Southern Africa
South Africa
Cape Town and Table Mountain, the Garden Route, a Big Five safari and the Winelands.
- Cape Town & Table Mountain
- Kruger safari (Big Five)
- The Garden Route
- Cape Winelands
- The Panorama Route
- Cape of Good Hope
South Africa is a whole world in one country — and one of the great-value bucket-list trips. Start in Cape Town, arguably the world's most beautiful city, beneath the flat-topped Table Mountain, with its penguins, vineyards and the dramatic Cape of Good Hope. Wind east along the Garden Route, a coast of lagoons, forests and beaches, with whales off Hermanus and elephants at Addo. Then comes the headline act: a Big Five safari in the legendary Kruger National Park, lions and elephants at dawn from an open vehicle. Add the cliffs and canyons of the Panorama Route, the peaks of the Drakensberg, and the moving history of Johannesburg and Soweto — and it adds up to an unforgettable 7, 15 or 21 days.
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The essentials: Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula and the Winelands, then a Big Five safari in the Kruger area.
Daily budget:≈ €70–140 / day
Comfortable hotels and guesthouses, restaurant meals and wine, a rental car, domestic flights and mid-range safari lodges.
Day by day
- 1
Table Mountain rising over Cape Town.© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 Getting there: Fly into Cape Town (CPT); transfer to your hotel
Arrive in Cape Town, set spectacularly between the ocean and the flat-topped Table Mountain. Ease in along the V&A Waterfront, watch the sunset from Signal Hill or Camps Bay, and take the cable car (or hike) up Table Mountain for one of the great city panoramas on earth.
Few cities make a first impression like Cape Town — that vast flat mountain rising straight from the sea, the city and beaches scattered around its feet, the light extraordinary. Sunset from the top of Table Mountain, the whole peninsula glowing below, is unforgettable.
Our take
Go up Table Mountain on a clear, calm day — it closes in cloud or high wind. Book the cable car online to skip the queue.
Highlights
- ✦ Table Mountain
- ✦ V&A Waterfront
- 2
The V&A Waterfront beneath Table Mountain.© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 
The brightly painted houses of the Bo-Kaap.© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 Explore the city: the brightly painted houses and Cape Malay culture of the Bo-Kaap, the Company's Garden and museums, and the buzzing V&A Waterfront. Take the ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, on a moving tour led by former political prisoners.
Wandering the cobalt, pink and lime streets of the Bo-Kaap is pure colour and joy. And standing in Mandela's tiny cell on Robben Island, hearing the story from a man once jailed there himself, is one of the most powerful, humbling experiences a traveller can have.
Our take
Book Robben Island ferries well ahead — they sell out and depend on the weather. The Bo-Kaap is best in the morning light; be respectful, it's a living neighbourhood.
Highlights
- ✦ Bo-Kaap
- ✦ Robben Island
- 3
The Cape of Good Hope at the tip of the peninsula.© Moheen Reeyad · CC BY-SA 4.0 
African penguins at Boulders Beach.© User:Salimfadhley · CC BY-SA 3.0 Take the spectacular full-day loop of the Cape Peninsula: the cliff-hugging Chapman's Peak Drive, the colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach, and the wild, windswept Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point at the tip — where two oceans seem to meet beneath dramatic cliffs.
The Cape Peninsula is a stunner — Chapman's Peak's road carved into sheer cliffs above the surf, a whole beach of comical penguins waddling about, and the elemental drama of standing at the Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern tip of Africa, with the wind and the waves.
Our take
Do the loop clockwise to drive Chapman's Peak in the best light. Keep your distance from the penguins — they bite — and watch for baboons at Cape Point.
Highlights
- ✦ Cape of Good Hope
- ✦ Boulders penguins
- 4
The vineyards of the Cape Winelands.© pedrik · CC BY 2.0 Getting there: Day trip to the Cape Winelands (about 1h from Cape Town)
Spend the day in the Cape Winelands, a gorgeous landscape of vineyards and Cape Dutch estates ringed by mountains. Taste superb wines in historic Stellenbosch and pretty Franschhoek (the country's gourmet capital), ride the hop-on wine tram, and enjoy a long, sun-drenched lunch among the vines.
The Winelands are postcard-perfect — whitewashed gabled estates among the vines, mountains all around, a glass of excellent Chenin or Pinotage in hand under the African sun. It's world-class wine country with prices that make you smile.
Our take
Use the Franschhoek wine tram or a driver so everyone can taste. Book a lunch at one of the famous estate restaurants.
Highlights
- ✦ Stellenbosch & Franschhoek
- ✦ Wine tasting
- 5
A game drive on safari in the South African bush.© Pierre André Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0 Getting there: Fly Cape Town → the Kruger area (via Johannesburg); afternoon game drive
Fly to the Greater Kruger area and transfer to your safari lodge or camp. Head straight out on an afternoon game drive into the bush, ending with a "sundowner" drink as the sky turns gold — your first taste of the thrill of looking for wildlife in one of Africa's greatest national parks.
There's nothing like that first game drive — bouncing along a dirt track in an open vehicle, every shape in the bush a possible animal, the guide reading tracks and dung, then suddenly: impala, giraffe, a distant elephant. As the sun sets and you raise a sundowner, the whole adventure opens up before you.
Our take
A private reserve bordering Kruger offers expert guides and off-road tracking; the national park itself is cheaper to self-drive. Either way, the early starts are worth it.
Highlights
- ✦ First game drive
- ✦ Sundowner in the bush
- 6
A lion in Kruger National Park.© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 
An elephant in Kruger National Park.© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 A full day on safari, with game drives at dawn and dusk — when the wildlife is most active — in search of the famous Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, along with giraffe, zebra, hippo and a wealth of birds. Between drives, relax at the lodge and watch the waterhole.
Coming upon a pride of lions at first light, or a breeding herd of elephants crossing the track just metres away, your heart pounding in the silence — these are the moments you came for, and they live up to every dream of an African safari.
Our take
The early-morning drive is usually the best — wrap up warm, it's cold before dawn. Be patient; the best sightings reward those who wait quietly.
Highlights
- ✦ The Big Five
- ✦ Dawn & dusk game drives
- 7
Heading home... already planning the next trip.© Tobias1984 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Getting there: Final game drive, then fly home via Johannesburg
One last dawn game drive, then the flight home via Johannesburg. Want more? The 15-day route adds the whole Garden Route, the Panorama Route and the history of Johannesburg and Soweto, for a much fuller South Africa.
A week in South Africa — Cape Town's beauty, the wine and the wild thrill of a Big Five safari — leaves you amazed at the range packed into a single trip, and certain there's a whole country more to come back for.
Our take
Carry home some South African wine, rooibos tea or local crafts. Leave plenty of time for the connection in Johannesburg.
Highlights
- ✦ Last dawn game drive
- ✦ Fly home
Where to stay
The best neighbourhood to base yourself in each area, by budget. We point you to the right zone — then you pick and book the place that fits.
Cape Town
- Backpacker · City Bowl / Gardens
- Hostels and budget guesthouses below the mountain, near Kloof and Long Streets.
- Mid-range · V&A Waterfront / Sea Point
- Comfortable hotels by the Waterfront or the seafront promenade.
- Comfort · Camps Bay / Waterfront
- Luxury beachfront hotels at Camps Bay and the Atlantic Seaboard.
Cape Winelands
- Backpacker · Stellenbosch town
- Budget guesthouses in the historic student town among the vines.
- Mid-range · Franschhoek / Stellenbosch
- Charming wine-estate guesthouses and boutique hotels.
- Comfort · Franschhoek
- Luxury wine-estate lodges in the gourmet capital of the Cape.
Garden Route
- Backpacker · Knysna / Wilderness
- Backpackers and budget rooms by the lagoons and forests.
- Mid-range · Knysna / Plettenberg Bay
- Lagoon- and sea-view guesthouses and hotels along the route.
- Comfort · Plettenberg Bay
- Upmarket beach hotels and boutique lodges on the prettiest stretch.
Kruger & safari
- Backpacker · SANParks rest camps
- Self-catering rondavels in the national park, ideal for self-drive safaris.
- Mid-range · Greater Kruger lodges
- Comfortable safari lodges with guided game drives included.
- Comfort · Private reserves (Sabi Sand)
- World-class luxury lodges in the famous private reserves bordering Kruger.
Johannesburg
- Backpacker · Maboneng
- Hip, art-filled budget stays in the regenerated inner-city precinct.
- Mid-range · Rosebank
- Comfortable, central hotels near galleries, malls and the Gautrain.
- Comfort · Sandton
- Upscale hotels in the safe, modern business district.
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At a glance
Best time to go
South Africa is a year-round destination, but the regions peak at different times. The dry winter (May–September) is prime safari season — sparse vegetation and animals gathering at water make for the best game viewing in Kruger, with lower malaria risk. Cape Town and the coast are at their best in the warm, dry summer (November–March). Whales are off Hermanus roughly June–November. Spring and autumn are lovely all round.
Currency
ZAR (South African rand, R)
Language
South Africa has 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and isiXhosa. English is widely spoken and used in tourism, so language is rarely a barrier.
Visa & entry
Many nationalities (including the EU, UK, US, Canada and Australia) can visit visa-free as tourists, commonly for up to 90 days. Your passport must have enough blank pages and validity. Always confirm the current rules for your nationality before you travel.
Daily budget
South Africa offers excellent value, especially for food, wine and car hire, though safari lodges can be expensive. Plan roughly €70–140 per person per day for comfortable hotels, meals, a rental car and mid-range safaris; backpackers spend less, and private game lodges cost far more. Figures are approximate.
Getting around
Distances are big, so domestic flights link Cape Town, Johannesburg and the Kruger gateways quickly and cheaply. A self-drive is ideal for Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route, on good roads (they drive on the left). For Kruger, you can self-drive or join guided game drives; private reserves include them. Use Uber in the cities rather than walking with valuables.
Safety
South Africa is rewarding but has high crime rates, especially in the big cities — be vigilant, don't walk around at night or flash valuables, use Uber, and keep car doors locked. The main tourist routes (Cape Town, the Garden Route, Kruger and the safari areas) are well set up and generally fine with sensible precautions. Parts of the lowveld around Kruger are a low-risk malaria area — get medical advice on prophylaxis. Always check your government's latest travel advice.
Connectivity
A local SIM (Vodacom, MTN or Cell C) is cheap with good coverage in cities, towns and the main reserves, or use a travel eSIM. Wi-Fi is common in hotels and lodges. Note that load-shedding (scheduled power cuts) can affect connectivity at times.
What to pack — South Africa
Our recommended gear for this trip — country-specific picks first, then the travel essentials we never leave home without.
- 🥾Comfortable walking shoes→
- 🧴High-SPF sunscreen→
- 🦟Insect repellent (malaria areas)→
- 🔭Binoculars (for safari)→
- 🔌Universal travel adapter→
- 🧳Packing cubes→
- 🔋Power bank→
- 🎒Packable daypack→
- 💧Filtered water bottle→
- ⛑️Travel first-aid kit→
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Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit South Africa? ＋
It depends on the region. The dry winter (May–September) is prime safari season in Kruger — best game viewing and lower malaria risk. Cape Town and the coast are at their best in the warm summer (November–March). Whales are off Hermanus roughly June–November. Spring and autumn are good all round.
Do I need a visa for South Africa? ＋
Many nationalities (including the EU, UK, US, Canada and Australia) can visit visa-free as tourists, commonly for up to 90 days, with a passport that has enough blank pages and validity. Always confirm the current rules for your nationality before you travel.
Is South Africa safe, and what about malaria? ＋
South Africa has high crime rates, especially in the cities — be vigilant, use Uber, don't walk at night or flash valuables, and lock car doors. The main tourist routes are well set up and generally fine with precautions. The lowveld around Kruger is a low-risk malaria area; get medical advice on prophylaxis. Always check your government's latest travel advice.
Self-drive or guided safari? ＋
For Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route, a self-drive is ideal and easy (they drive on the left). For Kruger, you can self-drive the national park or — for expert guiding and off-road tracking — stay at a private reserve where game drives are included. Many travellers combine a self-drive Cape/Garden Route with a guided Kruger safari.
Sources
Last reviewed on June 5, 2026Facts in this guide were checked against the following sources.
- South African Tourism (southafrica.net) — Destinations and travel basics
- SANParks — South African National Parks — Kruger & national parks
- Department of Home Affairs (visas) — Visa & entry requirements
- UNESCO World Heritage — South Africa — Heritage sites (Robben Island, Drakensberg, Cradle)
⚠️ Prices, opening hours and transport times change — always verify the latest details before you travel.
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