South Africa in January
January is South Africa's 6th-best month (rank 6 of 12): its 12 destinations average 83/100, led by Jeffreys Bay at 90 — 27°C and 7 rainy days — while Kruger National Park is warmer at 33°C and scores 67.
#6 of 12 months for South Africa · 12 destinations · updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
🇿🇦 South Africa, month by month
83/100 in JanuaryWhere in South Africa in January
Comfort is SeasonMap's 0–100 score; each place is judged through the lens that suits it — beaches on beach weather, ski resorts on snow. "At its best" means January is one of that place's own top three months. Feels-like highs fold in humidity, wind and sun.
What's on in South Africa in January
- Garden Route summer holidays · Knysna · 15 Dec – 15 Jan (usually)
- Eastern Cape summer holidays · Port Elizabeth · 15 Dec – 15 Jan (usually)
- South African summer holidays · Durban and 2 more places · 15 Dec – 15 Jan
- Kirstenbosch sunset concerts · Cape Town · 20 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)
- Festive season in the Winelands · Stellenbosch · 15 Dec – 15 Jan (usually)
- The city empties · Johannesburg and 1 more place · 15 Dec – 5 Jan (usually)
- December school holidays · Drakensberg and 1 more place · 10 Dec – 10 Jan (usually)
- Summer migrants arrive · Kruger National Park · 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)
Seasons in force
Peak crowds at 10 of South Africa's 10 well-known places this month.