Best Time to Visit South Africa: Safari vs Cape Town, Month by Month

The best time to visit South Africa depends on whether you are going for the safari or for the coast, and the two answers point in opposite directions: May to September is the best window for the Kruger, while November to March is the season for Cape Town and the Garden Route. If you want both in one trip, aim for the shoulder months, and September in particular.

Remember that the southern hemisphere flips the seasons. The South African summer runs from December to February and winter from June to August, so a UK winter escape lands you in Cape Town's beach season.

In this article

• Safari in the Kruger: May to September
• Cape Town and the coast: November to March
• The best compromise: April–May and September–October
• Travelling from the UK: what changes
• How many days do you need in South Africa?
• What currency to take to South Africa
• Month by month, in short
• Frequently asked questions
• Prefer a destination where you don't have to choose?

Safari in the Kruger: May to September

This is the southern winter and the dry season, and it is clearly the best window for wildlife:

• Thin vegetation, so animals are far easier to spot in the bush.
• Animals gather at waterholes, which become scarce. This is the main reason game viewing peaks now.
• Fewer mosquitoes and a lower malaria risk in the Kruger area.
• Sunny, dry days of around 22–26 °C.
• Genuinely cold mornings: the dawn game drive can start at around 5 °C in an open vehicle. Pack a fleece, a hat and gloves, however odd that feels when packing for Africa.

Cape Town and the coast: November to March

The southern summer is the time for Cape Town, the Garden Route and the Winelands:

• Dry, sunny weather in the Western Cape, with 25–30 °C.
• Long days, with light well into the evening.
• Grape harvest in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek in February and March.
• It is local high season: South Africans are on holiday in December and January, so prices rise and accommodation fills up early.
• The south-easterly wind (the "Cape Doctor") can be fierce in midsummer.

Cape Town's winter, from June to August, is the opposite of the Kruger's: cool and rainy, with green landscapes and lower prices, but not beach weather.

The best compromise: April–May and September–October

If you want to combine safari and coast in the same trip, as most first-timers do, these transition months are the safest bet:

• Acceptable weather in both regions.
• Lower prices than in peak season.
• Fewer people in the parks and in Cape Town.
• September and October add the Namaqualand wildflowers (from late August into September) and the tail end of the southern right whale season in Hermanus, which runs roughly from June to November.

If we had to pick a single month for a first complete trip to South Africa, it would be September.

Travelling from the UK: what changes

• Almost no jet lag. South Africa is on GMT+2 all year, so it is only two hours ahead of the UK in winter and one hour ahead during British Summer Time. You fly overnight and wake up in the same time zone, more or less.
• Flights. Direct overnight flights from London Heathrow to Johannesburg and Cape Town take around 11–12 hours. Connecting flights via Europe or the Gulf are often cheaper but take longer.
• School holidays. October half-term falls in one of the best months for a combined trip. Christmas and New Year coincide with South Africa's own peak, so book flights and lodges many months ahead or expect high prices.

How many days do you need in South Africa?

8–10 days: you have to choose

Enough for Cape Town and the Garden Route, or for Johannesburg and the Kruger. Not both, unless you want to spend the holiday in airports.

12–15 days: the complete trip

The ideal and most common length. It covers Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula, the Winelands, the Garden Route and three or four days of safari in the Kruger, with a domestic flight in between.

21 days: unhurried, with extensions

Add the Drakensberg, the KwaZulu-Natal coast, Lesotho or an extension to Victoria Falls.

Mind the distances: Cape Town and the Kruger are more than 1,500 km apart as the crow flies and around 1,800 km by road. On a two-week trip you fly that leg, you do not drive it. Our guide to the cost of a 2-week holiday in South Africa breaks down what that itinerary costs.

What currency to take to South Africa

The currency is the South African rand (ZAR), which moves quite a lot against sterling and the euro, so check the rate before you go.

In practice, South Africa runs on cards: they are accepted in almost every shop, restaurant and petrol station, and ATMs are reliable (use those inside shopping centres). Carry the equivalent of £80–130 in rand for tips, markets and rural areas, and pay by card for the rest. There is no need to buy rand in the UK, and a card without foreign transaction fees saves real money.

Budget for tipping: 10–15% is normal in restaurants, and on safari guests usually tip guides and lodge staff around €10–20 (roughly £9–17) per day in total.

Month by month, in short

• December–January: summer, beaches, everything busy and expensive.
• February–March: harvest, good coastal weather, fewer crowds.
• April–May: an excellent transition, good value.
• June–August: peak safari season; cold and rainy in the Cape.
• September–October: probably the best all-round months, with whales and flowers.
• November: the heat arrives, still without the December crush.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to visit South Africa?

May to September for safari and November to March for the coast. September and October are the best compromise if you want both.

Is December a good time to visit South Africa?

For Cape Town and the beaches, yes, the weather is excellent. But it is local high season, so prices peak and you need to book early. In the Kruger it is hot, green and wet, with higher malaria risk and thicker bush.

What is the cheapest time to go to South Africa?

The shoulder and low months: April–May and, for the Cape, June to August. Avoid December, January and Easter if price matters most.

Is 7 days in South Africa enough?

Only for one region: either Cape Town and the Winelands, or a short Kruger safari. For a first complete trip, plan 12–15 days.

When can you see whales in South Africa?

Southern right whales come close to the shore at Hermanus roughly from June to November, peaking between August and October.

Do I need vaccinations for South Africa?

No vaccine is required when flying from the UK, but malaria is present in the Kruger area. Read our guide to vaccinations for South Africa before you book.

Prefer a destination where you don't have to choose?

In São Tomé and Príncipe there is no safari-or-coast dilemma, because everything is on the same island: in eight days you see equatorial rainforest, waterfalls, historic cocoa plantations and empty beaches without a single domestic flight. The best season there is June to September, exactly when it rains in the South African Cape.

Discover our 8-day guided São Tomé and Príncipe tour, a private trip from €1,250 per person (flights not included), read about the best time to visit São Tomé, or contact us to plan your dates.