Last Updated on March 17, 2026 by Maggie McKneely
With its remarkable wildlife, top-notch restaurants, stunning mountain ranges, and pristine coastlines, South Africa is a paradise at the bottom of the world. This 10 day South Africa itinerary will help you see the highlights of this complex and diverse nation.
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10 Day South Africa Itinerary
Mention South Africa and most people will think of apartheid, high crime rates, and Nelson Mandela. But while the nation’s struggles take up most of the headlines, they are only one part of this complex, diverse country. It’s also a nation home to one of the most stunning wine regions in the world, centered around the charming towns of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. Its coastline is made up of pristine white beaches and water the color of turquoise. South Africa is home to all of the Big 5 African animals, as well as the world’s only warm-weather penguin. Cape Town is a culinary capital, with so many extraordinary fine dining restaurants that it would take a year to try them all.
South Africa is complicated, but it’s also unbelievably beautiful. It’s well worth experiencing for yourself.
I typically do all of my own trip planning, but for South Africa, I booked with Exoticca – they have incredible tour guides and the value for the price is unbeatable (I also went to Egypt and Jordan with them).
But it is definitely possible to plan a trip to South Africa on your own, especially if you’re an experienced traveler. They have great roads and most people speak English. So if you’ve decided to go that route, here is a 10 day South Africa itinerary that will help you make the most of your time in this beautiful country.
But first…..
Table of Contents
Tips for Visiting South Africa
Money
The official currency is the South African Rand (ZAR). Not only do most places accept credit cards, many places ONLY accept credit cards. However, you will need cash for tips. So I recommend either getting some rands from your home bank or getting them as soon as you arrive at the airport in South Africa. We had a very difficult time finding places to get cash because so many places in the country don’t keep cash on hand.
Language
South Africa has a whopping eleven official languages, the most prominent being Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. But fortunately for you, the official language of business is English, which means almost everyone can speak English in addition to their native language, and all of the signs are written in English as well.
10 Day South Africa Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Johannesburg
There’s no getting around it – South Africa is a looong way away from just about everywhere. It can take 9 hours on a plane just to reach the northern part of its own continent! So chances are, you’ll be arriving in Johannesburg mid-day and in desperate need of a nap (or 3) on the first day of your 10 days in South Africa.
This is one reason why it’s best to start your trip in Johannesburg (or “Joburg”) and end it with Cape Town. While there are a handful of sites to see in South Africa’s biggest city, such as the Soweto Township and the Apartheid Museum, there isn’t a lot. Rather, it’s the perfect place to spend the night and rest up before making the drive to Kruger National Park on day one.
If you DO want to spend the afternoon sightseeing (instead of sleeping, like me), I recommend this great tour that takes you through Soweto, with visits to both Mandela and Desmond Tutu’s homes, and the Apartheid Museum.
Where to Stay
Since it’s only one night, it’s easiest to stay near the airport. There’s a lovely Intercontinental connected to the airport, so you don’t have to worry about a shuttle. We stayed at the nearby Garden Court, which had a delightful breakfast and comfortable room.
Day 2: Johannesburg – Blyde River Canyon – Kruger
Kruger National Park is about 4 hours from Johannesburg, but if you take the scenic (but longer router), there are several beautiful stops you can make along the way on Day 2 of your 10 day South Africa itinerary.
Typically, you can take Route 4 out of Johannesburg all the way to White River, one of the best towns to stay in near Kruger (and the one where all of my recommended hotels and resorts are). But for the scenic route, about halfway to White River, get off of R4 at Vermooten Street at Emakhazeni and get on R540 toward Dullstroom.
At an elevation of 6900ft, Dullstroom has the highest elevation of any town in South Africa. Because of that, it’s climate is very different from the rest of the region. It’s the only place in SA where beech and elm trees grow (planted by Dutch colonists long ago) and gets a large amount of rainfall, making it one of South Africa’s fly-fishing hotspots. Most of the original town was burned down during the Boer Wars in the early 20th century, so many of the buildings there today were built in the last 30 years as the town’s popularity with tourists has grown.
From Dullstroom to Lydenburg, the route drives through grassy mountains, rolling farmlands, and rows and rows of beautifully manicured orchards. Lydenburg is a decent sized town with lots of restaurants, and since it’s about halfway from Johannesburg to Kruger, it’s the perfect place to stop for lunch.
Just outside of Lydenburg, get on R36 to begin South Africa’s famous Panorama Route. As it’s name suggests, the route passes some of South Africa’s most stunning vistas, waterfalls, and landscapes as it journeys through the foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains.
The most well-known of these is Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world. The most famous viewpoint is of the Three Rondavels (or Three Sisters), where you can see three massive stone columns rise up out of the canyon below, with the turquoise Blyde River winding its way between the green-covered canyon walls.
Blyde River Canyon
About 30 minutes farther south on R532 is another vista on the Panorama Route – God’s Window. This viewpoint looks out over the lush Mpumalanga region. On a clear day, you can see all the way into neighboring Mozambique!
From the parking lot, the path takes you to three different lookout points, depending on your fitness level. The first is just a couple of minutes from the entrance gate. If you’re up for a hike, the trail goes up to the top of the ridge and winds through a rainforest. On the other side of the forest is the viewpoint (but in all honesty, the view isn’t any different from the one at the bottom. Hwoever, wandering through the rainforest is neat).
From there, begin the final stretch of your roadtrip and head to White River and your hotel for the next three nights.
Where to Stay
White River is a popular town with tourists heading into Kruger National Park, so it has several resort and hotel options. The Stille Woning Guesthouse is a beautiful boutique hotel if you’re looking for something private and on the more luxurious end of options. We stayed at ANEW Resort, which is more budget-friendly but lovely – the property has a pool, restaurant, gardens, and spa, and can arrange day trips in the area for you.
Days 3 + 4: Kruger National Park
The next two days of this 10 day South Africa itinerary are spent checking off an item that most people (including myself) have on their bucket list: going on an African safari.
While South Africa has a number of national parks and game reserves where you can spot Africa’s famous wildlife, Kruger National Park is the largest and the home to more types of species than anywhere in the country. And although the park is roughly the size of Wales, you WILL see wildlife. I remember hoping that I’d get to see just one elephant – by the end of our second day, I had stopped taking pictures of elephants because we’d seen so many! We saw a leopard enjoying its lunch (an impala) up in a tree, herds of giraffes and zebras, lions (including cubs!), buffalo, and more types of antelopes than I knew existed.
Kruger is also very popular because you can explore the park however you wish. Some people prefer to do a self-drive, especially if they already have a rental car.
However, we did a guided safari tour both days and I’m really glad we did! Not only do I have no idea what I’d do if an elephant decided to charge my rental car, but I’m also sure I couldn’t have seen as many animals on my own. The rangers communicate with each other whenever someone has spotted something cool. They also know where some animals prefer to hang out, since they’re so familiar with the park and the animals who live there. This safari tour will pick you up from any hotel or lodge in the area.
Selfie with an elephant! He’s even looking at the camera.
You may be thinking “do I really want to spend 2 full days on safari, or should I use the second day to do something else?” While there are other reserves and activities in the area around Kruger that you can visit on day 2, I highly recommend using both days for the safari.
For one, you might have entirely different weather conditions each day. When we went, day 1 was HOT (like 102 degrees and a billion percent humidity). Day 2 was cool and rainy. Which meant that, because some animals come out on hot days and others prefer colder temperatures, we saw a completely different set of animals on each day.
The other reason is that Kruger is, again, massive. You’ll visit different areas of the park where different animals live on each day. So the more time you give yourself, the more opportunities you’ll have to see all that Kruger has to offer.
Be prepared though – safari days are long. We left our hotel at 6AM both mornings and didn’t get back until 4 in the afternoon. But it’s worth it – a once-in-a-lifetime to see some of the most incredible animals on planet earth!
Day 5: Kruger – Pretoria – Fly to Cape Town
After spending a couple of days living the dream on an African safari, it’s time to head to the western side of South Africa for the rest of your 10 day South Africa itinerary.
Since you took the scenic way to Kruger, feel free to take the shorter, more direct route back to Johannesburg. However, I recommend driving through the capital city of Pretoria (don’t worry, it’s already on the way). You can make a quick stop by South Africa’s beautiful Union buildings, the home of the nation’s legislature as well as the President. You can also get a picture of the giant statue of Nelson Mandela.
If you have extra time, you can take this guided tour of Pretoria.
(There was some kind of political demonstration going on when we drove by, so we were unfortunately unable to get out of the vehicle, but the buildings are worth seeing).
(My shoddy picture of the Union buildings shot through a car window)
From Pretoria, head back to the Johannesburg airport for a flight back to Cape Town. If you book an evening flight, you’ll have plenty of time to make your way from Kruger to Johannesburg. The flight from Cape Town is about 2 hours, and the city is one time zone behind Johannesburg.
Where to Stay
Obviously, Cape Town has every kind of accommodation you could ever want, from world-famous luxury hotels to smaller, boutique hotels. What’s really important is what neighborhood you choose to stay in. Camps Bay is the more expensive, luxurious part of town, whereas Sea Point and the Waterfront are closer to the heart of the city. What most locals recommend is that you do not stay in the CBD (central business district), as that’s where crime is the most problematic.
We stayed in the Cresta Grand Cape Town. It’s a lovely, modern hotel with amazing staff and a delightful breakfast. It’s located a block from where the hop-on-hop-off bus meets and is just minutes from the waterfront.
Day 6: Cape Town
Cape Town: the crown jewel of South Africa. Undoubtedly the prettiest city I’ve ever been. Situated on the coast, Cape Town is built around the Table Mountain range, so everywhere you look is either turquoise water and pristine beaches or a gorgeous mountain backdrop. It’s modern and sophisticated, with some of the most exciting and innovative restaurants in the world. I’d go back to South Africa just to spend more time in this exquisite city. So there’s no wonder that most of your 10 day South Africa itinerary should be spent here.
So what’s the best way to get acquainted? The city offers a hop-on hop-off double decker bus tour that gives a great introduction to the city, while transporting you to places you want to go, including the hottest neighborhoods and landmarks. We were given tickets for free, so went ahead and made use of them – it was a great way to learn about the city! But if you purchase tickets here, they include a ticket to the Table Mountain cable car.
After getting on the bus, the first stop we got off at was the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Founded in 1913, it was the first botanical garden in the world created with the intent to protect and showcase only fauna and flora native to the region, rather than introducing species from other parts of the world. Between its setting right at the foot of Table Mountain and the beautiful plant-life within the garden, it’s a stunning place to spend a few hours wandering around in. Purchase tickets ahead of time here.
Kirstenbosch
(It’s also a great place to grab a new profile picture).
From Kirstenbosch, the bus makes several stops at popular destinations, such as the Constantia wineries and Hout Bay. But because we had a trip planned out to the Winelands later in the week, we decided to stay on the bus until the Camps Bay stop. Camps Bay is a beautiful neighborhood right on the water at the base of the Twelve Apostles. It has tons of trendy restaurants with patio seating across from the beach, making it the perfect stop for lunch.
Lunch with an ocean view
After our waterfront lunch, instead of getting back on the bus, we opted to take a much faster Uber to the Table Mountain Cable car station.
Table Mountain is Cape Town’s dominant landmark. The city is literally built all around the mountain, so you can’t miss it. Not that you’d want to – the beautiful monolith was recently named as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. And the only thing better than marveling at it from below is experiencing the view from the top. The most popular way, and the way that we went up, is the cable car, which gives riders a 360 degree view as it moves up the vertical cliff face.
In the high season, I’ve heard the line for the cable car can be several hours long. But as we were there over Thanksgiving, we only spent 30 minutes in line. That being said, definitely budget time into your day if you want to take the cable car up the mountain. You can also purchase skip-the-line tickets to cut down on some of the wait time.
(For those with extra time, you can also hike up! It takes about an hour from the trailhead to the summit).
Once on top, allow for 30 minutes to an hour to walk the summit loop and visit the gift shop before heading back down to the city. The views are unbelievably stunning!…But it’s also a flat-topped mountain, so it doesn’t take long to see all that there is to see.
Prepare to be flexible: the summit closes frequently do to wind and bad weather. Even if it’s sunny and calm in the city, weather conditions on the mountain can be drastically different, so be sure to check the cable station website before heading up there.
By now, it’s been a full day of exploring Cape Town. And when in Cape Town, there’s only one proper way to end the day – by eating amazing food. Cape Town was named the 2024 Best City for Food in the world by Conde Nast. It is a veritable melting pot of cuisines from all over the world, with a high concentration of top-notch restaurants. Only in Cape Town can you get a 3-star Michelin quality meal for regular, everyday prices.
We had dinner at the wonderfully eclectic Kloof Street House. The dining room is in a Victorian era mansion that maintains it’s old world charm while being simultaneously modern and chic. If you’re looking for elevated South African cuisine, I highly recommend it.
Dinner at Kloof Street House
But it’s hard to go wrong in Cape Town. Just know that the fancier the restaurant, the farther in advance you need to make reservations. I booked ours at least a month in advance and most of the restaurants were already fully booked by then!
Day 7: Winelands
Several years ago, a fellow wine-loving friend introduced to me Pinotage, a delightfully full-bodied but easy drinking red wine. When I discovered that it was created and almost exclusively grown in South Africa, the country jumped to the top of my must-visit list. So for me, no 10 day South Africa itinerary was going to be complete without a pilgrimage to Cape Town’s famous Winelands.
Stellenbosch
The Cape Winelands encompass a broad region containing the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl and the estates surrounding them. The heart of the region is about 45 minutes to an hour from downtown Cape Town, so if you want to visit more than one winery and really enjoy the area, plan on a full day trip.
There are a few ways to visit the Winelands. First, you can absolutely take your own car and explore on your own. The upside of this is that you get to choose which wineries to visit. However, if you don’t want to keep track of just how much wine you’re tasting, I wouldn’t recommend it…lol. Why worry about being your own designated driver on vacation?
Perhaps the best way, and the one we chose, is to go on a guided tour of the Winelands. Our tour guide, Charlie, picked us up in a comfortable van directly from our Cape Town hotel. Our tour included visits to two wine estates – one stop included a wine tasting with cheese, the other a full picnic lunch with wine in the vineyard. We also got to spend an hour wandering around the stunning town of Franschoek. Along the way, we learned all about the history of the wine regions, the different grape varietals that grow there, and other interesting cultural tidbits. It was one of the best days of our entire trip! To book your own tour, go here.
Lunch and wine at Lanzerac
Day 8: Cape Point Peninsula
While South Africa is home to all of the usual African animals, there’s one that you won’t find anywhere else on the coninent – the African penguin. And those adorable little guys live in a colony right outside of Cape Town on the Cape Point Peninsula. So if you don’t want to miss your chance to see penguins, be sure to include a Peninsula tour on your 10 day South Africa itinerary.
Like the Winelands, you can visit the Peninsula either on your own or with a tour. A tour guide will be able to give you the history and information you wouldn’t know on your own (and the best way to time things to avoid other, larger tour buses). But if you drive yourself, you can go at your pace. Up to you! If you do opt for a tour, I highly recommend this one.
Regardless of how you go, these are the places you don’t want to miss on your trip to the peninsula:
Places to visit on the Peninsula:
- Chapman’s Peak Drive
- The ocean highway is carved right into the side of Chapman’s Peak, making for a windy, narrow drive not for the faint of heart. But the views are STUNNING.
- Boulders Beach Penguin Colony
- The main attraction, obviously. The African Penguin is an endangered species, so their nesting area is protected. Visitors can walk down a boardwalk to the viewing area where you can see the penguins waddling, swimming, napping, and otherwise hanging out on the beach. They’re so cute!!
- Cape of Good Hope
- This is the most south-western point of Africa (as opposed to the most southern part at Cape L’Agulhas). It’s a large protected reserve, so there are a number of things to do here. There are a few restaurants, a lighthouse, and several hiking trails. It’s the only place in the world that you can see ostriches on a sandy beach.
Day 9: Cape Town
The last day of this South Africa 10 day itinerary is dedicated to checking off activities in Cape Town that you haven’t gotten to yet.
Other Things to do in Cape Town:
- Bo-Kaap
- Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly colored houses. These date back to the 1760s, when rental houses were leased to slaves. It’s a historic area with walking tours available. You can also find cooking classes that feature the area’s signature Cape Malay cuisine.
- V/A Waterfront
- The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is bustling area full of shops and restaurants.
- Constantia Wineries
- Constantia is the oldest wine region in South Africa and it’s right in the heart of Cape Town. Groot Constantia is THE oldest winery, so if you’re really interested in history, that’s the one to visit (but expect crowds).
- Lion’s Head Hike
- Lion’s Head is the smaller peak across from Table Mountain. The hike up it only takes 45 minutes and offers incredible views of the city.
- Dinner at GOLD
- Our best meal of the entire trip, hands down, was our experience at GOLD Restaurant. At GOLD, you’re served 14 courses (they’re each small and manageable), each one representing a different region of Africa. During the meal, there are songs and dances and drum performances that showcase African culture. Each dish was exquisite and the performances were top-notch.
A few of our 14 dishes at GOLD
Day 10: Fly Home
This is always the saddest day of any trip. But with that long journey back to wherever you came from, you have plenty of time to start planning the next trip!
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It is an experience in itself to see the wildlife at its best. SA is one of the best destinations for that. Thank you for sharing the itinerary.
Love the mix of wildlife and wineries–this is on our bucket list.
This is an inspiring itinerary to see some different sides of South Africa and have a great safari experience too!
I’d love to go on another safari and Kruger seems like the best place to do it. My friend did this and raved about it. Animal encounters would be one of my top reasons to go to South Africa (penguins included), but I’m really glad you highlighted some other things to do too. The food all looks amazing too
I’ve been talking to go to South Africa with my bf for the past few years and your guide is just telling me to go now haha Saving it for my future trip (this year obviously!)
My niece just returned from her second African safari in two years. But they did it cheaply by camping. She was also lucky as her partner’s best friend drove them all over Kenya! This tour sounds fantastic.
My honeymoon in South Africa is probably my favorite trip ever. You’ve captured my favorite places here. I can’t wait to return to a safari with my kids! We did 3 or 4 days in sabi sabi private reserve and we’re still never got bored of the amazing animal viewing and incredible food.
We sure loved our visit to South Africa and enjoyed many of the spots you visited. We started in Cape Town and Stellenbosch and and then made our way north. I laughed when I read that you finally stopped taking pics of elephants after you saw so many. I totally understand that feeling.
South Africa is one of my favorite countries in the world, and there’s still so much I’d love to see. This post has inspired me to book another trip
I’ve always wanted to go to an African safari! Maybe the idea would make the husband less nervous of it was all planned out. This is a great itinerary!
Nice post! I sent it to my sister who is planning her honeymoon in South Africa!
The Cape Winelands looked fabulous! I love trying different wines from various regions! Excellent!
This sounds like an amazing trip and is definitely bucket list for me. I’d love to go on safari (obviously) but also to see the penguins and try some wine!
What a fun trip! My son would never want to leave the Kruger National Park with all his favorite animals!
Looks like a perfect plan to make the most of 10 days in South Africa! I’d love to visit Kruger National Park and the famous Table Mountain one day. Thanks for the inspiration!
This 10-day South Africa itinerary is an excellent guide that perfectly blends wildlife, stunning landscapes, and rich culture, ensuring an unforgettable experience from Johannesburg to Cape Town. It’s the ultimate travel plan for anyone looking to explore the best of South Africa!
Where and how can I book this exact itinerary? Please me the details, I plan on surprising my boyfriend as a late birthday/retirement gift. Available months to travel is July, August or September of 2026.