Best Time for Cape Town Activities

Monthly scores for 7 outdoor activities — derived from 5-year wind, rainfall, sea temperature, and wave averages. No opinion: every score is calculated directly from the data.

Hiking — Month by Month

Scored on: Dry trails, cool to warm temps

Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Jan

4/5

Good

Feb

4/5

Good

Mar

5/5

Excellent

Apr

5/5

Excellent

May

4/5

Good

Jun

3/5

Fair

Jul

3/5

Fair

Hols

Aug

3/5

Fair

Sep

4/5

Good

Oct

4/5

Good

Nov

4/5

Good

Dec

5/5

Excellent

Hols

Full Monthly Data

5-year historical averages (2020–2024)

Month	Temp (°C)	Rain days	Wind (km/h)	Sea (°C)	Wave (m)	School
January	25.8/17.3	3	26.2	20	2.9	Term
February	25.8/17.3	3	25.4	20.3	2.8	Term
March	23.9/16	5	23.9	19.7	3	Term
April	21.9/14.1	5	21.7	18.5	3.1	Term
May	19.3/12	8	18.4	17.6	3.4	Term
June	18.1/11.3	11	21.4	16.7	3.5	Term
July	16.3/9.6	11	20.4	15.9	3.9	Winter break
August	16.3/9.5	12	21.2	15.8	3.9	Term
September	17.5/10.6	8	22.1	15.9	3.5	Term
October	21.5/13.2	6	24.2	16.7	2.9	Term
November	22.6/14.5	7	23.9	18	2.9	Term
December	23.6/16	5	24.5	19.2	3	Summer break

Best Months per Activity

Hiking

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

Beach & Swimming

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec

Learn to Surf

Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec

Windsurfing

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

Kitesurfing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Dec

Scuba Diving

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

Paddleboarding

Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec

How Scores Are Calculated

Each month receives a score of 1–5 per activity based on thresholds applied to the raw data. No editorial judgement is involved.

Hiking: penalised for ≥6 rain days, temps below 16 °C, wind above 25 km/h
Beach & Swimming: penalised for air below 23 °C, sea below 18 °C, wind above 24 km/h
Learn to Surf: penalised for waves above 3 m (too rough for beginners) or sea below 17 °C
Windsurfing / Kitesurfing: rewarded for high wind (Cape Town's "Cape Doctor" southeaster)
Scuba Diving: penalised for waves above 3 m and sea below 17 °C
Paddleboarding: penalised for wind above 22 km/h and waves above 3.2 m

Data Sources

Wind speed

ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) via Open-Meteo Archive API. 5-year daily-max 10 m wind speed, 2020–2024, monthly-averaged. 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. 1° grid cell 34°S 18°E, monthly, 2020–2024. NOAA NCEI dataset.

coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap

Wave height

CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Service) via Open-Meteo Marine API. Daily-max significant wave height, offshore Atlantic (-33.9°S 17.8°E), 2022–2024 (3-year average; earliest available). License: CC-BY 4.0

marine-api.open-meteo.com

Rainfall & air temperature

ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) via Open-Meteo Archive API. Monthly averages 2020–2024. License: CC-BY 4.0

Last updated: 2026-05-02

Long Weekends Leave Optimizer 2027 Public Holidays