National Day of Prayer
19 Oct 2026 · Monday
Zambia
Travel planning calendar
Public Holidays and the Best Windows to Travel
Two calendars matter when you plan a safari: the one that decides when you can get away, and the one running in the country you are arriving into. This page tracks both.
Next up
The next public holidays
Scroll for more. Dates shown across the ten markets we work in.
National Holiday
26 Oct 2026 · Monday
Austria
Independence Day
26 Oct 2026 · Monday
Zambia
All Saints' Day
1 Nov 2026 · Sunday
Austria, France, Portugal, Spain
Election Day
4 Nov 2026 · Wednesday
South Africa
Armistice Day
11 Nov 2026 · Wednesday
France
Restoration of Independence
1 Dec 2026 · Tuesday
Portugal
Constitution Day
6 Dec 2026 · Sunday
Spain
Book around them
Trips you can book for these dates
Departures in Zambia, South Africa. Tours run on public holidays. Tell us your dates and we confirm availability before you book.
13 Days / 12 Nights Africa Grand Tour: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana & Tanzania
13 Days / 12 Nights across five countries. Panorama Route and Kruger, Victoria …
$5010.00
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12 Days / 11 Nights Panorama Route, Kruger, Victoria Falls & Chobe
12 Days / 11 Nights. Panorama Route and Kruger, four nights at Victoria Falls, …
$4829.00
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11 Days / 10 Nights Panorama Route, Kruger, Hwange & Victoria Falls
11 Days / 10 Nights. Panorama Route and Kruger, two nights of safari in Hwange …
$4795.00
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3-Day Zimbabwe & Zambia Falls Excursion with Accommodation & Transfers
A three-day cross-border experience designed to showcase the best of Zimbabwe a…
$700.00
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White Rhino Walking Safari near Victoria Falls with Game Drive
Livingstone Rhino Walk in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park combines a guided game dr…
$150.00
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Zambian Side Falls Tour: Knife-Edge Bridge and the Boiling Pot
A guided walk of Victoria Falls from the Zambian side, crossing the Knife-Edge …
$30.00
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Worth acting on
One day of leave, four days away
These holidays fall on a Tuesday or a Thursday, so a single day of leave bridges them into a four-day weekend. They are far enough ahead to still book.
1 December 2026
Tuesday
Restoration of Independence
Portugal
Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend
8 December 2026
Tuesday
Immaculate Conception
Austria, Portugal, Spain
Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend
9 February 2027
Tuesday
Carnival
Portugal
Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend
6 May 2027
Thursday
Ascension Day
Austria, France, Germany
Take the Friday off for a four-day weekend
27 May 2027
Thursday
Corpus Christi
Austria, Portugal
Take the Friday off for a four-day weekend
10 June 2027
Thursday
National Day
Portugal
Take the Friday off for a four-day weekend
When you can travel
Public holidays in our main source markets
France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal. Where several countries share a date, demand for flights and lodges peaks together.
| Date | Holiday | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Oct 2026 Monday | National Holiday Austria | Makes a three-day weekend |
| 1 Nov 2026 Sunday | All Saints' Day Austria, France, Portugal, Spain | Falls on a weekend |
| 11 Nov 2026 Wednesday | Armistice Day France | Midweek, best paired with surrounding leave |
| 1 Dec 2026 Tuesday | Restoration of Independence Portugal | Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend |
| 6 Dec 2026 Sunday | Constitution Day Spain | Falls on a weekend |
| 8 Dec 2026 Tuesday | Immaculate Conception Austria, Portugal, Spain | Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend |
| 25 Dec 2026 Friday | Christmas Day Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain | Makes a three-day weekend |
| 26 Dec 2026 Saturday | St. Stephen's Day Austria, Germany | Falls on a weekend |
| 1 Jan 2027 Friday | New Year's Day Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain | Makes a three-day weekend |
| 6 Jan 2027 Wednesday | Epiphany Austria, Spain | Midweek, best paired with surrounding leave |
| 9 Feb 2027 Tuesday | Carnival Portugal | Take the Monday off for a four-day weekend |
| 26 Mar 2027 Friday | Good Friday Germany, Portugal, Spain | Makes a three-day weekend |
What you arrive into
Public holidays where the trips run
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. Tours run on public holidays, but banks and government offices close and domestic travel picks up, so transfers and popular lodges fill earlier.
| Date | Holiday | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 Monday | National Day of Prayer | Zambia |
| 26 Oct 2026 Monday | Independence Day | Zambia |
| 4 Nov 2026 Wednesday | Election Day | South Africa |
| 10 Dec 2026 Thursday | Human Rights Day | Namibia |
| 16 Dec 2026 Wednesday | Day of Reconciliation | South Africa |
| 22 Dec 2026 Tuesday | Unity Day | Zimbabwe |
| 25 Dec 2026 Friday | Christmas Day Peak | Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| 26 Dec 2026 Saturday | St. Stephen's Day | Botswana, Zimbabwe |
| 26 Dec 2026 Saturday | Day of Goodwill | Namibia, South Africa |
| 1 Jan 2027 Friday | New Year's Day Peak | Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| 3 Feb 2027 Wednesday | Heroes's Day | Mozambique |
| 21 Feb 2027 Sunday | Robert Mugabe National Youth Day | Zimbabwe |
Tell us your dates and we will build the trip around them
A four-day weekend suits Victoria Falls and Chobe. A week or more opens up the Okavango Delta, Hwange and cross-border routes. We quote on your dates, not on a fixed departure list.
Read next
Dates come from the public holiday register at date.nager.at and were last refreshed on 2026-09-25. Governments occasionally add or move a day, so we confirm dates when you book.