Gauteng

Best Time for Johannesburg & Surrounds

Highveld hiking, MTB trails, and nature reserves within 2 hours

Monthly scores for 5 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: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid

Jan

3/5

Fair

15d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

14d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

8d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

7d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

3d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

2d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

0d rain

Hols

Aug

5/5

Excellent

1d rain

Sep

5/5

Excellent

3d rain

Oct

4/5

Good

7d rain

Nov

3/5

Fair

13d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

18d rain

Hols

Where to go

  • Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (Witpoortjie Falls)
  • Magaliesberg (2 hrs)
  • Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve
  • Cradle of Humankind walks

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

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

Mountain Biking

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

Trail Running

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

Camping

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

Game Drives

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Monthly Weather Averages

5-year averages 2020–2024 (ERA5 reanalysis)

Month High/Low (°C) Rain days Wind (km/h) School
January25.2/14.41517.3Term
February25/14.31416.5Term
March24.1/13816.1Term
April21.3/10.1716.7Term
May19.7/7.2315.5Term
June16.6/4217.2Term
July17.2/3.5017.9Winter break
August20.4/6.2120.2Term
September24.7/9.9321.3Term
October25.7/11.9720.8Term
November25.5/13.61320.7Term
December25.2/14.71818.5Summer 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)
Game Drives:Dry season May–Sep: dense animals at water sources

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

Data last fetched: 2026-05-02

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