Best time to visit South Africa

Best for: sea, sand and surf on the coast.

January is the hottest month in South Africa, with muggy temps soaring upwards of 32°C/90°F most days, making it a great time to stick to the coast. Head over to the Golden Mile in Durban, a popular tourist area that has wide, sandy beaches, piers, restaurants and cafes. The waters in this area maintain an average temperature of 26°C/79°F making for a dreamy swim or surf. If you're all beached out, The Mile also has an aquarium, a skate park, a surfing museum and a few nightclubs. Keep in mind that January is the school holidays and the coast is a popular domestic holiday spot for South Africans. You'll want to plan ahead!

Best for: swirling and sipping in the Cape Winelands, the International Jazz Festival in Cape Town

February can be sweltering, and we can't think of a better way to beat the heat than with a crisp glass of Chenin Blanc, a regional variety of white wine with refreshing flavours of melon, pineapple and stone fruit.

The pastoral Cape Winelands is home to rolling vineyards and towns like Stellenbosch (an oenophile's paradise), offering a vibrant wine scene and some of the country's best restaurants. The town of Franschhoek, which translates to “The French Corner”, has, you guessed it, a large French influence in both wine varietals and food, and has an open-air tram to shuttle you between estates. February is the height of harvest season, so you'll most likely get to witness trees bursting with fruit, grape stomping, wine barrel races and a festival or two. You can also catch the International Jazz Festival in Cape Town in February.

Best for: going in search of your perfect wave

Home to what the 1966 film The Endless Summer coined "the perfect wave", South Africa has loads of world-class surfing spots with swells that start peaking in March every year. Novice surfers can find sandy beach breaks on South Beach, Addington Beach or the Golden Mile in Durban, and get a lesson from one of the many surf schools.

While you shouldn't expect to be hanging 10 on infamous swell "Supertubes" in Jeffery's Bay (experts only, please!), you'll be in for an impressive show watching the locals charge 20-foot waves. You might even catch a glimpse of some world-famous pros.

Best for: verdant landscapes, dramatic hikes and rewarding views

April marks the end of the summer, bringing cooler temperatures and great conditions for outdoor activities like hiking. The majestic Drakensberg Mountain Range, home to South Africa's highest peak at 3482 meters, forms part of the border between South Africa and Lesotho and has endless trails.

After the summer rains, the highlands of Lesotho, often called 'The Kingdom in the Sky', will be lush and vibrantly green, waterfalls will be flowing and the views will be worth the sore muscles. Autumn (April to May) is an ideal time to hike the Drakensberg to have pleasant trail conditions and more stable weather, but thunderstorms aren't uncommon and temperatures can start dropping quite low, so it's wise to pack waterproof layers. Snow typically arrives in early May.

Best for: the best bang for your buck on a safari

If your main reason for visiting South Africa is safaris rather than beaches, May is your month. May kicks off the safari season and days will be warm and dry while nights start getting cool. Game viewing tends to improve as the dry season continues, but you'll still have great odds of seeing spectacular animals congregate at watering holes, and prices and crowds tend to be at their lowest at the start of the season.

Best for: lions, elephants and marathon racers

With dry, sunny days and clear skies, June is another excellent month for wildlife viewing. Consider a visit to the Addo Elephant National Park which was created in 1931 to protect the region's eleven remaining elephants and is a true success story in conservation.

Today there are over 450 elephants in the park, as well as Cape buffalo, black rhinos, all kinds of antelopes and even the unique flightless dung beetle. Need a little more adrenaline? Every June South Africa hosts the Big Five Marathon where participants race through the private Entabeni Game Reserve. Do it if you dare!

Best for: wildlife viewing in the northern parks

While July is technically the middle of the low season, there's no better time for wildlife viewing in the northern parks like Kruger. Smack dab in the middle of the dry winter, the landscape will be dull and sparse but visibility will be at an all-time high, making your chances of spotting the Big Five pretty high. Cooler weather, low humidity and fewer mosquitos will make days in your overland vehicle much more comfortable than in the sweltering heat of the summer.

Best for: getting up close and personal with marine life

Is seeing a breaching whale on your bucket list? Look no further than the town of Hermanus, the whale-watching capital of South Africa. Every year between July and September, hundreds of southern right whales migrate from Antarctica to mate in the warmer waters of South Africa.

In Hermanus, the waters remain deep until fairly close to the shore which means whales that swim into the bay can be seen right from the beach, or even from your accommodation. The town also has lots of opportunities for boat tours as well as a 12 km (7.5 mi) coastal path with dozens of lookouts to spot whales, dolphins and sea lions. Listen carefully and you might even hear a mating call!

Best for: road-tripping The Garden Route and doing a little bit of everything

If you're looking to enjoy a little bit of everything that South Africa has to offer, September is the best month to visit. Coming out of the dry season, you'll still have great conditions for a safari, the whale festival is on in Hermanus and beach season is right around the corner in Durban with average daily temperatures of 23°C (74°F).

Consider a trip along the Garden Route, a gorgeous coastal trail that stretches 300 km (190 mi) between the Western Cape and Mossel Bay for wildlife, wine-tasting, white-sand beaches and mountain passes. It's like the holiday combo platter of your dreams!

Best for: flowers, fruit and festival fun

October is spring in South Africa which brings showstopping blankets of wildflowers across the country. Whether you're a nature photographer or someone who appreciates stopping to smell the flowers, these impressive blooms will be a treat for sore noses.

The Namaqualand Flower Route is an 800 km (500 mi) stretch of arid desert that sees an incredible super-bloom of millions of flowers every year from August until early October. For something a little more edible, stop by one of the various fruit-picking farms for fresh cherries, strawberries and naval oranges. The town of George hosts a Strawberry festival every October with live music, food and family entertainment.

Best for: baby animal sightings on a shoulder season safari

November is full of shoulder season goodness before the summer starts. Wildlife viewing is still an option on game reserves, though the vegetation might be getting thicker from the rains. With temperatures rising, early morning and nighttime game drives will be enjoyable and you're unlikely to come across too many storms. November is also the birthing season for many animals, so if you're lucky you might see some adorable antelope, impala, wildebeest or blesbuck babies on game reserves – you'll be fawning over fawns!

Best for: warm weather, exciting festivals and city-hopping

Although the sunny South African summer is peak tourist season, December is a great month to see how vibrant the larger cities can be, especially if you're travelling from the Northern Hemisphere to escape the cold. Glittering Cape Town (the Mother City) not only offers dreamy views of Table Mountain, but a robust foodie scene with trendy cocktail bars, microbreweries, hundred-year-old pubs and food tours.

You can find music festivals like AFROPUNK in Johannesburg and the Durban Street Food Festival in Durban. School holidays kick off in December, so be mindful that prices might be higher, and booking accommodation and tours ahead of time is a good idea.