Best Time To Visit South Africa

Explore the beautiful land of South Africa

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Best time to visit
Mar - Oct
Ideal Duration
6-7 Days
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On Arrival
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Rs. 1
  • Ideal For Family
  • Ideal for friends
  • Adventure Activities

Best Time To Visit South africa

Plan your trip during best season to experience the best of this stunning destination

The hottest month in South Africa is February with an average temperature of about 23 degree celsius, while June is the coldest month with an average temperature of about 13 degree Celsius.

However, if one is planning an excursion to this place, and want to know the best time to visit South Africa, then the duration from April to October is best to cherish wildlife, July to November duration is preferred for whale watching, while the duration of December to March is best for beach activities. If you have a particular destination in mind, then you can also plan the itinerary accordingly. For ex: November to February can be the best time to visit Victoria Falls

South Africa is a lovely country dotted with wildlife parks and surrounded by beautiful beaches – a lover’s paradise, a family man’s destination and a wanderer’s food for the soul. Needless to say South Africa travel has something to offer to every type of traveller, and that makes the country a year-round destination, suitable for a visit for any season. 

April-October (18° to 7°C)

Since South Africa is located in the southern hemisphere, May to October is the winter season in the country. Weather in South Africa during this time is pleasantly cool and dry and the perfect time for wildlife viewing. With the arrival of April, here is your chance to savor the best wine in the country. Yes, fall is the best time to visit South Africa wine country, i.e. Cape Town for a delightful experience. South Africa is home to multiple national parks and forests which work dedicatedly towards protecting and preserving the great African flora and fauna. These national parks are best visited between May and October. 

For nature lovers, this is definitely the best month to visit South Africa. During this dry season, the activities of the wild animals like migration and hunting can be observed from up close. Thus, it is the best time to visit South Africa for wildlife. But the period from June to August (off season for game viewing) in between is better avoided, since there will be heavy winter rainfall during this period. Safaris restart again in September, when the famous afternoon showers do not interfere with it at all. If you are looking for a refreshing holiday, this is the best season to visit South Africa

November-February (26 to 16°C)

November through February is the summer season here. The climate of South Africa during this time is perfect for a beach holiday at Cape Town or Port Elizabeth. November is good for whale watching at its best, and bird spotting in the northern regions. This time is comparatively less crowded than the winter months, although the holiday and New Year week will see a heavier footfall. For an energetic yet calm holiday, this is the best time to visit South Africa

Famous Festivals in South Africa

National Arts Festival

The National Arts Festivals is one of the most prominent art festivals in South Africa. Held in the city of Grahamstown, it is counted amongst the greatest gatherings of artists from all over the world. The art pieces displayed here are just stunning and makes one think about the different perspectives an individual can have. Such a gathering of brilliant art pieces is sure to invoke the fancy of many. Check out this festival during the months of June to July on your trip to South Africa. As this is considered the best time to visit South Africa for all art lovers, you can book a ticket in advance to be on time. 

Knysna Oyster Festival

If one talks about a festival that people from almost all age groups can enjoy is the Knysna Oyster Festival. It is one of the best outdoor family and community events of South Africa. The main activities and highlights of the festival are Pick n Pay Cape Times Forest Marathon and the Pick n Pay Weekend Argus Rotary Cycle Tour. The event is held every year during the months of June and July in Knysna, South Africa. With the arrival of June, here is your chance to experience wildlife at its best. Thus, June onwards is the best time to visit Kruger National Park. Plan your family vacation during this time to make the most of your holiday.

Cape Town Carnival

The Cape Town Carnival is a glitzy and glamorous celebration of the transformative power of creativity and the African identity. This event is one of the best festivals that takes place in South Africa and Cape Town. The entire range of activities and performances here would introduce you to a diverse array of communities and cultures in the country. To enjoy the best of this festival, plan your trip during the month of March.

Climate in South africa

Summer Season in South africa

Summer in South Africa is from around October to March, which is an ideal time for beach holidays in the port cities. In a general sense, South Africa is neither a very cold nor a very hot country. You will hardly find the mercury rising above 35° or going below 17°C which makes it ideal for a vacation during any time of the year.

Monsoon Season in South africa

Rainfall is scattered and unpredictable in South Africa. Cape Town and the Western Cape region experiences winter rainfall during June-August, while the rest of the country gets sudden thunderstorms from December to March. The Eastern Cape on the other hand can see rainfall any time during the year. It is better to be ready for the chances of a rainfall at any point.

Winter Season in South africa

Winter in South Africa is for game viewing in the many national parks and game parks of the country. The opportunities of spotting them in their natural habitat are abundant. It is the ideal time for safaris in Kruger, Madikwe, Pilanesberg, KwaZulu-Natal for family vacations.

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South Africa Packages Reviews

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

Guru's 10 days trip to South Africa

The trip was well organized and the local drivers and guide allocated for our trip were very professional. The coordination by Travel triangle was flawless and had a great user experience. I will recommend to all my friends to utilize the services

Guru Bangalore

S's 5 days trip to South Africa

The team at TravelLykke have been very professional in their approach right through. They have been very patient and understanding of the requirements and accommodative to all kinds of doubts and queries and options too. Fairly transparent in the dealings and have a good set of on-ground contacts in S Africa who too have been professional and on time without delays and exceptions. A suggestion: there were some legs where we were informed we need to take Uber (to & fro Robben Island & Table Top Mountain). For the kind of spends done by us (Rs 3 Lakhs +) overall, it would have been helpful if these too could have been accommodated in the package. It is the nuisance value of having to book, wait etc. Also more minute detailing of the Full day Cape Peninsula tour could have been share earlier - we got it on landing from the local guide and it was very educative. Why not share this ahead of time? Some travel agencies give a backpack or travel kit (the amount of Rs 3 Lakhs is HUGE) with your branding. In this case it is singularly absent. Wonder why? We stayed in 3 hotels - Emerald Guest house in Johannesburg (Rating Poor to Good only); Kruger Park Adventure Lodge ( Excellent); Holiday Inn Express at Cape Town (Excellent).

S Raj Delhi

Mayankmaki's 9 days trip to South Africa

The trip was very well organised and all our requirements were met. We had issues due to flight delays and we were late for one tour, our travel planner Mrs Prerna was very helpful and proactive to adjust the tours to accommodate everything. From last minute hotel booking to providing rental car , she was quick to respond and also regular reminders before trips to ensure smooth communication between us and South African operators. Would surely recommend their services The views with clouds sliding in all around the mountains and ocean at the cape point during the cape peninsula tour.

Mayankmaki Mumbai

Chinthabinoy's 4 days trip to South Africa

We had an amazing time at SA. Prerna ( Offbeat trippers) arranged everything as per our request.

Chinthabinoy

Rajani's 7 days trip to South Africa

We had an amazing trip to South Africa. We would like to thank Mr. Inderjit from Flyocity for planning our itinerary and being available for resolving all queries. We had no problems in a foreign country.

Rajani Damani Guwahati

Jennifer's 11 days trip to South Africa

Plan your destinations efficiently arranged a wonderful trip to South Africa and Seychelles.We had in total 12 days travel itinerary. Accommodation, food, intercity transfers,sight seeing were well arranged. No blunders at all. Highly recommend their services for these destinations. Well planned by Sandeep.

Jennifer B Mumbai

Aniruddha's 9 days trip to South Africa

We had an amazing trip to South Africa. It is a beautiful country to visit with very hospitable people around. Everything went well without any hiccups. The hotels, cab drivers and other details were well planned by Nikhil from Besten/MK Holidays, special thanks to him. Some elements which can be improved were the visits planned during our stay at Knysna as they were quite some distance away from our hotel. Will definitely recommend Travel Triangle to others for planning their trips.

Aniruddha Jasu Ashburn

Sonaleeka's 6 days trip to South Africa

Its good ..but i did not had same experience as travel factory they used to provide us our day activity one day ahead.but hear besten tour everything is clumsy and messy every time we have to call our agent to get the details through out the tour.and some othe place we have to pay from our pocket even after paying for the pacakge. We had a very bad experience with besten tour.Half of things which promised not taked care by the vendor.We paid extra from our pocket for some of the tickets (activity) even after paying the complete amont..vendor promised he will pay us back..but we are still chasing behind him.This is the worst experience I ever had...I will never reccomend any one neither nor besten tour..learn something from travel factory

Sonaleeka Dash Bangalore

Rajesh's 11 days trip to South Africa

Was a unique experience in the game safari and capetown. Sandeep was extremely help and was always reachable. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Rajesh Kazankodath Pune

Yanshuk's 8 days trip to South Africa

everything went very well as planned. hotels were awesome their locations, clean, services & all (except soho hotel in sun city. service was not goodas well as room was not as per expectation). overall trip was awesome. A big thanks to our travel agent Mr. Inderjit (flyocity trip planners pvt. ltd.) & travel triangle....

Yanshuk Sharma New delhi

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FAQ's of South Africa

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

South Africa can be visited all year round. The cape region has lovely dry summer from November to February – perfect for beach days, while whale watching is done best between July and November.

June to October is the best time for all the safari programmes, including the Masai Mara migration and game viewing in Tanzania.

Tourism in South Africa

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