There is so much to see and do in South Africa that 10 days is barely enough time. However, if this is all the time you have, then let’s make the best of it! From the Panorama Route in the east to the lush Western Cape, South Africa is unbelievably beautiful and has diverse and unique landscapes.
It’s also rich in amazing fauna, from sea and land predators like great white sharks and lions to gentle mammoths like African elephants and whales. With its remarkable wildlife, top-notch restaurants, stunning mountain ranges, and pristine coastlines, South Africa is a paradise at the bottom of the world.
You can easily fly between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Here are some sample itineraries that will help you plan your 10 days in South Africa!
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. 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. South Africa has a whopping eleven official languages, the most prominent being Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans.
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This is one reason why it’s best to start your trip in Johannesburg (or “Joburg”) and end it with Cape Town.
GARDEN ROUTE, SOUTH AFRICA (2024) | 10 Highlights On A Garden Route Road Trip (+ Travel Tips)
Day 1: Johannesburg
The thriving city of Johannesburg is worth at least one day during your time in South Africa. 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.
Johannesburg is the largest city in the country and was established in the 19th-century as a gold-mining settlement. It was home to two prominent world leaders, namely Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. You can actually visit Mandela’s house in Johannesburg and Archbishop Tutu’s house is coincidentally on the same street!
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. 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.
Johannesburg CBD.
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Day 2: Panorama Route
I really enjoyed the Panorama Route and think it is fully worth dedicating one day of your 10 days in South Africa to drive it. The Panorama Route lies between Johannesburg and Kruger National Park so it makes for an easy addition to this itinerary. You can either drive it on the way to Kruger from Johannesburg or from Kruger back to Johannesburg. Regardless of direction, leave your starting point early as there is much to see.
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). 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.
From Dullstroom to Lydenburg, the route drives through grassy mountains, rolling farmlands, and rows and rows of beautifully manicured orchards. Just outside of Lydenburg, get on R36 to begin South Africa’s famous Panorama Route.
The most well-known of these is Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world. 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. 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.
If you are coming from Johannesburg, spend the night near Kruger National Park if possible so that you can do an early morning game drive in Kruger. 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.
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Blyde River Canyon.
Days 3-4: Kruger National Park
You could probably spend a lifetime in Kruger! The interesting thing about wild life is that you could spend a few hours in the park and see all of it or spend weeks and see only a few of the coveted animals. Since you only have 2 days my recommendation is to stay inside the park and to stay at Skukuza Rest Camp.
There is an airport just a few miles from the rest camp and therefore this makes for a very convenient location for anyone on a time crunch. Skukuza is huge! If Kruger were a country, Skukuza would be its capital. How do you see the park and do game drives? Check out my very details posts on Kruger! I cover all you need to know about planning a visit and how to self-drive.
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!
Kruger is also very popular because you can explore the park however you wish. 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.
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. The other reason is that Kruger is, again, massive. You’ll visit different areas of the park where different animals live on each day. 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.
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. 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.
Kruger National Park.
Days 5-9: Cape Town
Cape Town is one of the most spectacular places I have been to. With distinct mountains, cliff slide views, stunning beaches, and an amazing food scene, it is no wonder that so many people who visit Cape Town keep wanting to go back. 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.
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. We stayed in the Cresta Grand Cape Town. It’s a lovely, modern hotel with amazing staff and a delightful breakfast.
Exploring Cape Town
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!
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.
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.
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.
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. (For those with extra time, you can also hike up! 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. Prepare to be flexible: the summit closes frequently do to wind and bad weather.
Cape Town's Culinary Scene
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.
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. 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.
Cape Town.
Day 7: Cape 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.
Its coastline is made up of pristine white beaches and water the color of turquoise. 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.
The Cape Winelands encompass a broad region containing the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl and the estates surrounding them. 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.
Perhaps the best way, and the one we chose, is to go on a guided tour of the Winelands. 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!
Franschhoek.
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.
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!
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. 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.
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.
Cape Point Peninsula.
Day 9: Bo-Kaap & GOLD Restaurant
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. Constantia is the oldest wine region in South Africa and it’s right in the heart of Cape Town. Lion’s Head is the smaller peak across from Table Mountain.
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.
Bo-Kaap.
Day 10: Departure
This is always the saddest day of any trip. 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!
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