North West

Best Time for Pilanesberg

South Africa's closest malaria-free Big Five reserve — 2 hours from Johannesburg

When to Visit Pilanesberg

Hiking: Mar–Nov. Mountain Biking: Mar–Nov. Trail Running: Mar–Nov. Camping: Mar–Nov. Game Drives: May–Sep.

Hiking — Month by Month

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

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

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

3/5

Fair

13d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

12.8d rain

Mar

5/5

Excellent

6.2d rain

Apr

5/5

Excellent

6.2d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

2.2d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

1.6d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

0.8d rain

Hols

Aug

5/5

Excellent

0.2d rain

Sep

5/5

Excellent

1.4d rain

Oct

5/5

Excellent

6.2d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

8.8d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

15.6d rain

Hols

Where to go

Lenong Viewing Site trail
Tlou Trail (guided walking)
Bakgatla wilderness walk
Kwa Maritane rock art trail

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, Nov

Mountain Biking

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

Trail Running

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

Camping

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

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
January	28.1/18	13	15.6	Term
February	28.2/17.9	12.8	14.8	Term
March	27.4/16.9	6.2	13.8	Term
April	24.1/13.7	6.2	13.7	Term
May	22.2/10.9	2.2	12.8	Term
June	19.2/7.5	1.6	13.9	Term
July	19.8/7.4	0.8	14.3	Winter break
August	23.5/9.9	0.2	16.8	Term
September	28.2/13.7	1.4	17.9	Term
October	29.6/15.8	6.2	19	Term
November	29.4/17.3	8.8	17.9	Term
December	28.5/18.1	15.6	17.3	Summer 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: 2026-06-23

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