Climate: What will definitely remain a fond memory of South Africa is the copious sunshine. An annual average of 3700 hours of sunshine make “Sunny South Africa” one of the most attractive climate regions of the world.
The seasons are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere; June and July are winter months, and December as well as January are in the midst of summer. Average temperatures during the daytime in winter (June-August) are 20°C with temperatures dropping down to 0°C at higher altitudes in the highveld areas. Winters are generally dry and it only rains regularly in the Western Cape region. During summer (November-March) temperatures rise to approximately 30-35°C during the daytime and drop down during the night to agreeable cooler temperatures. At higher altitudes rain and thunderstorms occur during the summer months.
South Africa belongs to the driest countries of the world with an average annual precipitation of 464 mm. Just one third of the arable land does not need irrigation and only one quarter of the total land area has rivers, which flow continually.
South Africa consists of an arrange of climate zones. The Cape Town region as well as the Garden Route enjoy a Mediterranean climate with warm and dry summers as well as cool rainy winters. KwaZulu-Natal has a warm and sunny winter, with snow on the summits of the Drakensberge. And the highveld region around Johannesburg has hot and dry summers as well as dry winters with colder nights. In the lowveld region of the Kruger National Park rain falls during the summer months and the winters are dry allowing for better game-viewing conditions.
Travel season: South Africa is basically ideal for vacations all year long. The principal travel season is from September to May.
Climate tables:
| Cape Town | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| Temp. max in C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 |
| Temp. min in C | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| Sunshine hours per day | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Rainy days per month | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Water temperature in C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Johannesburg | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| Temp. max in C | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Temp. min in C | 19 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Sunshine hours per day | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Rainy days per month | 13 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Durban | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| Temp. max in C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Temp. min in C | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 |
| Sunshine hours per day | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Rainy days per month | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| Water temperature in C | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Bloemfontein | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| Temp. max in C | 30 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
| Temp. min in C | 16 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Sunshine hours per day | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Rainy days per month | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |