Western Cape (Garden Route)

Best Time for Knysna

The Knysna Heads, lagoon paddling, forests and whale nursery

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

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid

Jan

4/5

Good

11.2d rain

Feb

4/5

Good

9.6d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

9.2d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

8.8d rain

May

4/5

Good

8.2d rain

Jun

4/5

Good

8.8d rain

Jul

4/5

Good

8.2d rain

Hols

Aug

4/5

Good

9.6d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

9.8d rain

Oct

4/5

Good

10.4d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

11d rain

Dec

4/5

Good

11.6d rain

Hols

Where to go

  • Knysna Elephant Walk (Harkerville)
  • Otter Trail (multi-day)
  • Featherbed Nature Reserve

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

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

Mountain Biking

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

Trail Running

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

Camping

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

Beach & Swimming

Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec

Surfing

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

Stand-Up Paddleboard

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec

Kayaking

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

Scuba Diving

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

Snorkelling

Jan

Whale Watching

Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

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
January24.1/17.611.221.822.52.5Term
February24.1/17.49.620.7232.7Term
March23.4/16.79.220.722.52.7Term
April20.6/13.88.818.721.53Term
May19.9/12.38.218.420.73.3Term
June19.4/11.48.82219.73.4Term
July17.4/9.28.22118.83.6Winter break
August17.8/9.49.622.518.63.8Term
September17.9/10.79.821.818.73.6Term
October19.8/12.910.422.519.32.8Term
November21.2/14.21120.620.42.7Term
December22.5/15.911.62121.62.7Summer 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
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
Whale Watching:Season: Jun–Nov (SR) / Jul–Nov (Humpback), calm sea
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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