Cape Town – What’s the Weather Like?

As with any vacation destination, the weather in Cape Town is an important factor to consider when you are planning your holiday. Certain seasons are better for some specific activities than they are for others. For example, while summer is the best time for beach lovers, the city’s winter months are better for visitors who want to head out of the city on wildlife safaris, as various weather-related conditions can make the animals more visible.

Mediterranean Climate

Because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of those in North America and Europe. It is located halfway between the Equator and Antarctica, so overall it has a temperate climate. Cape Town’s southernmost location on a peninsula between two oceans gives it a Mediterranean-like climate. The summers are warm and dry, and the winters are wet and cool. But be forewarned, the weather can be fickle in Cape Town at any time of year. In the summer, cool winds can bring a sudden chill to the city, ruining plans for a day at the beach. Likewise, in winter a sudden warm spell can bring gorgeous, sunny days. A rule of thumb for tourists going to Cape Town is to pack a sweater or jacket if you’re visiting in the summer, and some light clothing if you’re going in the winter to cover all bases.

Southeaster and the Cape Doctor

The nippy summer wind that can suddenly sweep across Cape Town is called the southeaster. It blows in from across False Bay and can reach gusts of up to 60 km per hour. On those days you’ll want to find something to do indoors! In its gentler form, this wind is called the Cape Doctor and is a breeze is just cool enough to provide relief from the humidity. The Cape Doctor is what causes the mantle of cloud around Table Mountain which locals call the Tablecloth. The Tablecloth is beautiful to look at, but it can shut down the cable car service on the mountain due to poor visibility.

Party Time

For fun in the sun, sand and surf, the best times to visit Cape Town are from October to mid-December, and from mid-January to Easter. These periods will produce an average of ten hours of sunshine a day. From mid-December to mid-January, Cape Town is one of the favourite places for South Africans looking for a seaside holiday and this is also party time when the city hosts numerous festivals. So it is advisable to book accommodation and transport well in advance if you’re planning your holiday around this time.

Joys of Spring and Autumn

In spite of the shorter hours of daylight, the autumn period, from April to mid-May, is a pleasant time to visit Cape Town. The southeaster drops off, the temperature is comfortably warm, and the light is sharp and bright. Likewise, the spring month of September can be very attractive. These are good times to tour the Garden Route or enjoy spectacular views from Table Mountain.

Winter Wonderland With No Snow

June and July are considered the depth of winter in South Africa. However, aside from periods of heavy rain, the weather is usually quite mild and temperatures rarely dip below six degrees Celsius. Flowers are always in bloom and there are no bare trees, making it a picturesque time. In addition to being the best time to go on wildlife viewing excursions, winter also marks the beginning of whale watching season. Migrating whales begin to appear off the Whale Coast in July, and remain until November.

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Boutique Hotel Hermanus

Great Cape Escapes: Whale Tales in Hermanus, South Africa

You won’t need to hunt as hard as Captain Ahab to find whales in and around the South African seaport of Hermanus; in fact, you won’t even have to leave dry land.

This picturesque town, located about 69 miles southeast of Cape Town, is the center of South Africa’s well-named Whale Coast, which draws hundreds of the magnificent mammals each year between July and November.

The Southern Right Whales migrate from Antarctica to the sheltered waters of Walker Bay to mate, give birth, and raise their calves in deep waters that run near the shore, making Hermanus one of the world’s best places to see the leviathans without getting wet.

Southern Rights are huge (up to 50 feet and 70 tons), frisky and so friendly that they were easily harpooned to the edge of extinction in the 20th century. Now protected, they’ve staged a major comeback—and you can enjoy the show all over town.

On an October visit, my husband and I spotted our first whale waving his tail about 30 feet offshore minutes after we’d parked on Market Square. We saw two more spouting off as we hiked the Cliff Trail that skirts the town. And at dinnertime, one young male whale seemed to breach so close to our window table at Lemon Butta restaurant that we feared we might have to share our tasty curried prawns.

We watched a dozen different whales cavort, including our very own “Great White,” a rare albino who led us out into the wild South Atlantic for a few thrilling rides up and down the 9-to-15 foot waves. About 14 of us on the foredeck clutched the ropes and railings and screamed with delight—and, ok, maybe a little bit of terror. Our “Moby Dick” was kinder than the original, though; after blowing a few bubbles, he guided us back to safe harbor.

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Hermanus Attractions

Hermanus Accommodation

Hermanus - The World's Best Whale Watching Destination

Hermanus Accommodation - Bed & Breakfast

Hermanus: the best land based whale watching in the world. Hermanus town looks over the protected shallow waters of Walker Bay where the Southern Right Whales come to mate, calve and rear their young. Between June and December every year you can sit on the rocky cliffs overlooking the bay and watch the whales breaching, sailing, bobbing or just frolicking around in the waves. August is peak time for calving and August and September are the months you will find the most whales in the bay. An incredible site that cannot be missed!

Boat based whale watching is offered from Hermanus where one can get within a few metres from the whales. The Whale Show is offered, a unique whale and dolphin audio-visual presentation that runs twice daily (10h00 & 15h00) at the Whale Museum - A worthwhile show that provides you with detailed, fascinating information on our gentle giants.

Not too far from Hermanus is the Great White shark cage diving mecca, Gansbaai. Six nautical miles away is Dyer Island, possibly the best place in the world to view these magnificent predators. The island is a bird sanctuary and a breeding site for the African penguin and many other coastal birds. Adjoining it is a second, smaller rocky island called Geyser rock, which supports a large seal population. Separating Geyser and Dyer is a channel aptly named "Shark Alley", arguably THE prime spot in the world for encountering the Great White shark. The cage diving is an exhilarating experience and a "must do"

Blue Gum Country Estate kindly invited me to come and stay for the weekend. Accepting the offer with glee, I disappeared from the hustle and bustle of the city driving only 2 hours to arrive in the Overberg region. Blue Gum is situated on the slopes of the Klein River Mountains just outside Stanford only 20min past Hermanus. It offers a luxury country lodge feel, superb service, great food and beautiful surroundings. After arriving in the late afternoon, I was invited to the cosy lounge area to enjoy tea and scones with jam and fresh cream.

Unfortunately I chose the worst weekend to get away. The weather turned really grim and 3 consecutive cold fronts bringing massive amounts of rain, hit the western cape. Thousands of people were left stranded, homes washed away particularly in the poorer rural areas. The Klein River, which Blue Gum Lodge overlooks, came down in flood and completely washed the bridge away between us and the outside world! I must have arrived at about 16h00 and by 17h30 water rushed over the bridge preventing the remaining guests from joining us for the night. They were forced to retreat to Stanford.

Rain belted down during the night, thunder and lighting created a dramatic atmosphere. The guests huddled inside around large cosy fireplaces after a great 3-course dinner, the friendly staff offering nightcaps. I got chatting to a fun English couple, Douglas and Nicky who were visiting the area hoping to go Shark Cage diving. Much to their disappointment this was called off due to the bad weather. Douglas was celebrating his 40th birthday this day so we enjoyed a couple drinks over a game of Trumps, a card game introduced to us by Douglas. Louise the lodge manager joined us and merrily served us more and more tequilas and Jagermeister as the night went on. I retreat to my luxury spacious room before things got too out of hand!

In the morning we heard about a back route out from the lodge to Stanford that travelled through farmlands at the base of the mountain, a rough gravel road crossed by 3 little rivers that tested our off road driving skills in our low laying city cars. Nic, the owner of the lodge, led the way in his pickup truck assisting us where possible. The largest river at one point was approximately 25cm deep at its deepest point and about 6m wide, all very well if you were driving a 4x4, but most of us weren't! After a couple of knocks and bumps and much adrenalin racing through our bodies, we made it! Only to return again later in the afternoon once we had enjoyed our days excursions.

Blue Gum offers a number of activities although all weather dependant, such as horse riding, mountain biking, quad biking, tennis, hiking and boat cruising on the Stanford River. The Birkenhead Brewery is just down the road. From Wednesday to Friday at 11h00 and 15h00, one can enjoy a tour of the brewery and learn how the beer is made. The tastings can be enjoyed everyday at the restaurant and it is nice to combine it with a pub lunch. After enjoying the good service at Blue Gum, I was disappointed with the service here though.

I returned to the lodge for an afternoon nap, happy to see that the rivers had subsided a bit making the road a little less of a challenge. At 18h00 I awoke with a knock on my door. Delicious snacks and an aperitif were brought to me. What a nice surprise! I sat in the quietness of my room enjoying cheese and biscuits and fresh fruit served with white sherry while looking onto the beautiful Klein River Mountain.

Although Blue Gum Lodge is a lovely place to get stranded, we were all hoping that the rain would ease off. If more rain fell, even the back road would become a problem. All the rivers subsided nicely by the morning, I checked out and said my farewells to everyone at the lodge and commenced my journey home.

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