headed to any of these places between June and August, or December and February, depending on which hemisphere they sit in.