Sunrise & sunset times in Durban
Sunrise in Durban today is at 05:33 and sunset is at 17:57, giving 12h 24m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Durban's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:26 to 17:57. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Durban, South Africa. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:51 and sets at 17:04 in Durban (10h 13m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 04:51 and sets at 18:56 (14h 4m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 05:59 | 18:07 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 06:51 | 17:04 | 10h 13m |
| September equinox | 05:45 | 17:52 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 04:51 | 18:56 | 14h 4m |
Full sun timeline for Durban
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Durban
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:09 | 19:00 | 13h 51m |
| February | 05:36 | 18:43 | 13h 7m |
| March | 05:55 | 18:13 | 12h 17m |
| April | 06:14 | 17:37 | 11h 22m |
| May | 06:33 | 17:11 | 10h 38m |
| June | 06:49 | 17:03 | 10h 14m |
| July | 06:50 | 17:13 | 10h 24m |
| August | 06:29 | 17:31 | 11h 2m |
| September | 05:54 | 17:48 | 11h 54m |
| October | 05:18 | 18:05 | 12h 47m |
| November | 04:52 | 18:29 | 13h 37m |
| December | 04:49 | 18:52 | 14h 3m |
Sun and moon in Durban
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Durban is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Durban. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Durban, South Africa. Durban sits at roughly 29.86 degrees south, in the southern hemisphere, so it sees a gentle seasonal swing, since day length stays fairly even through the year and the sun climbs high overhead in summer. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Durban shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Durban. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Durban, South Africa for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Durban today?
The sun sets in Durban at 17:57 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Durban's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:26, giving 32 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 24 minutes later at 18:21, and the sky is properly dark at 19:18, 1h 21m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 17:58 in Durban. That is 35 seconds later than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 4 minutes 11 seconds later.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Durban.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Durban right now?
Durban gets 12h 24m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 1 minute 48 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Durban gains 12 minutes 31 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Durban the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 1 minute 49 seconds per day, and it slows almost to a stop at the solstices in June and December. The word solstice means exactly that: the sun standing still.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Durban?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Durban falls on 10 June at 17:03, 11 days before the June solstice, and the latest on 9 January at 19:01.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 3 December at 04:47, latest on 1 July at 06:52, 10 days after the June solstice. The four dates in the table below do not line up with the solstices, and they are not supposed to. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 3 Dec 2026 | 04:47 | 18 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 1 Jul 2026 | 06:52 | 10 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 10 Jun 2026 | 17:03 | 11 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunset | 9 Jan 2026 | 19:01 | 19 days after the December solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Durban.
How long does twilight last in Durban?
First light in Durban arrives 24 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:09. After sunset the light hangs on for another 24 minutes, until 18:21. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Durban: it runs from 24 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 27 minutes at its longest, in December. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Durban and dusk in Durban.
How high does the sun get in Durban?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 83.6 degrees above the horizon in Durban. On the June solstice it climbs only 36.7 degrees. Even at that lowest point, a noon shadow in Durban is only about 1.3 times the height of the object casting it.
Frequently asked questions about Durban
What time is sunrise in Durban today?
The sun rises in Durban, South Africa at 05:33 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 17:57. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Durban.
When is golden hour in Durban?
Durban has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:33 to 06:04, and the evening window from 17:26 to 17:57, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Durban?
Because Durban lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Durban the longer solstice day runs about 14h 4m and the shorter one about 10h 13m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Durban accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Durban and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Durban?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Durban are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Durban gain or lose each day?
Durban has 12h 24m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 12 minutes 31 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 1 minute 48 seconds longer than today. The daily change is at its largest near the March and September equinoxes and almost stops at the June and December solstices.
When is the earliest sunset in Durban?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Durban is on 10 June at 17:03, 11 days before the June solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Durban?
About 24 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 17:57 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:21, with full astronomical darkness at 19:18. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Durban's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -29.86, 31.02, time zone Africa/Johannesburg. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
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Sun and moon times for places close to Durban. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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