Destinations · Head-to-head
Riviera Maya vs South Africa
Riviera Maya and South Africa, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.
Riviera Maya guide · South Africa guide · How we score
By the numbers
| Riviera Maya | Measure | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution | U.S. travel advisory | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 39 (better) | Resorts in our catalog | 0 |
| ★ 4.6 | Average guest rating | – |
| $46–$635/night pp | Nightly rates | – |
| 9 of 39 | Adults-only resorts | 0 of 0 |
| In the hurricane belt | Hurricane exposure | No hurricane season (better) |
| June–October, heaviest September–October | Rainy season | November–March (southern-hemisphere summer thunderstorms) |
| December–April | Sweet spot | April–September for dry, mild weather; also prime safari season inland |
| Mexican peso; USD widely accepted in resort corridors | Currency | South African rand (ZAR) |
Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.
On the map
Riviera Maya
South Africa
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riviera Maya · high °F | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 82 |
| South Africa · high °F | 82 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 81 |
| Riviera Maya · rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| South Africa · rain (in) | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.0 |
Approximate climate normals for Playa del Carmen–Tulum and KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban): planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.
Where you'd actually stay
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