Best Time to Visit South Africa

Planning an African getaway from Dubai? The best time to visit South Africa depends on what you want to experience during your trip. An African trip for most people in Dubai only meant a handful of places in the country. It always meant either Kenya or Tanzania. Herds of big cats. Wide blue skies. An adventurous safari – the same plan, year after year. Now South Africa has also become very popular with UAE residents, because you get Cape Town, beaches, wine farms and the Kruger safari in the same trip and there are direct flights from Dubai also. But the country is quite big and the weather in Cape Town is totally different from Johannesburg or Kruger, so when people ask about the best time to visit, the answer depends on which side of the country they are going.

Best Time to Visit South Africa

So first thing you should know is that South Africa is in the southern part of the world, which means the seasons are opposite to UAE. When we are having summer here in July, they are having winter there, and December is their peak summer.

• June–August: Winter in South Africa
• September–November: Spring
• December–February: Summer
• March–May: Autumn

Now in Cape Town the rain comes in winter, from June to August, and the summer is dry and sunny with strong wind on some days. The rest of the country like Johannesburg and Kruger is the other way round, they gets rain in summer, mostly as afternoon thunderstorm which goes after an hour or two, and their winter is dry with clear sky. Durban side remains warm and humid in almost every month.

Temperature

Summer in Cape Town is quite enjoyable as the temperature there is usually around 20-28 degrees Celsius. That is why exploring beaches is suitable there and Table Mountain tours are well worth your time. But winter is relatively cold and rainy in Cape Town, with temperatures ranging from 17 degrees Celsius during the day and 7 degrees Celsius at night. Johannesburg is comparatively high, as the city sits at an altitude of approximately 1750 meters. Summer is relatively mild, as temperatures vary from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, while in winter, it is sunny but quite cold, with night temperatures ranging from 0 to 4 degrees Celsius. People from the UAE rarely expect that.

Kruger is the hottest area, in summer it goes 32°C to 35°C with humidity also, and in winter the afternoon is pleasant at around 24°C. Having said that, early morning game drives in winter are cold because the safari vehicles are open, so suppose you are going in July, then carry a proper jacket and not only a hoodie.

Best Time to Visit

For safari our suggestion is to go between June and September, since the bushes are dry and the animals come near the waterholes so it is more easy to spot them. And if your trip is mainly Cape Town and the Winelands, then November to March is better, just keep in mind that hotel rates goes high during Christmas and New Year. March to May is also a good time which many people ignore, the crowd is less and Garden Route road trip is very nice in that weather. In September and October you can see wildflowers in Namaqualand area if you are interested in that.

Before booking the tickets, better to check the South Africa visa from Dubai rules for your passport. Emirati passport holders can usually go without visa for short visit, but most of the expats like Indian, Pakistani and Filipino nationality need to apply for visitor visa. Normally they ask for passport with minimum 30 days validity after return date and two blank pages, valid UAE residence visa, last three months stamped bank statement, confirmed flight and hotel booking and travel insurance. Processing takes around 5 to 10 working days so apply at least one month before.

Here is a quick table to compare the seasons.

Let us tell you few more things which helps in the trip. Safari lodges in Kruger gets full very fast from June to September, so book that first and plan the rest after. South Africa uses Type M plug which is different from the one we use in UAE, so keep an adapter. Driving is on the left side, and in the cities using Uber is easy instead of walking in quiet areas at night. For South Africa visa from Dubai or a full holiday package, you can contact Tunz Travel and our team will help you.