Eastern Cape

Best Time for Wild Coast (Eastern Cape)

Untamed Transkei coastline — isolated beaches, point breaks, and community ecotourism

When to Visit Wild Coast (Eastern Cape)

Hiking: Mar, May–Sep. Camping: May–Sep. Beach & Swimming: Most months (exc. Sep & Oct). Surfing: May–Sep. Fishing: Year-round (exc. Aug).

Hiking — Month by Month

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

Best months: Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

3/5

Fair

14.4d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

12.2d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

11d rain

Apr

3/5

Fair

12.2d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

4d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

4.2d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

2.2d rain

Hols

Aug

5/5

Excellent

4.6d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

9d rain

Oct

3/5

Fair

12.8d rain

Nov

3/5

Fair

14d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

16.2d rain

Hols

Where to go

Wild Coast Hiking Trail (5-day, Gonubie to Cintsa)
Coffee Bay to Hole in the Wall coastal walk
Waterfall Bluff (sea-level waterfall)
Mntafufu River mouth circuit

Best Months per Activity

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

Hiking

Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Camping

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Beach & Swimming

Most months (exc. Sep & Oct)

Surfing

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Fishing

Year-round (exc. Aug)

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	25.1/19.1	14.4	23.9	24.7	2.7	Term
February	25.4/19.4	12.2	24	25.5	2.8	Term
March	25.1/18.5	11	23.2	25.3	3	Term
April	22.9/15.8	12.2	21.4	24.2	3.3	Term
May	22.3/13.4	4	19.3	23.2	3.3	Term
June	20.7/11	4.2	20.6	21.8	3.5	Term
July	20.5/9.9	2.2	21.2	20.9	3.7	Winter break
August	20.6/11	4.6	23.6	20.5	4.1	Term
September	20.7/13	9	23.4	20.5	3.5	Term
October	21.5/14.6	12.8	25.9	21	3.3	Term
November	22.4/16.2	14	24.3	22.1	2.9	Term
December	23.7/18.2	16.2	24	23.5	2.8	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

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

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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