Western Cape (Garden Route)

Best Time for Garden Route (Wilderness & Mossel Bay)

Forests, lakes, rivers, beaches — the most versatile stretch in SA

When to Visit Garden Route (Wilderness & Mossel Bay)

Hiking: Most months (exc. Jan & Dec). Mountain Biking: Mar–Sep. Trail Running: All months. Camping: Mar–Sep. Beach & Swimming: Jan–Mar, May. Surfing: Mar–Sep. Stand-Up Paddleboard: All months. Kayaking: All months. Scuba Diving: All months. Snorkelling: Oct–May. Fishing: All months.

Hiking — Month by Month

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

Best months: Most months (exc. Jan & Dec)

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Feb

4/5

Good

10d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

9d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

8d rain

May

4/5

Good

7d rain

Jun

4/5

Good

9d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

6d rain

Hols

Aug

4/5

Good

8d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

8d rain

Oct

4/5

Good

11d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

11d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

14d rain

Hols

Where to go

Outeniqua Trail (7 days)
Garden Route National Park
Wilderness NP coastal walk

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

Most months (exc. Jan & Dec)

Mountain Biking

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

Trail Running

All months

Camping

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

Beach & Swimming

Jan, Feb, Mar, May

Surfing

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

Windsurfing

No ideal month

Stand-Up Paddleboard

All months

Kayaking

All months

Scuba Diving

All months

Snorkelling

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, 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	23/16.6	12	17.5	21.6	2	Term
February	23.2/16.4	10	16.4	22	2.2	Term
March	22.6/15.6	9	16.6	21.2	2.3	Term
April	20.1/12.7	8	14.5	20	2.4	Term
May	19.6/11	7	14.5	19.1	2.5	Term
June	18.9/10.2	9	17.5	18.2	2.6	Term
July	17/8.1	6	17.4	17.4	2.6	Winter break
August	17.3/8	8	17.9	17.3	2.7	Term
September	17.5/9.4	8	17.7	17.6	2.7	Term
October	19.1/11.9	11	18.3	18.3	2.3	Term
November	20.4/13.2	11	17.3	19.5	2.2	Term
December	21.3/14.9	14	17.6	20.7	2.1	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)

Beach & Swimming:Warm air & sea, low wind, low rain

Surfing:Swell 1.5–4 m, offshore wind preferred

Windsurfing:Consistent wind >22 km/h, dry

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

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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