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Best time to visit South Africa

The best time of year to visit South Africa is between July and December. May to September, the dry winter season, is regarded as the best time for a safari in South Africa. But as our detailed month-by-month temperature and rainfall charts demonstrate, every season has its appeal, with hot summers for basking on beaches, mild winters, and sublime hiking in spring and autumn.

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Best time to visit South Africa

South Africa’s immense size and its array of landscapes, attractions and climates mean it can be visited year-round.

The best time to visit South Africa is between July and December, although each season has its charm. May to September – the dry season – is the best time to visit South Africa for a safari, with cooler temperatures, thinning vegetation and wildlife clustering around waterholes. Summer sunseekers head for the south coast between December and March. The Western Cape is dry in summer and rainy in winter, but most of the rest of the country is dry in winter, and wetter in summer. You’ll find safari trips all year round, both in the dry season and the leafier summer season.

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A month by month guide on when to go to South Africa

January in South Africa

Baby penguins

Warm and dry on the Western Cape

Warm and wetter elsewhere

South Africa in January is great on the Cape. It’s lovely (if breezy) in Cape Town and along the Garden Route, and a popular time of year to visit and find yourself among cuter arrivals: the Boulders Beach penguins might have little babies. Kruger National Park will be warm and quite humid, with more chance of rain, but it’s nothing compared to the Drakensburg Mountains. Rain here causes slippery paths and thunderstorms can rule out hiking.

February in South Africa

Hot in Cape Town and Durban

Warm and dry on the Western Cape

Warm and wetter elsewhere

It’s sunny on the Western Cape in South Africa in February, but a fresh breeze brings the temperatures to an average of 32°C in Cape Town. Still, this is the hottest month of the year for the cape, and it’s peak tourist season too. It’s also the hottest month in Durban (28°C is the maximum average temperature). In Kruger it’s hot, but can be wet – so it can be a month of contrasting fortunes, though it’s still good for safaris. The Drakensburg Mountains still see lots of rain.

March in South Africa

Warm on the Western Cape

Quieter beaches

Humid in Kruger

March is pretty much the end of high season in the Western Cape. A few migratory birds start to return to South Africa in March it can be a good option if you want to hit the beach without the peak crowds. It’s still hot and humid in the Kruger, with north-easterly thunderstorms generally confined to afternoon cloudbursts. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park’s gorgeous lodges start to quieten down in March.

April in South Africa

Drakensburg hiking

Combine regions

Wine harvest time

April sees great temperatures and ideal hiking conditions in the Drakensberg Mountains, and decent wildlife viewing around the KwaZulu Natal region and Kruger National Park. On the Western Cape, it’s warm (23°C in Cape Town) and relatively dry. It’s also time for the harvest in the wine regions. All in all, going to South Africa in April is a pleasant time to see lots of the country at once, so consider combining a few regions.

May in South Africa

Start of safari dry season

Drakensburg hiking

Autumn colour in the Winelands

South Africa in May finds itself at the start of the dry season – and so the start of the best time for safaris in Kruger and the KwaZulu-Natal reserves. There are mid-range temperatures (in the 20°s) across much of the country. You could combine a safari with a few days’ hiking, as it’s a great time of year to visit the Drakensburg Mountains. There are still pleasant temperatures in Cape Town (20°C); it’s just a bit wetter. The Winelands are putting on an autumnal show of colours.

June in South Africa

Dry season in the north and east

Sardine run brings dolphins

Wet Western Cape

The start of South Africa’s winter sees the Western Cape get a bit cold and rainy, but winters are otherwise generally mild (Cape Town is around 18°C). Kruger is dry, and lodges may supply a blanket and a hot water bottle in the Jeep in the early morning; it will warm up later. Elsewhere in South Africa in June, take a boat from the coast of KwaZulu-Natal to see the sardine run – and the dolphins, sharks and birds that follow it up the coast.

The colder months of July to September are our winter, but that’s a fantastic time to come out and do the game viewing.

– Rupert Calcott, from our South Africa small group specialists Exodus

July in South Africa

Dry season

Whales arrive off the Cape

Garden Route looking lush

It’s the start of dry season in South Africa in July, which also means the start of the best wildlife viewing season in Kruger National Park and the reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, which lasts until October. Meanwhile, southern right whales have arrived off the coast at Hermanus to breed and give birth, and the Western Cape has chances of rain. Winter is chilly in Johannesburg and there might be snow on the Drakensburg Mountains (though precipitation is low).

August in South Africa

Wildlife watching

Spring flowers start to bloom

Chilly Western Cape

Wildlife viewing is concentrated on the dwindling water sources in South Africa in August, meaning that safari-goers have the chance to spot heaps of species in Kruger, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and KwaZulu-Natal’s other reserves. It’s chilly on the Western Cape, but spring is in the air – it’s flower season in West Coast National Park and you can see flowers in the fynbos from August to September in the Northern Cape and Western Cape.

August is a great time of year for our 14-day South Africa safari holiday

September in South Africa

Whale watching

Great for safaris

Chilly Western Cape

South Africa in September is all about animals: wildlife watching peaks in the northern reserves thanks to the lack of vegetation and dry days, and you might see whales off the coast of Hermanus. Emerging flowers herald spring on the Western Cape; it’s chilly, with temperatures in the teens. The ‘Cape Doctor’ – a strong, dry south-easterly wind – arrives for the spring and lasts until the late summer season.

October in South Africa

Last month of peak safari season

Self drive holidays

Multi-centre trips

It’s great to visit South Africa in October, as the whole country generally has appealing weather. It’s the start of the rainy season outside the Western Cape (though afternoon showers rarely bother safari-goers). In fact, peak safari season runs until the end of October and it can be quite hot – averaging 30°C. Migratory birds arrive from now, staying until April. The weather dries up through the spring on the south-east coast.

November in South Africa

Garden Route drives

Lovely in Cape Town

Newborn animals in Kruger

Temperatures and rainfall continue to rise in South Africa in November, so it can be hot and humid in the Kruger. This leads to more greenery, making it harder to spot animals – and their newborn young. Birdwatchers and fans of wildflowers will find plenty to keep themselves occupied, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. The Garden Route is popular from November to April for road-trippers; Cape Town has an average high of 27°C.

November is a great time for our self drive South Africa holiday

December in South Africa

Cape Town’s peak season starts

Wettest time in Kruger

Busy holiday month

It’s the start of peak season in Cape Town, which is breezy and dry, and it’s about 30°C on the coast around Durban. You may still find some humpback whales heading along the coast from Hermanus if you’re driving on the Garden Route. It’s a hectic month, especially towards its end. South Africa in December is the middle of the school holidays, so the parks are crowded, the heat can be ferocious, and it’s the wettest season in the Kruger.

Western Cape Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

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Best times to visit South Africa for festivals & events

Kaapse Klopse! (2 January)

Cape Town bursts into life each 2 January when thousands of Cape Coloured minstrels take to the streets in troupes, singing in choirs, playing instruments and wearing vivid satin suits. The Kaapse Klopse festival dates to the mid-1800s and celebrates all aspects of Cape Coloured culture in the city. The parade’s roots stretch further back – to the culture of those people enslaved under the Dutch Cape Colony, and celebrates their strength and resistance.

Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (March or April)

The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival takes place each March-April in Oudtshoorn, and includes exhibitions, music, food stalls, Afrikaans theatre and stand-up comedy. The festival also supports many local community projects and is an important showcase for emerging talent, always featuring an exciting roster of new works. There are performances in Afrikaans and in English.

Sardine Run (May to July)

Sardines may not spring to mind when thinking of South African wildlife, but the annual sardine run is the marine equivalent of the Great Migration. Shoals up to 15km long swarm up the coast of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal from May to July, creating a feeding frenzy among sharks, dolphins, whales and birds. Watch it from a boat – or try scuba diving to get closer to the action.

Open Book Festival (early September)

South African authors are taken off the page and put centre stage at this weekend literary festival in Cape Town, which also features writers from across the continent. Started in 2011, the festival now runs events throughout the year, but the start of September is still the time to come and see author talks, challenging debates, and inspiring readings – plus, browse the book stalls and get something signed.

Hermanus Whale Festival (late September)

The whales themselves probably wouldn’t get much out of Hermanus Whale Festival (especially not the Fun Run). The ‘only eco marine festival in the world’ lasts for three days at the end of September to celebrate the yearly return of southern right whales, which come to the coast to calve and mate. During the festival, this small town becomes a hive of activity: street parades complete with classic cars and marching bands, street food, a strongman show… all to promote ocean conversation.

Our travellers also ask…

Which month is best for safari in South Africa?

July to September. This is the dry season at Kruger National Park, so not only is it easy to see beyond the thin vegetation, but the wildlife tends to concentrate around the water sources, so you can see lots at once. However, there’s no bad time for a safari in South Africa; it’s a massive country where the weather is always nice somewhere. You can visit the Kruger year-round – just be prepared for a bit more rain and humidity in summer.

What are the hottest months in South Africa?

South Africa’s summer – October to March – is the hottest season. January is the hottest month in the Kruger and Kalahari (33°C), and it can be humid too. The Western Cape is around 32°C but drier in January and February – making it an ideal time to visit.

When is whale season in South Africa?

The main whale season in South Africa is June to December. Southern right whales come back to South Africa from June to mate and calve. They come so close to the coast near the town of Hermanus that you can see them quite easily from the shore. They’re joined by humpback whales, and both can be seen for hundreds of kilometres along the coast from Cape Town all the way to Mossel Bay. At the same time on the east coast, the sardine run brings humpbacks along for the ride – see them from Durban. There are 37 species of whales and dolphins that visit South Africa and can be sighted all year round.