KwaZulu-Natal (Zululand)

Best Time for St Lucia & iSimangaliso

UNESCO heritage site — hippos in the estuary, whale sharks offshore

Monthly scores for 10 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: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid

Jan

3/5

Fair

14.2d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

15.6d rain

Mar

3/5

Fair

12.6d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

11.6d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

6d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

5.6d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

4d rain

Hols

Aug

5/5

Excellent

6d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

8.6d rain

Oct

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

10.6d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

15d rain

Hols

Where to go

  • Mfabeni Trail (St Lucia Estuary)
  • Eastern Shores hiking
  • uMkhuze Section trails

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

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

Camping

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Beach & Swimming

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

Stand-Up Paddleboard

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul

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, May, Nov, Dec

Whale Watching

Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

Game Drives

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Fishing

Jan, 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
January28.4/21.914.220.726.72.2Term
February28.3/22.115.619.627.22.3Term
March27.8/21.212.619.2272.4Term
April25.7/19.111.618.925.92.7Term
May24.6/17618.324.62.4Term
June22.8/14.65.617.923.42.7Term
July22.7/14419.622.52.8Winter break
August23.4/15.2622.222.23.1Term
September24.4/16.88.622.422.32.8Term
October24.9/18.31223.1232.7Term
November26.6/19.810.622.424.22.5Term
December28/21.51522.125.62.3Summer 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
Camping:Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)
Beach & Swimming:Warm air & sea, low wind, low rain
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
Game Drives:Dry season May–Sep: dense animals at water sources
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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