Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

CLIMATEFor those interested in fynbos vegetation, vineyards and whale-watching, spring (Septemberand October) and autumn (April and May) are the best times to visit the Western Cape. Theseperiods usually have balmy in-between weather.Typically Mediterranean in climate, with warm, dry summers and cool wet winters, thesummer temperatures at the coast range from 15 to 27 degrees Celsius in summer and from7 to 18 degrees Celsius in winter. Winter often produces comfortable days or even weeks at astretch and, when it is not raining; temperatures are sometimes as high as 26 degreesCelsius. During the period May to September, Cape Town has an average of seven hours ofsunshine per day. Inland temperatures are generally about three degrees higher than those atthe coast. Exceptions to this are the arid semi-desert Karoo, which has dry winters anda low summer rainfall; the West Coast, which is relatively dry and windy, and the GardenRoute along the Southern Cape coast, which is renowned for its mild climate with year-roundrainfall.Spring is heralded in August by the blooming of wild flowers. The hottest months are usuallyDecember and January. In summer, the sun rises before six o’clock and only sets just beforeeight o’clock at night, making for long, lazy, summer days. The windiest period is fromOctober to December and, when the south-easterly winds blow, a tablecloth of clouds isdraped over Table Mountain. Locals affectionately refer to this wind as the “Cape Doctor” as itbreathes fresh life into the Cape. Midwinter occurs in the months of June and July. Even then,however, the sun is never far away.Capetonians themselves consider the months of March, April and May as the best times ofthe year to be in Cape Town.8