South Africa in their winter (UK summer)

[zafferana]

Interested to hear from anyone who knows SA well or has travelled there in July/August, particularly Cape Town and the Garden Route. How cold/wet is it likely to be?

Many years ago we spent 10 days in August in Hout Bay which is close to Capetown. It was cold and wet most of the time but thankfully for the day we’d booked Robben Island, it was warm and sunny.
We rented a house with a pool and real fires, we used the fires but not the pool. Loved it though and said we’d go back during their summer, one day we might just do that 😀

Not August but I’ve been in early September which is more like their early spring and the weather was very mixed. The first day when we went up Table Mountain was glorious but the next day when we drove down to Simonstown and the cape was freezing! We had a villa with a pool in the wine region and there’s no way we could have got in for a swim!

I've been in July/August twice - not especially cold during the day - v warm in the sun, in fact, but a fresh breeze. Cold at night.
I enjoyed spending time further up the coast - Transkei/coffee bay. If i were going again I'd check out the Drachensberg Mountains.

NB in the parts of the garden route nearer Cape Town some places were only half open.

We’re going to Cape Town & going through the garden route in July , I am a bit concerned about the weather & what to pack

I went to Kimberley in August 33 years ago. Weather was fantastic, I was sunbathing round the pool. My uncle was going to work in his suit with a jumper. But then, it had snowed the week before I went!

We did Cape Town and the garden route in August years ago. Pretty warm most days.

I'd pack the way you would for a British summer. Plenty of shorts and tshirts but also a couple of of hoodies (or whatever your style is) for when it's cooler.

Thankyou Cariadlet, I always over pack 🙈
Has anyone done a safari ? Do people dress up in the evening for dinner ?

August in Cape Town is not especially nice. It’s their dead of winter.

I was expecting chilly but not that bad is there a lot of rain in July ?

We went in October and it was mixed; some days it rained (but not many), a couple of days were insanely windy (near the Cape, I think it's always windy there) and some were very hot (we hit 42 one day). Overall though it was lovely and I'd definitely go back at that time of year.

We’re going mid July ,