Cape Town in August with children

[Orangesandlemons82]

Our only opportunity to go to Cape Town would be in August. Should we discount it as it is their winter? How bad is the weather likely to be?
We would be visiting with 2 children (11 and 8), did you feel safe and have plenty to do there?
Thank you!

went years ago no kids. It was dangerous after sundown. And the sun sets early and fast. Taxis are great there (if you not hiring a car). Lots of well run tours.

I think it was about 16 degrees and I had a coat. Nights cold.

beatiful scenery.

It is amazing but may be cold & very windy so depends what you want to do, a lot of the outdoor stuff won’t be as pleasant as it would be in their summer. I’ve been in the Christmas hols twice and took them out of school for a week.

August is winter; it's like the equivalent of February in the northern hemisphere. But look at the stats and see if they are OK for your prospective trip. February is one of the coldest months and you'll normally find Cape Town and surroundings in the low sixties by day and high forties by night, even at its coldest. Public transport is fine, but there are limited hours and times when it is overwhelmed.

Be careful where you stay and how you go. Cape Town is overall OK, but you need to seek and take advice, much more so than you would in Europe. If you don't have experience with South Africa and don't know people who do and can advise, I'd recommend the Tripadvisor South Africa/Cape Town forums as a starting place.

We are considering it in July - we’ve had a big trip cancelled and finally refunded (long story) but the available time off is fixed. I have been once before pre-kids at Easter time. It didn’t feel unsafe at all but would not want to be out after dark. Lots to do - Robben island trip, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, Cape of Good Hope. Good time of year for whale watching if you can hire a car and go to Hermanaus. We did the Garden Route to Addo. July temps are about 18 degrees which sounds ok to me.

It can rain constantly during the winter in Cape Town. When the mist descends, it can hide Table Mountain for days. Not the best time to visit.

Thank you - perhaps we should consider February or Xmas holidays instead and take them out of school for a few extra days. I think we would be wanting to be outdoors and it would be disappointing to spend so much money getting there and not be able to enjoy them.

@Patchworksack do you think the weather will be better in July? (Know it is impossible to say really, just clutching at straws!)

I would be more positive than the responses below. Growing up in the U.K. with South Africa family we always visited Cape Town in our long summer holidays so July, August. Yeah it can rain, & the houses aren’t brilliantly built for cold so seem extra chilly, but we always had a great time!

It's really variable which makes it hard to predict. Last time we were there in August (family wedding so no choice in dates) we were spent a lot of time in the winelands where we were wine tasting in 28 degrees Celsius which was fantastic for us, but the locals were worried about the lack of rain. We then drove down to Cape Town arrived on a beautifully clear day and drove straight to table Mountain to go up whilst it was clear. The rest of our stay in Cape Town was more usual weather for the time of year - 14/16 degrees Celsius and overcast. We weren't too bothered as we've been to CT many times before and we're expecting this kind of weather, but for a first time visitor it's much better in the summer months.

It does also get dark earlier and it's not safe to walk after dark, however uber is widely available (and cheap for those coming from the UK).

I wouldn’t go anywhere near SA right now. Didn’t you see they’re targeting rich, poor etc for kidnapping kids and it’s a big problem now?

This. It’s not safe at all.

I am on several holiday groups on Facebook - well worth a search and joining some, some have 20k plus members- and I’ve yet to see more than a handful of positive posts about CV. Most stories are about terrible food poisoning, horrible unsafe beaches with rough seas you can’t paddle in and at the very best - people saying there’s absolutely nothing to do there and you’re stuck in the resort the whole time (might be okay for some). I can think of nicer places to go with just as nice weather - Turkey, Cyprus, Greece….

Oh ignore my last comment - the safety thing still stands but for some reason I thought you said Cape Verde! 🤦🏼‍♀️🙈😆 It’s been a long morning….

@xrays😂

OP I hope you will completely ignore this post. I go to Cape Town regularly to visit elderly parents and am, thus far, entirely unscathed.

August can be rainy, Christmas or February are much better bets.

We went to Cape Town in March and there was plenty to do - penguins on the beach at boulders beach, Table Mountain, botanical garden, our hotel (Vineyard Hotel) had pool and tropical gardens with giant turtles, we also did a day trip to Aquila Safari and saw the big 5, and went round vineyards. Weather was great for us around then.

In terms of safety it was somewhere had to be very careful and take local advice. We initially just went on small tours run from hotel (about 10 people) and then hired car at end.

If its wildlife and outdoor activities you are after Costa Rica maybe worth looking at - its their winter too but was 27C most days we were there in August, we did get rain but was consistently after 4pm and rain in rainforest was quite impressive to watch. And could time outings to start and finish early. That age is perfect for wildlife, rainforest, ziplines, ocean kayaking etc. It also felt safer though we were on a resort and went out from there.

Cape Town is gorgeous and one of my favourite cities. However, I have just read an article in The Telegraph about the daily power cuts in South Africa - and a tough winter (ie July/August) is predicted. So may be worth doing a bit of homework before you decide?

We’ve just got back, we had a week in Durban followed by a week in Cape Town. It depends on what you are planning to do there, you may not get up the mountain as the cable car doesn’t run in bad weather, and the views would be non existent in thick clouds anyway. If it’s not raining the botanical gardens would still be worth a visit, and Robben island too. You
could also do Boulders beach penguins in any weather I suppose. There’s an aquarium at the waterfront which is apparently excellent (we didn’t go as too busy doing other stuff), there’s also an indoor golf. Walking along beach road following the sea is lovely and lots of joggers/dog walkers, skaters are out doing that all day. If you don’t want to drive, Uber works well there, and there are hop on and off bus tours - we used that to go to the mountain.
The main thing to be aware of is “load shedding “ i.e. scheduled power cuts, these happen every day, often 2 or 3 times a day. If you are self catering (as we were) this will affect you. Businesses and residents tend to have their own generators. Load shedding is a big pita! Waking up to no electricity so you can’t have a cup of tea is miserable. As is crashing on the sofa at the end of a busy day to suddenly be plunged into darkness. You can download an app that tells you when it will occur each day and for how long, so at least you can prepare, still a pita though.

There was a news items recently where people have been kidnapped. All kinds. In Cape Town and other cities in SA.

I’m sure you’re fine visiting family etc but personally I don’t want to risk going somewhere where there’s a possibility I might be kidnapped/targeted because I look rich.

It can and often does rain relentlessly in July.

June, July & August can be extremely cold and windy. Seas tend to be pretty wild - huge crashing swells that make boat trips very unpleasant if not impossible.

Definitely not a great time to visit.

Security issues aside, I wouldn’t go all that way to experience a SA winter.

It’s a lovely place in their spring and summer.

Sunsets are fastest the closer you are to the equator. I’ve lived in three different countries in Africa and have visited several others. Sunsets were blink-of-an-eye in Libreville Gabon. Not so much in Capetown 😎

Hi OP - Born and bred Cape Townian here 😁. It is a wonderful place to visit but I wouldn't do it in august for a holiday. It is winter, it isn't anywhere near as cold as it is here in the Uk but we don't have central heating etc so it still feels pretty cold. Also it rains and rains - unlike anything you are used to here. Our wind and storms are not comparable to the UK even though the temps don't go down as low.
So if you want to be outdoors etc you will miss a lot of the traditional tourist stuff like the penguin beach, the cable car etc as it can be unpredictable weather wise.

Highly recommend either Xmas, feb or Easter.

PS - yes load shedding is an issue so make sure you book somewhere with back up generators.

PPS if you are sensible and stay in touristy areas I wouldn't be concerned about crime etc. don't wander the streets after dark but that advice applies to a lot of places!

This.

And the two children who were kidnapped whilst playing outside and were mutilated.

I work with a South African who came over here when he was 22, he'd been stabbed on a bus there on his way to an old job. He'd lost multiple friends to knife and gun crime. He has 3 children here and says he would never ever take them over there.

If I was planning an outdoor holiday I wouldn’t consider July/August. The weather is really unpredictable and it can be rainy, cool and not great for outdoor activities . As someone mentioned when the table cloth descends and covers table mountain the cable cars can be cancelled for days, no robben island ferry etc etc . I lived in Cape Town for 9 years so do have first hand experience . From a crime perspective, it’s being aware and sensible and listening to local advice. You would do this in any major city. In 9 years I had my car broken into once, no other negative experiences. I’m not saying there aren’t issues but obviously the major incidents are those reported the millions of trouble free holidays are not newsworthy.

This is all really useful thank you! DH and I will have a look this weekend and see when else we could go, possibly February.

My DF lives in the cape. February is the nicest weather, the wind drops. Easter can be hit or miss. Christmas is lovely but its the season there and it is heaving everywhere, flights v expensive, beaches packed. In terms of safety, yes there are issues, but it's nowhere like as bad as johannesburg. You take precautions (as you would in any large international city).