A Sun For All Seasons

Were the Western Cape's climate more flexible, we would offer you the weather of your choosing any day of the year! Sharp seasonal changes and varied climates make our province a destination of choice. Overall, the climate is typically Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and mild, moist winters. The exception to this rule is the arid semi-desert of the Karoo, where dry winters and low summer rainfall prevail.

Near the coast, summer's temperature rises from a pleasant low of 15°C to a heart warming 27°C. Inland temperatures are some 3-5°C higher. Coastal winters see the mercury dropping to a mild 7°C at night - and rising to a comfortable 18°C by day. Away from the beach, morning wakens to an invigorating 5°C and midday arrives on a summery 22°C.

Visitors not bowled over by sunshine might be swept off their feet by the bedside manner of the "Cape Doctor", a south-easterly wind clearing the air of pollution. Though forceful in character, the "Cape Doctor" visits infrequently, arriving only when the Fairest Cape needs to freshen up. And, as if expecting to stay for dinner, the wind drapes Table Mountain's flat-topped summit with a stunning, snow-white tablecloth of cloud. Puffed with enthusiasm, wind surfers flock to Big Bay at Bloubergstrand, where the experienced cartwheel off huge Atlantic rollers. On the beach, kite flyers paint kaleidoscopic patterns on the canvas of the sky. The Mocambique- Agulhas current off the Peninsula's east coast drives warm water into False Bay which makes the beaches along this coastline ideal for swimming.

To many, March and April signal idyllic weather. Summer's heat subsides, the wind settles and autumn casts its crimson, orange and yellow mantle over the vineyards, generating red, russet vistas spreading from the mountain tops to the sea. In keeping with its sunny, tranquil character, a temperate climate with gentle, intermittent precipitation complements the Garden Route's warm summers and mild winters.

In winter (May-July), the snowcapped peaks of the Boland and the Cederberg and the lush, moist earth evoke an atmosphere conducive to log fires in cosy taverns. However, with the onset of spring (Aug- Oct), the fast-retreating winter merges with the new born summer sun, bringing forth the world's most spectacular wild flower displays.