Eastern Cape (Garden Route)

Best Time for Tsitsikamma

Ancient forest, the Otter Trail, and a marine reserve — SA's original national park

When to Visit Tsitsikamma

Hiking: Year-round (exc. Dec). Trail Running: All months. Camping: Mar–Aug. Kayaking: All months. Scuba Diving: Jul, Oct–Apr. Snorkelling: Oct–Mar. Fishing: All months.

Hiking — Month by Month

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

Best months: Year-round (exc. Dec)

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

4/5

Good

10.6d rain

Feb

4/5

Good

10.2d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

9d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

9d rain

May

4/5

Good

8.6d rain

Jun

4/5

Good

9.2d rain

Jul

4/5

Good

7.8d rain

Hols

Aug

4/5

Good

9.6d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

10.4d rain

Oct

4/5

Good

11.4d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

10.2d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

14.6d rain

Hols

Where to go

Otter Trail (5 days, iconic SA hike)
Dolphins Trail (2 days)
Storms River Suspension Bridge walk
Tsitsikamma Trail (6 days)
Blue Duiker Trail (day hike)

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

Year-round (exc. Dec)

Trail Running

All months

Camping

Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug

Kayaking

All months

Scuba Diving

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

Snorkelling

Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec

Fishing

All months

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
January	23.5/17	10.6	20.3	22.5	2.2	Term
February	23.4/16.6	10.2	19	23	2.4	Term
March	23/16.1	9	19	22.5	2.4	Term
April	20.4/13.2	9	17.8	21.5	2.7	Term
May	19.5/11.5	8.6	18.3	20.7	3.1	Term
June	18.9/10.6	9.2	21.9	19.7	3.2	Term
July	16.9/8.3	7.8	21.6	18.8	3.4	Winter break
August	17.3/8.4	9.6	21.9	18.6	3.6	Term
September	17.4/9.9	10.4	21.2	18.7	3.3	Term
October	19.3/12.1	11.4	21.1	19.3	2.4	Term
November	20.3/13.1	10.2	19.7	20.4	2.4	Term
December	21.5/14.8	14.6	20	21.6	2.4	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

Trail Running:Cool–warm temp (heat risk ↑), low rain

Camping:Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)

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: 2026-06-23

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