No visas are required for travellers from Commonwealth countries, Japan, the USA and the European Union for visits of up to 90 days. Bilharzia is also found mainly in the east but outbreaks do occur in other places so you should always check with knowledgeable local people before drinking water or swimming in it. When to Go Summer can be uncomfortably hot, especially in the lowveld.
Higher altitudes are pleasantly warm over summer, but the mountains are rain and mist-prone.
Spring is the best time for wild flowers in the Northern and Western Cape provinces. Winters are mild everywhere except in the highest country, where there are frosts and occasional snowfalls. School holidays in April, July and September can clog up beaches and national parks. The National Arts Festival transforms Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape each July. As well as mainstream art, opera and theatre, there are fringe and student components to the festival, including theatre performed in many of the languages spoken in South Africa.