With South Africa’s temperate climate and diverse offerings, you are promised the best of times throughout the year. Here are a few things to take into consideration to optimise your stay.
The Seasons
Full winter in South Africa is midyear and peak summer at year end, the exact opposite of the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the country is a summer rainfall region, except for the Western Cape which is predominantly a Mediterranean climate. As a guide, the seasons are spring (Aug to mid-Oct), summer (mid-Oct to mid-Feb), autumn (mid-Feb to Apr) and winter (May-Jul).
Beaches
South Africa is blessed with some of the finest beaches in the world. Those along the West Coast and round the southern tip to Agulhas are washed by the cooler waters of the Atlantic, so it is advisable to stick to summer if you’re planning a beach holiday in these parts.
From here, and up the East Coast, the waters of the Indian Ocean become increasingly warmer so that beaches can be enjoyed year round.
Happenings
South Africa is renowned for its rich cultural diversity, with every region offering something different. There are, however, two national festivals that should not be missed.
At the end of February/beginning of March Oudtshoorn comes alive with the Klein Karoo Arts Festival. A few months later, at the beginning of July, Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape is transformed into a hive of artistic activity by the National Arts Festival.
In September each year, Cape Town hosts the Cape Outdoor Expo where the best outdoor and adventure activities that South Africa has to offer are showcased.
To see the wide variety of top events that are on offer and avoid disappointment, make sure you check our Calendar of Events and plan your holiday around the same time.
Winter Wonderland
The best season to visit the Drakensberg is in the winter months, where the snow-capped mountains offer solace from the madding crowd. Temperatures during the day are low, but manageable and it’s great to go and explore the mountains and valleys on foot. Temperatures drop in the early evening, making it the perfect time for hearty country fare and a sherry.
A tradition of Christmas in July is well established at many mountain resorts. Another dining experience with a difference is the vulture restaurant near Giant’s Castle, which is one of the oldest conservation areas in Africa. The bearded vulture hide in the area offers excellent raptor viewing from May to September.
Tiffindell is the only ski resort in Africa. Situated in the Southern Drakensberg on the slopes of the highest peak in the Eastern Cape, the resort is functional throughout the year as the snow is manmade out of season.
Take a Hike
South Africa offers virtually every outdoor and adventure activity imaginable. Of these, its hiking trails are unsurpassed, especially those through the world-renowned Tsitsikamma Forest along the Garden Route. Because autumn and winter are cooler, you might find that these are the ideal times.
The Winelands
The Western Cape has one of the most scenic wine regions in the world, which is enhanced by magnificent architecture and style. And it is easily accessible from Cape Town with clearly marked wine routes.
There is no best time to visit, but there is a romanticism to sipping a mellow red by a cosy open fire during winter. And why not tour the vineyards further north during the spring flower season?
Flower Power
Namaqualand is a sun-baked, wind-swept land wedged between the fertile floral kingdom of the Western Cape and the Namib Desert. But it’s not this immense contradiction that makes it the Cinderella of southern Africa.
Rather, it’s a place of rare and exquisite beauty that each spring hosts one of nature’s most extravagant spectacles when it is cloaked in a riotous tapestry of billions of blooming annuals, herbs, succulents and bulbs. ‘Field after field of cleared plateau and mountain slopes were ablaze with gorgeous colour, being absolutely covered with the most brilliant-hued flowers,’ enthused Fred Cornell in 1913 as he witnessed the scene from a train window. ‘Here morgen after morgen of glorious crimson; there, half a mountain-side of mustard yellow, in startling contrast to the other half of azure blue.’
The Cape Floral region of the Western Cape is also best during spring. While covering a small area, it is home to 8500 different species of plants known as fynbos – most of which cannot be found anywhere else on earth.
Wild Times
Spring hails the arrival of whales to the South African coastline. The best spot for whale watching is Hermanus along the Cape South Coast, which celebrates their appearance with the Whale Festival at the end of September.
This is also the ideal time to visit a game park. After a dry winter the veld is sparse and the water reduced to a few waterholes, making viewing much easier. And South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, is at its finest at this time as it performs an elaborate courting ritual in Karoo fields.
Follow the miracle of the reproduction of the gigantic leatherback and loggerhead turtles in their annual nesting (Nov-Jan) and hatching (Jan-Mar) rituals in the iSimangaliso World Heritage Site in KwaZulu-Natal.
Links: