Are you feeling overwhelmed trying to plan your South Africa itinerary? I’m here to help! My husband and I took the most epic two week trip to South Africa, and I’ve listed our full 2-week itinerary here for you to use. South Africa has SO much to offer – from beautiful beaches, vibrant cities, epic safaris, and exciting hikes – you won’t want to leave!
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South Africa Itinerary Overview
- Cape Town: Days 1-4
- Stellenbosch: Days 4-6
- Plettenberg Bay (Garden Route): Days 6-9
- Jeffrey’s Bay: Days 9-10
- Jeffrey’s Bay – White River: Day 10
- Sabi Sands / Kruger National Park Safari: Days 11-14
SEE ALSO: Dolomites Itinerary: The Ultimate 7-Day Trip for Adventure Lovers
How to Get There?
For this itinerary, you will want to fly into Cape Town (CPT) and then fly out of Johannesburg at the end of your trip (JNB). Delta and United both offer non-stop flights from the U.S. to Cape Town!
What is the Best Time to Visit South Africa?
South Africa has pretty great weather year-round! I recommend going between May-September for the best conditions for viewing big game on the safari portion of your trip. I would avoid December/Jan since that is the height of summer in Cape Town and will bring more crowds. I personally visited late April/early May and it was great!
Do I Need to Rent a Car for this South Africa Itinerary?
YES! While you don’t need a car for the first few days in Cape Town (you can uber around), you will definitely want a car for days 4-10 of your South Africa itinerary:
- Pick Up Location: Cape Town
- Drop Off: Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ)
- (picking up in Cape Town and dropping off at Port Elizabeth Airport before you fly to Kruger National Park for the safari).
Don’t be intimidated by the fact that they drive on the other side of the road – you will get used to it pretty quickly, and the road along the Garden Route is fairly chill.
I recommend renting your car through DiscoverCars. They have the best selection of rental cars for international trips!
South Africa Itinerary, Days 1-4: CAPE TOWN
Kick off your 2-week South Africa itinerary in Cape Town! The most vibrant, beautiful city with great restaurants, beautiful views, and so many cool things to see and do.
You can find the highlights of the best things to do in Cape Town below, but check out my full Cape Town Itinerary for all the details!
Where to Stay in Cape Town for First-Timers?
If it’s your first time in Cape Town, I recommend staying in the Camps Bay neighborhood for chill vibes and epic views of Table Mountain. We were there for our honeymoon and stayed at AtlanticView Boutique Hotel. It was incredible! More affordable than the luxury hotels in the area since it is a boutique hotel, but with the same level of stellar five-star service.
If you would rather stay more in the action of the city, you could check out the Garden neighborhood, near Kloof Street. I’ve heard great things about Kloof Street Hotel
Best Things to Do in Cape Town, South Africa
During your four days in Cape Town, you should definitely do the following:
Hike Lion’s Head
This hike is right in the heart of the city and the 360 views from the top are incredible! You can see the city of Cape Town, the coastline, and Table Mountain from the top. It was definitely one of the highlights of my 4 days in Cape Town.
- 3 miles round trip
- Out and back
- 1,118 elevation gain
Visit Bo-Kaap Neighborhood
This colorful neighborhood is more than just an Instagram photo-op – there’s an interesting history behind this area. Once the Malay people’s slavery was ended, they celebrated by painting their houses bright and colorful (whereas before, they were only allowed to have white houses).
Ride a Cable Car to the Top of Table Mountain
One of the most popular things to do in South Africa is to visit Table Mountain, one of the natural wonders of the world! You can either hike or take the cable car. We opted for the cable car, which costs about $25 round trip. Once you’re at the top, there’s paved walkways and placards to read, as well as a general store where you can buy snacks and drinks. It can be super cold and windy up at the top, so dress accordingly! The views up there are amazing!
Take a Tour of Cape Peninsula
Seeing Cape Peninsula (and all the stops along the way) is a must-do activity during your South Africa itinerary! If you have your rental car already, you can do the drive yourself. Otherwise, I recommend booking the same tour we did: Cape Peninsula Private Tour with Winelands Guide. We had the best time! Our driver picked us up at 9am and we returned at 5pm. We took about 5 stops throughout the journey, including the iconic Boulders Beach (where you can see penguins on the beach!)
South Africa Itinerary, Days 4-6: STELLENBOSCH (Wine Country!)
After your 4 wonderful days in the bustling and vibrant city of Cape Town, it’s time drive about one hour to the relaxed, beautiful wine country area of Stellenbosch!
First off, I will note that there are two wine countries outside of Cape Town: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. They are both great options, and only about 25 minutes away from each other, so you can visit both during your time there if you want (and I recommend doing so!). Stellenbosch is a real working town/college town with vineyards surrounding it. It’s a bigger area and has a wider wine selection, known for premium wine. Franschoek is more of a touristy-town with a main street. They have the “wine tram” where you can hop on and hop off to visit different wineries, which is definitely cool!
Ultimately, we chose to stay in Stellenbosch mostly just because of the hotel we wanted to stay at. We booked a room at Cloud’s Estate and it was INCREDIBLE. The sweeping views of the mountains from our hotel room was amazing. The hotel grounds are beautiful. The pool with the view behind it is so relaxing after a day of wine tasting. And, the famous Delaire Graff Estate is right next door in case you want to walk over and do some wine tasting or eat at one of their restaurants, too!
Best Things to Do During Your Time in Stellenbosch
Wine Tasting
Of course, the most obvious best thing to do in Stellenbosch is to go wine tasting! Stellenbosch is one of the best places in the world for premium red wines. Ubers are easy to come by in the area, so I recommend using that as your transportation to get to the wineries. Here are a few of the best wineries to visit in Stellenbosch:
- Delaire Graff Estate – luxury wine estate that is right next door to Cloud’s Estate, so if you are staying there (like we were!) it’s just quick walk away! It’s expensive, but the grounds are gorgeous, they have amazing wine, and great food, too.
- Kanonkop – This is the BEST winery for Pinotage (a variety of red wine grape grown in South Africa)
- Delheim- this winery is a staple in the region. Family-owned, great food and beautiful gardens too.
- Spier Wine Farm – the grounds here are simply gorgeous, with nature trails and gardens you can walk through. You can also do a picnic lunch with your wine tasting
Eat!
There are so many great restaurants in Stellenbosch. I highly recommend visiting:
- Rust en Vrede: for lunch or dinner. They are known for their restaurant! Make sure to have a reservation.
- Delaire Graff Estate: for lunch with a view
- Babylonstoren: This working Dutch farm in Frank is a whole experience. I recommend making a reservation at their restaurant, Babel, for breakfast. The farm-to-table menu is different every day, based on what they grow in their gardens. The breakfast spread looks truly amazing! And then, spend a few hours afterwards wandering the grounds, wine tasting, and exploring!
Relax!
One of my favorite things we did in Stellenbosch was truly just to relax at Cloud’s Estate and soak in the incredible views. We sat by the pool, had in-room massages, and enjoyed the private hot tub on our balcony with a glass of wine. I HIGHLY recommend staying here if it is in your budget and doing exactly this!
South Africa Itinerary, Day 6: Driving the Garden Route (Stellenbosch to Plettenberg Bay)
After your relaxing time spent in Stellenbosch wine country, it’s time to hit the road for a road trip along the famous Garden Route!
The “Garden Route” refers to the 190-mile span between Mossel Bay and Storms River, and is aptly-named due to the lush forests and mountains that line the coastline here. The Garden Route is one of the best road trips you can take in South Africa! And from whale watching, bungee jumping, kayaking and surfing – it’s truly an adventure-lover’s paradise!
For this South Africa itinerary, I recommend driving straight from Stellenbosch to Plettenberg Bay (with a stop for lunch in Mossel Bay), which will be your home base for 3 nights.
Stellenbosch to Mossel Bay:
It’s about a 4-hour drive from Stellenbosch to Mossel Bay. The drive is easy and scenic!
What is the Best Place for Lunch in Mossel Bay?
I highly recommend going to Kaai 4 for some traditional African BBQ! They grill the meats over an open fire and you eat at picnic tables overlooking the water. The food is so good, and the vibes here are great.
Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay
After lunch, hit the road back onto the Garden Route! It’s about a 2-hour drive from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay, which will be your home base for the next few days. Fun fact: Plettenberg Bay is known as “The Adventure Capital of the Garden Route”!
What’s the Best Place to Stay in Plettenberg Bay?
Luxury: The Plettenberg Hotel. This is where we stayed, and it was incredible! The view from our room was amazing, the hotel grounds had such a peaceful ambience, and the staff were so friendly.
Mid-Range: Sky Villa Boutique Hotel. This is a perfect option for a mid-range hotel! The views are beautiful, and it has great reviews.
If You Have More Time on Your South Africa Itinerary: Stop in Hermanus
The coastal town of Hermanus is known as the whale-watching capital of the world! If whale watching is something that interests you, and you have more time, then definitely re-arrnage this itinerary a bit to go from Stellenbosch to Hermanus Bay first before continuing on the Garden Route.
I recommend this whale-watching boat tour – it has great reviews!
What Happened to Shark Dives in South Africa?
One thing to note – when planning my South Africa itinerary, I was stoked to do a cage diving with Great White Sharks. This was the most popular thing to do in the Hermanus/Gansbaii area. However, after doing some research, I quickly found out that this is unfortunately not a thing here anymore. The Great White Sharks are no longer in the area, as they were driven out by their Orca (Killer Whale) predators. Hopefully some day that will change and they will migrate back to this area!
Day 7 & 8: Explore Garden Route Activities
Staying in Plettenberg Bay as your home base, which is essentially the heart of the Garden Route, use the next two days to branch out and explore!
Best Things to Do Along the Garden Route
Here are some great options of things to do along the Garden Route during day 7 and 8 of your 2-week South Africa itinerary:
Walk Across the Storms River Suspension Bridge
This was one of my favorite things we did during our time in South Africa! Located in Tsitsikamma National Park, The Storms River Suspension Bridge spans ~250 ft long overlooking the river and gorge below. It’s about a 1-hour drive from Plettenberg Bay. The views are incredible and actually walking across the swaying bridge over the water is a very cool experience!
It’s an easy, well-marked pathway (about 1 mile total) to get to the bridge. Plan to spend about 45 minutes – 1 hour here!
Go on a Kayaking Tour in Storms River Gorge
This was one of my favorite things to do in the Garden Route! After seeing the view of the gorge from above on the suspension bridge, what better way to continue your experience there than to get on the water?
We booked the “Kayak and Lilo” tour from Untouched Adventures and loved it! It was a 2.5-hour tour. The first half is kayaking in the gorge to this super cool cave. After that, you bank up on the shore and trade your kayaks for “lilos” which is a type of float. This enables you to get into the shallower, narrower parts of the gorge. After floating a bit further, there’s a spot where you can cliff-jump into the water if you want!
Go Bungee Jumping
The Garden Route in South Africa is home to the highest bungee jump in the world (709 feet) at the famous Bloukran’s Bridge! It’s about a 40-minute drive from Plettenberg Bay. f you’re an adventure-seeker, you can’t miss this experience when you’re in the area. You can buy your tickets here.
The bungee jumping ticket for Bloukran’s Bridge costs about $100 USD and includes a zipline to the bungee platform, the actual jump itself, and then access to the suspended Skywalk area afterwards.
Not Up for Bungee Jumping, But Still Want to Experience Bloukran’s Bridge?
If you don’t want to bungee jump, but still want to be part of the action, you can buy a ticket that includes just the 200 meter zipline to the middle of the bridge, and access to the suspended Skywalk bridge area. It costs about $40. You can buy your Bloukran’s Bridge ticket here!
Check Out the Knysna Heads Viewpoint
About a 35-minute drive from Plettenberg Bay, Knysna is another little nature town along the Garden Route. The area is most known for the “Heads” which is where the lagoon goes out into the sea, surrounded by tall cliffs. It’s a beautiful view! The easiest viewpoint to get to is the East Head. You can simply drive your car right up, park, and check out the dramatic coastal view.
Visit Keurboom’s Beach
This is one of the most beautiful beaches along the Garden Route, in my opinion! Located just 10 minutes from Plettenberg Bay, this beach is located right at the Keuerboom’s river mouth and lagoon. And, it’s a great place to spot dolphins!
Do a Hike in Wilderness National Park
If you’re looking for even more nature adventures during your time along the Garden Route for your South Africa itinerary, check out the town of Wilderness and visit Wilderness National Park to do a hike. The most popular hike here is called the Half Collard Kingfisher Hike. This shaded trail goes along a river and ends at a waterfall! This national park is about a 1 hour drive from Plettenberg Bay. See below for the hike stats:
- Miles: 4.9
- Type: Out & Back
- Elevation Gain: 898 ft
Day 9: Jeffrey’s Bay
It’s time to leave the epic nature capital of Plettenberg Bay and head for the laid-back beach town vibes of Jeffrey’s Bay! It’s about a 2-hour drive from Plettenberg Bay (and in the direction of the ultimate destination of the PLZ airport which you will fly out of to get to Kruger National Park for the safari portion of this itinerary). Known as “J-Bay”, this town is famous among the surfing community for the right-hand point break wave at Supertubes. There are often worldwide surfing competitions held here!
My husband is a surfer, so he was absolutely stoked to be visiting here. The waves weren’t great the day we were there, but you better believe he still got in the water and surfed a little just to say he did!
Where to Stay in Jeffrey’s Bay?
We stayed at On The Beach Guesthouse & Suites. It’s in a great location on the beach overlooking the famous Supertubes surf break, and there are beautiful ocean views from the rooms and the common areas! It’s fairly priced, too. I definitely recommend it.
Best Things to Do in Jeffrey’s Bay
Surf!
With this South Africa itinerary, you are only in Jeffrey’s Bay for one day. If you like to surf, I of course recommend that since you are in the surfing capital of the world! My husband rented a board and wetsuit at Salted Surf School in town.
If you are new to surfing but want to try it, I recommend booking a private surf school lesson for beginners!
Hang Out at Dolphin Beach
If you don’t surf and aren’t interested in learning, you can hang out at Dolphin Beach and watch the surfers on the famous Supertubes wave. There’s a boardwalk leading down to the beach where you can hang out and watch. You’ll also see “shark attack kits” near the boardwalk, which was crazy to see!
Go Sandboarding
If you are looking for some more adventure, consider going sandboarding on the dunes of Jeffrey’s Bay! I personally did not do this as I spent most of my time relaxing watching the surfers, but I have been sandboarding in Peru, and it was SO much fun! Book this sandboarding tour – it has great reviews!
Day 10: Travel Day to Get to Sabi Sands for Safari! (Flying from PLZ to MQP)
You’ve now reached the safari portion of this 2-week South Africa itinerary! Today is spent getting in place for the safari – traveling from Jeffrey’s Bay to White River. (The following day you will get private transport to Sabi Sands, near Kruger National Park).
Jeffrey’s Bay is only 1 hour from Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ). Make sure to get there with enough time to drop off your rental car first!
How to Get to the Kruger National Park/Sabi Sands Area:
You can either:
- Fly into MQP
- Direct flight from PLZ
- 2-hour drive to Savanna Game Reserve
- Fly into SZK
- No direct flights from PLZ (stops in Johannesburg)
- 1-hour drive to Savanna Game Reserve
I always opt for a direct flight, so I recommend the first option of flying into MQP, even though the private transfer drive time will be a little longer. There’s only one nonstop flight per day from PLZ to MQP, and it lands around 3:30pm. You’ll be landing too late to continue on to your safari lodge, so plan to stay one night in White River, the main town in the vicinity of the airport.
We stayed at White House Lodge. It was clean, affordable, and had really nice outdoor areas to hang out and watch the sunset.
Days 11-14: Safari Lodge in Sabi Sands
It’s safari time! Staying at a safari lodge is definitely a bucket-list experience. It can be a daunting task deciding which safari lodge to book for your South Africa itinerary. Even though I am an avid travel planner, I was feeling overwhelmed with picking the best one to go to. I ended up, for the first time in my life, using a travel coordinator specializing in safaris to help me choose. Angela at Alpha Destinations helped us decide on Savanna Lodge at Sabi Sands, and it was absolutely incredible! I’ve also heard great things about MyHiddenJules for planning safari trips.
How to Decide Between Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands for your Safari Trip?
Sabi Sands is the private game reserve along the Western boundary of Kruger National Park. There are no border walls between Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park, so they share the same ecosystem and the animals can walk between the two areas. We decided to do a safari lodge in Sabi Sands instead of spending time in the actual national park grounds for a few reasons, which are listed below in the FAQs:
Sabi Sands vs Kruger National Park FAQs
Can you go off-road in Sabi Sands and in Kruger National Park?
Sabi Sands allows the drivers to go off-road to get closer to the animals. However at Kruger National Park, both guided vehicles and self-drivers must stay on the road at all times.
What are the Differences in Safari Vehicles in Sabi Sands vs Kruger National Park?
You will be in completely open-air safari vehicles at Sabi Sands with no roof/ceiling/doors at all, allowing you to feel like you are really out there with the animals. The Kruger safari vehicles are open-air, but have roofs and doors so are not fully open.
Are Night Drives Allowed in Both Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park?
Night drives are allowed in Sabi Sands which gives you more opportunities to see animals. Night drives are not allowed in Kruger National Park.
How to the Guides Differ in Sabi Sands vs Kruger National Park?
The guides in the private safari lodges at Sabi Sands are extremely knowledgable. They have one dedicated ranger that drives (and explains what they are seeing to the passengers) and one dedicated “tracker” that sits on the hood of the vehicle tracking the footprints of the animals to help the ranger. In Kruger National Park, many people opt to self-drive. If you do book a tour, the guides are not the same caliber (with a tracker on board, etc) as the experience at Sabi Sands.
What are the Lodging Options in Sabi Sands vs Kruger National Park?
Sabi Sands has private, all-inclusive safari lodges. The only place to stay in Kruger National Park is in the SANParks Rest Camps which are more bare-bones accommodations
Both Kruger and Sabi Sands would give you an amazing experience seeing wildlife. However, nothing compares to the private safari lodge experiences in Sabi Sands. If you are on a budget, Kruger would be a great option. You can book one of these guided tours for under $100 per person. But if you have some room to splurge, you most definitely should stay in Sabi Sands – it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
What is the Best Safari Lodge to Stay In at Sabi Sands?
There are so many to choose from, and not all of them include the rates on their website which I found incredibly difficult when planning! See below for my recs for the best Sabi Sands lodge.
Mid-Tier Sabi Sands Safari Lodging
Lion Sands River Lodge
Located along the Sabie River, Lion Sands River Lodge has riverfront views and private plunge pool options. There are 18 different suites here. It’s definitely a popular option with great reviews, but it is double the size of Savanna Lodge (more on that below) so keep that in mind if you are seeking a more intimate experience!
Luxury Sabi Sands Lodging:
Savanna Lodge
We stayed at Savanna Lodge and had the absolute best experience. I highly recommend it if is in your budget (it was our honeymoon, so we splurged for this lodge!) Each of the safari suites come with their own private pool. Right when we checked in and got into our suite, there was a herd of elephants walking right in front of our private pool! It was incredible.
Savanna Lodge is a smaller property, with just 9 suites. This means they have the BEST customer service, and it’s a more intimate experience. The lodge is all-inclusive, and the meals they provide are so good. You do 2 game drives per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Obviously the main purpose of your stay here is to be on the game drives (and they are amazing!!) but in between your 2 drives per day, you can hang at your private pool (or at the common area pool), relax, and eat lunch.
They do dinner in a different setting every night – one night it was literally out in the bush under the stars. They also do a different type of happy hour/cocktail hour while you are on your game drive. They pull over somewhere out in the wild and start making you drinks! They really make your experience top-notch and SO special. We stayed for 3 nights, which I felt like was the perfect amount of time. And yes, we did see all of the Big 5 animals! (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo)
Day 14: Time to Travel Home!
After your 3 full days at the safari lodge, it’s time to finally head back home after a full, amazing 2-weeks in South Africa.
We booked private transport through Savanna Lodge to Skukuza Airport (SZK), which is about an hour drive. From there, we took a quick flight to Johannesburg, and then back to the U.S.
I hope this South Africa itinerary helps you plan the most incredible 2-weeks in South Africa. Writing this blog post just makes me want to go back!
