Western Cape (Garden Route)

Best Time for Garden Route (Wilderness & Mossel Bay)

Forests, lakes, rivers, beaches — the most versatile stretch in SA

Monthly scores for 12 activities — derived from multi-year wind, rainfall, sea temperature, and wave averages. No opinion: every score is calculated from the data.

Hiking — Month by Month

Scored on: Dry trails, mild–warm temp, low wind

Best months: Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid

Jan

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Feb

4/5

Good

10d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

9d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

8d rain

May

4/5

Good

7d rain

Jun

4/5

Good

9d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

6d rain

Hols

Aug

4/5

Good

8d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

8d rain

Oct

4/5

Good

11d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

11d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

14d rain

Hols

Where to go

  • Outeniqua Trail (7 days)
  • Garden Route National Park
  • Wilderness NP coastal walk

Best Months per Activity

Months scoring 4/5 or higher. Click a row to explore that activity.

Hiking

Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

Mountain Biking

Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Trail Running

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Camping

Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Beach & Swimming

Jan, Feb, Mar, May

Surfing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Windsurfing

No ideal month

Stand-Up Paddleboard

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Kayaking

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Scuba Diving

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Snorkelling

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec

Fishing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Monthly Weather Averages

5-year averages 2020–2024 (ERA5); wave height 3-year average 2022–2024 (CMEMS)

Month High/Low (°C) Rain days Wind (km/h) Sea (°C) Wave (m) School
January23/16.61217.521.62Term
February23.2/16.41016.4222.2Term
March22.6/15.6916.621.22.3Term
April20.1/12.7814.5202.4Term
May19.6/11714.519.12.5Term
June18.9/10.2917.518.22.6Term
July17/8.1617.417.42.6Winter break
August17.3/8817.917.32.7Term
September17.5/9.4817.717.62.7Term
October19.1/11.91118.318.32.3Term
November20.4/13.21117.319.52.2Term
December21.3/14.91417.620.72.1Summer break

How Scores Are Calculated

Each month receives a score of 1–5 per activity using fixed thresholds on the raw data. No editorial judgement — every score is derived directly from ERA5, NOAA ERSSTv5, and CMEMS figures.

Hiking:Dry trails, mild–warm temp, low wind
Mountain Biking:Dry trails, manageable temp, low wind
Trail Running:Cool–warm temp (heat risk ↑), low rain
Camping:Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)
Beach & Swimming:Warm air & sea, low wind, low rain
Surfing:Swell 1.5–4 m, offshore wind preferred
Windsurfing:Consistent wind >22 km/h, dry
Stand-Up Paddleboard:Light wind <22 km/h, small waves, warm
Kayaking:Manageable wind & swell, dry, mild
Scuba Diving:Calm seas, warm water (visibility & comfort)
Snorkelling:Calm, clear, warm water
Fishing:Calm seas, manageable wind, cooler water

Data Sources & Attribution

Wind speed, rainfall & air temperature

ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) via Open-Meteo Archive API. Daily-max 10 m wind speed, total daily precipitation, and 2 m temperature, 2020–2024, averaged to monthly means. License: CC-BY 4.0.

open-meteo.com

Sea surface temperature

NOAA ERSSTv5 (Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature, version 5) accessed via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP. Monthly mean SST at nearest 1° grid cell, 2020–2024. NOAA NCEI public domain dataset.

coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap

Significant wave height

CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Service) via Open-Meteo Marine API. Daily-max significant wave height at nearest offshore grid point, 2022–2024 (3-year average; CMEMS model data available from 2022). License: CC-BY 4.0.

marine-api.open-meteo.com

Data last fetched: 2026-05-02

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