Best time to visit South Africa: When to travel to South Africa?

You ask yourself: What is the best time to visit South Africa? Not only the capital Cape Town and the famous Garden Route are among the most impressive places on earth, but also the various national parks offer travelers dreamlike views and impressive wildlife.

Due to South Africa's location in the southern hemisphere, the seasons run opposite to the European seasons, i.e. the months of October - January have high temperatures and it gets colder in the months of April - September. Basically you can Travel South Africa all year round.

When planning your trip, however, you should keep in mind that there are some months that are particularly recommended for visiting Cape Town and the Garden Route, and other months that are ideal for a safari. In addition, you should keep in mind that South Africa, its capital and national parks, is a very popular destination for international and domestic tourists. Especially in the summer months of December and January it is considered a popular destination, because you want to escape the cold winter in Germany, the locals have vacations and it is the least rainy time of the year.

Weather and climate

South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent and similar to the landscape, wildlife and people, the climate is also diverse. Therefore, different climate zones occur, so it has a Mediterranean climate on the west coast near Cape Town, i.e. in the summer months the weather is mostly dry and warm, in winter it is rather cool and rainy because of the Benguela current. The east coast near Durban has a rather humid subtropical climate due to, among other things, the Agulhas Current from the Indian Ocean, which increases the amount of precipitation in the eastern coastal zone. In the interior, one also finds a desert climate.

Best time to visit South Africa: Cape Town

Cape Town is the capital of the Western Cape Province and is located on the west coast. The best time to visit Cape Town is from October to April. However, the most popular months are December and January, the temperatures are high summer and are between 24 and 27 degrees. In addition, these are the months with the least rainfall and you can enjoy around 11 hours of sunshine a day. The disadvantage of the months of December and January is that it is the high season and therefore registers an above-average number of tourists.

More suitable are therefore the months of October and November and the months of February to April. Temperatures in these months are still pleasantly summery and range from 20 to 25 degrees, although in the autumn months (March, April) it can drop to 12 degrees, so you should have a light jacket with you in these months. The sunshine hours decrease a bit, but still average 9 hours.

Best time to visit South Africa: Safari

If you travel to Africa, you can't avoid a safari. If you want to see as many animals as possible on your jeep tour in the grasslands, it is important to know the months in which you have a particularly high chance of seeing many animals. 

In South Africa there are also various National Parks to spot the famous BIG Five. The most famous national park is the Kruger National Park. The best time to visit Kruger National Park is during the South African winter months from June to October. At this time it is particularly dry in the Kruger Park and the vegetation is no longer as pronounced, which deprives the animals of hiding places. In addition, because of the dryness, there are only a few water holes where the animals cavort at this time.

If you are planning a trip to another national park such as Amakhala National Park, the ideal months for wildlife viewing coincide with the best travel months mentioned at the beginning.

Popular travel time South Africa: For the Garden Route

The Garden Route is the dream route for every road trip lover. The temperatures here are similar to those in Cape Town. There is a rather maritime climate. Therefore, also for the Garden Route the South African summer is the best season to travel. The months from October to April offer you fantastic temperatures between 21-28 degrees, little rain and beautiful landscapes. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the warmest months of December and January are the most popular and therefore the busiest.

Did the weather of the fascinating country at the southern tip of Africa convince you and are you curious to discover more of the country? Then our South Africa trip definitely something for you. With us you can get to know the traditions and animals in South Africa yourself.

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