Best time to visit South Africa

Our verdict

The best time to visit South Africa is June-September

If you’re looking to travel to South Africa for your next trip but aren’t sure when to go and when to avoid, this article is all you’ll need. The best time to visit South Africa is June-September due to the excellent all-round weather conditions, and it’s also not during the height of peak travel periods, so it’s not likely to be as busy.

In summer, temperatures can reach as high 32℃ (90℉) in the middle of the day in Pretoria. In the winter, temperatures can get down to 5℃ (40℉) around June-time. In other areas of South Africa, temperatures might differ so be sure to compare other destinations below.

If you’re keen to see the sights of South Africa during the day, the sun stays up the longest around October. January sees the most amount of rain in a month if you’re ok with chancing getting drenched, so if you’re looking to stay dry, visit in July instead.

Keep reading to learn more about the best times to go to South Africa, including the most popular destinations, detailed weather information, and tools to help you find and book great deals on your travel.

Warmest month

January

Least rainfall

July

Most daylight

October

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South Africa seasons

Before you plan your trip, it’s important to know when the seasons are as they may be different to yours depending on where you’re travelling from. South Africa is in the Southern hemisphere, so the seasons fall on:

Season Months
Summer December to February
Autumn/fall March to May
Winter June to August
Spring September to November

Best time to visit the top destinations in South Africa

We’ve put together a breakdown of the average minimum and maximum temperatures by month, as well as the best times to visit for each. To learn more about these destinations including detailed climate breakdowns and much more, click or tap the city/destination name below.

CityBest time to visitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
AtlantisJune-September
26℃
18℃
26℃
18℃
25℃
17℃
23℃
15℃
20℃
13℃
17℃
11℃
17℃
10℃
17℃
10℃
18℃
11℃
21℃
13℃
22℃
14℃
24℃
16℃
Boulders BeachNovember-August
26℃
18℃
26℃
18℃
25℃
17℃
23℃
15℃
20℃
13℃
17℃
11℃
17℃
10℃
17℃
10℃
18℃
11℃
21℃
13℃
22℃
14℃
24℃
16℃
Cape TownJune-September
26℃
18℃
26℃
18℃
25℃
17℃
23℃
15℃
20℃
13℃
17℃
11℃
17℃
10℃
17℃
10℃
18℃
11℃
21℃
13℃
22℃
14℃
24℃
16℃
Coffee BayAugust
26℃
15℃
26℃
15℃
25℃
14℃
22℃
11℃
22℃
10℃
19℃
7℃
19℃
7℃
21℃
8℃
23℃
10℃
23℃
12℃
23℃
12℃
25℃
14℃
DurbanAugust-September
26℃
20℃
27℃
20℃
26℃
19℃
24℃
17℃
24℃
16℃
22℃
14℃
21℃
14℃
22℃
15℃
23℃
16℃
23℃
17℃
24℃
17℃
25℃
19℃
East LondonJune-July
25℃
20℃
26℃
20℃
25℃
20℃
24℃
18℃
23℃
17℃
21℃
15℃
21℃
14℃
21℃
15℃
21℃
15℃
22℃
16℃
22℃
17℃
24℃
19℃
FranschhoekJune-October
27℃
16℃
27℃
16℃
26℃
15℃
23℃
13℃
20℃
11℃
16℃
9℃
16℃
8℃
16℃
8℃
18℃
9℃
21℃
11℃
23℃
13℃
25℃
15℃
HermanusJuly
23℃
18℃
23℃
18℃
22℃
18℃
21℃
16℃
19℃
14℃
17℃
12℃
16℃
12℃
16℃
12℃
17℃
12℃
19℃
14℃
20℃
15℃
22℃
17℃
HogsbackAugust
25℃
15℃
25℃
15℃
24℃
13℃
22℃
11℃
21℃
9℃
18℃
7℃
18℃
7℃
20℃
8℃
22℃
9℃
22℃
11℃
22℃
11℃
24℃
13℃
JohannesburgJune-October
27℃
16℃
27℃
16℃
26℃
15℃
23℃
12℃
21℃
10℃
18℃
6℃
18℃
6℃
21℃
8℃
25℃
12℃
27℃
15℃
27℃
15℃
27℃
16℃
KimberleyAugust
32℃
22℃
31℃
21℃
30℃
19℃
25℃
15℃
22℃
12℃
18℃
8℃
18℃
7℃
22℃
9℃
26℃
12℃
29℃
16℃
31℃
18℃
32℃
20℃
KnysnaAugust
24℃
19℃
24℃
18℃
23℃
18℃
22℃
16℃
20℃
15℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
20℃
15℃
21℃
15℃
22℃
17℃
Plettenberg BayJune-September
24℃
19℃
24℃
18℃
23℃
18℃
22℃
16℃
20℃
15℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
18℃
13℃
20℃
15℃
21℃
15℃
22℃
17℃
Port ElizabethJune-September
25℃
19℃
25℃
19℃
25℃
19℃
23℃
17℃
22℃
15℃
20℃
14℃
20℃
13℃
20℃
14℃
20℃
14℃
21℃
16℃
22℃
16℃
24℃
18℃
PretoriaJune-September
29℃
18℃
28℃
17℃
27℃
16℃
24℃
13℃
22℃
11℃
19℃
7℃
19℃
7℃
22℃
9℃
27℃
13℃
28℃
16℃
28℃
17℃
28℃
18℃
Saint LuciaJune-September
27℃
24℃
27℃
24℃
27℃
23℃
25℃
21℃
24℃
20℃
23℃
19℃
22℃
18℃
23℃
19℃
23℃
19℃
23℃
20℃
24℃
21℃
26℃
22℃
SutherlandJune-September
23℃
14℃
23℃
13℃
22℃
12℃
20℃
9℃
19℃
7℃
16℃
4℃
16℃
4℃
19℃
6℃
21℃
9℃
21℃
10℃
22℃
11℃
23℃
13℃
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South Africa map