At a glance
When is the best time to visit Cape Town?
For beaches, walking and long light, November to March. Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate, with a long, hot, dry summer from November to March and a short, cool, rainy winter from June to August. The months between are milder, and bring the whales and the spring flowers.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute describes Kirstenbosch's climate as Mediterranean: a long, hot, dry summer from November to March and a short, cool, rainy winter from June to August[2]. Its summer falls during the UAE's winter, and is mild by Gulf standards: the airport's hottest months, January and February, average highs of 27.0 °C and 27.3 °C[1].
Rain is concentrated in winter. Cape Town International averages 493 mm of rain a year, and June, July and August bring about 250 mm of it, on about nine or ten days a month; January and February each average fewer than two rainy days[1].
How warm, wet and sunny is Cape Town each month?
The airport's average high runs from 17.9 °C in July to 27.3 °C in February, and its low from 7.4 °C to 16.6 °C. Rain ranges from 9 mm in January to 92 mm in June, and sunshine from 352 hours in January to 176 in June.
Cape Town International Airport by month, 1991–2020
| Month | High / low (°C) | Rainfall | Days with rain | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27.0 / 16.6 | 9 mm | 1.8 | 352 hours |
| February | 27.3 / 16.5 | 10 mm | 1.8 | 304 hours |
| March | 26.0 / 15.0 | 13 mm | 2.5 | 290 hours |
| April | 23.6 / 12.2 | 40 mm | 5.0 | 240 hours |
| May | 20.6 / 10.2 | 61 mm | 7.4 | 197 hours |
| June | 18.2 / 8.1 | 92 mm | 10.1 | 176 hours |
| July | 17.9 / 7.4 | 85 mm | 9.1 | 197 hours |
| August | 18.0 / 7.9 | 72 mm | 9.3 | 206 hours |
| September | 19.6 / 9.4 | 44 mm | 6.8 | 228 hours |
| October | 22.2 / 11.5 | 28 mm | 4.2 | 284 hours |
| November | 23.7 / 13.4 | 25 mm | 4.0 | 303 hours |
| December | 25.8 / 15.6 | 13 mm | 2.6 | 338 hours |
WMO climatological normals 1991–2020 for Cape Town International Airport, submitted by South Africa[1]. Mean daily maximum / minimum, monthly precipitation and sunshine, rounded; days with rain are days with at least 1 mm. Conditions vary across the city.
Winter nights are cool for a traveller from the Gulf: the airport averages lows of 7–8 °C from June to August[1]. Pack layers and a waterproof for a winter trip.
When are the whales and the spring flowers?
Wesgro, the Western Cape's tourism agency, gives July to December as the peak season for whale-watching boat trips from Gansbaai, with southern right whales most reliable from August to November; from land, False Bay is closest to the city. Kirstenbosch's spring flowers start early: the garden suggests a visit between mid-August and mid-October.
- Whales: boat trips from Gansbaai have their peak season from July to December, with southern right whales most reliable from August to November; the closest land-based viewing to central Cape Town is along False Bay, and at Plettenberg Bay southern rights are usually seen from June to November[4].
- Spring flowers: Kirstenbosch calls spring its most colourful season and advises planning a visit between mid-August and mid-October[3].
Both fall in late winter and spring, when the airport averages highs of 18–22 °C and rain is easing[1]: a good season for a trip built around the Cape's nature rather than its beaches.
How many visitors arrive through Cape Town?
Statistics South Africa counted 128,567 tourists arriving through Cape Town International Airport in December 2025, out of 997,165 tourists who arrived in South Africa that month. Only Johannesburg's OR Tambo received more tourists by air. The agency publishes the figures every month.
Statistics South Africa's monthly release counts overnight visitors by port of arrival; in December 2025, OR Tambo in Johannesburg received 190,055 tourists by air and Cape Town 128,567[5]. December is also one of Cape Town's driest and sunniest months[1].
How do the UAE school holidays line up with Cape Town?
Winter break, 14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, falls in Cape Town's dry, sunny summer. The October mid-term, 12 to 18 October 2026, falls in spring, in the whale season. Spring break, in April, is autumn in Cape Town, and the UAE's summer holidays fall in its wet winter.
UAE school breaks in 2026–27, and Cape Town at the same time
| UAE break | Dates | In Cape Town |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-term | 12–18 October 2026 | Spring: average high 22.2 °C; whale season; flowers ending |
| Winter | 14 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Summer: highs of 26–27 °C, the sunniest weeks of the year |
| Spring | 5–11 April 2027 | Autumn: average high 23.6 °C, rain starting |
| Summer | From 3 July 2027 (school ends on 2 July) | Winter: average high 17.9 °C in July, the wet season; whale season begins |
UAE dates from the Ministry of Education's calendar for schools that follow it[8]; check your own school's dates. Cape Town: WMO normals[1], whales[4], flowers[3].
South Africa is two hours ahead of GMT, according to the government's own summary of the country[6]; the UAE is four hours ahead[7], so Cape Town is two hours behind the UAE.
Entry requirements for South Africa depend on your passport, and we do not restate them. South Africa's Department of Home Affairs sets them and publishes them on its immigration pages, and our visa desk can check your case.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best month to visit Cape Town?
For summer weather, February or March: average highs of 27.3 °C and 26.0 °C, about two days of rain and around 300 hours of sunshine[1]. For whales and spring flowers, September or October[4][3].
When is the rainy season in Cape Town?
Winter, from about May to August; June is the wettest month at the airport, with 92 mm on about ten days[1]. The summer, November to March, is dry[2].
When can you see whales near Cape Town?
From land, False Bay is the closest place to the city centre. Wesgro gives July to December as the peak season for boat trips from Gansbaai, with southern right whales most reliable from August to November[4].
Is Cape Town cold in winter?
Mild by day and cool at night: July averages a high of 17.9 °C and a low of 7.4 °C at the airport[1].
Do I need a visa for South Africa?
It depends on your passport, and we do not restate visa rules. See the immigration pages of South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, or ask our visa desk.
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991–2020 (NCEI Accession 0253808), station files CapeTown_68816.csv — WMO Member Nations (South Africa), via NOAA NCEI. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [2]Seasons (Kirstenbosch) — South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [3]Spring flowering plants at Kirstenbosch — South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]Whale watching — Wesgro (Western Cape tourism, trade and investment agency). Accessed 29 September 2026
- [5]Tourism and migration, December 2025 (P0350) — Statistics South Africa. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [6]South Africa at a glance — South African Government (gov.za). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [7]Fact sheet — The UAE Government portal (u.ae). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [8]MOE announces the academic calendar for the next three years — UAE Ministry of Education. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [9]Exempt Countries — Department of Home Affairs, South Africa. Accessed 26 September 2026
Corrections
- : The whale season was given as Cape Town's; Wesgro's July-to-December peak is for boat trips from Gansbaai. The article now says so, and names False Bay as the closest land-based viewing to the city.
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
