In Burundi, a country located just south of the Equator, the climate is mild to warm and varies according to altitude, while there is little seasonal variation in temperature. Much of the country is occupied by a plateau, at an altitude of around 1,500/1,800 meters (5,000/6,000 feet), but in the west, there is also a lower region, around 800 meters (2,600 feet), as well as a mountainous belt.
From June to August, i.e. the austral winter, is the dry season, during which cool breezes from the south-east blow, there is little rain, and the sun often shines. By mid-August, the temperature begins to rise, and in September and October, the highest values of the year are recorded. At the same time, however, the rains begin, which occur in the form of downpours or thunderstorms, and gradually lower the temperature, which returns to the values of the rest of the year, around 22/25 °C (72/77 °F) during the day on the plateau, and around 27/28 °C (81/82 °F) in the western lowlands.

If we exclude the three dry months, moderate rains fall in the rest of the year. Rainfall tends to increase with altitude, and it typically amounts to around 1,200/1,400 millimeters (47/55 inches) per year on the plateau, while it drops below 1,000 mm (40 in) in the west, which is the warmest and least rainy area of the country. In this area, we find Lake Tanganyika, whose banks are located at 770 meters (2,500 feet) above sea level. The lake moderates the climate especially at night, keeping the temperature somewhat higher and causing a bit of sultriness, but it also brings beneficial breezes during the day.