South Africa safari and city trip - 17 days

Touch down in Cape Town and begin your South Africa travel experience with a warm airport welcome and private transfer to your hotel. Settle in, refresh, and take your first stroll through the vibrant streets nearby, discovering local cafés, markets, and waterfront views.

Capture your first Table Mountain vistas, taste Cape Town’s culinary flair, and feel the city’s creative energy as your city and safari trip in South Africa begins.

After breakfast, set out on a guided half-day tour of Cape Town and discover the city’s rich cultural mix. Visit City Hall and the Castle of Good Hope, the country’s oldest surviving colonial building and a window into South Africa’s layered history.

Continue to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway for sweeping views across Cape Town, framed by Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head, and the Atlantic Ocean. At the summit, follow the walking viewpoints, pause for a snack, or browse the curio shop as you take in the Mother City from above.

Enjoy a full day at leisure in Cape Town, with time to explore the city at your own pace. Wander colorful neighborhoods and lively markets, taste local dishes at waterfront cafés, or relax on golden beaches framed by rugged mountains.

You can also discover Cape Town’s creative side through galleries, street art, and artisan boutiques.

After breakfast, set out from your hotel on a privately guided Cape Peninsula tour, a scenic highlight of your city and safari trip in South Africa.

Trace the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines, pausing in the fishing village of Hout Bay before continuing to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point, the most southwesterly tip of Africa.

On your return, soak up local character in Simon’s Town, the fishing port of Kalk Bay, and the leafy wine country of Constantia.

Join a guided group tour of Robben Island, with transfers from your hotel to the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront. After the ferry crossing, walk past historic buildings and the high wall built by prisoners in the 1960s.

Continue by bus with a Robben Island guide, who brings the island’s 500-year history into focus. Visit the leprosy graveyard, Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, Bluestone Quarry, military bunkers, and the Maximum Security Prison, ending at Nelson Mandela’s cell.

Explore the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the vibrant heart of Cape Town and a highlight of any South Africa itinerary. Stroll beside the country’s oldest working harbor as fishing boats unload their catch, and tugboats guide ships into port.

Browse boutiques and craft stores, pause for fresh seafood or Cape cuisine, then ride the Cape Wheel for sweeping views of the city, harbor, and Table Mountain. Along the way, watch drawbridges lift for sailing vessels and enjoy live music, dance, and theater at the outdoor amphitheater.

Step into the thrilling marine world of the great white shark on an expert-guided trip from Gansbaai Harbour. Cruise aboard one of the area’s largest and most stable boats, with a specialist crew who know these waters well.

Choose to enter the secure cage for a close-up encounter, or watch the action from the spacious deck. Along the way, learn about shark behavior, conservation, and the wider marine life that makes this coastline so remarkable.

Savor a relaxed day in Cape Town, with time to shape this part of your city and safari trip in South Africa around you. Wake slowly, sip local coffee at a streetside café, and wander colorful neighborhoods or waterfront boutiques at your own pace.

Speak to your travel designer to tailor the day to your style, from a privately guided food tasting to a sunset cruise or a scenic hike above the city. Enjoy the freedom to follow your curiosity while we take care of the details.

After breakfast, your private guide collects you for a full day in the Cape Winelands, one of the best places to visit in South Africa for wine, scenery, and heritage. Travel through the scenic triangle of Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek, learning how world-class wines are crafted from vineyard to cellar.

Stroll Stellenbosch’s oak-lined streets and admire its historic architecture. In Franschhoek, trace the legacy of the French Huguenots who helped shape the region’s wine culture. In Paarl, explore the heart of Afrikaner heritage before enjoying curated wine and cheese tastings at handpicked estates.

End the day by settling into your hotel in the Winelands.

Savor a slow day in the Winelands, designed for authentic, tailor-made travel. Stroll through sunlit vineyards, enjoy intimate wine or chocolate tastings, and meet local producers who bring the region’s flavors to life.

Linger over a long lunch at a picturesque estate, explore nearby villages, or unwind by the pool at your boutique hotel. Shape the day around your tastes, from curated cellar visits to quiet moments in nature.

Your private driver collects you from your Winelands hotel and takes you through scenic vineyard country to Cape Town Airport. Fly from Cape Town to Hoedspruit, watching the landscape shift from coastline to bushveld.

On arrival, transfer to your safari lodge in Kruger National Park, settle into your new surroundings, and get ready for the wildlife encounters that define a city and safari trip in South Africa.

Experience a full day 4x4 game drive in the legendary Kruger National Park. Travel through vast wilderness in search of the Big Five, from mighty African elephants to elusive leopards resting in trees.

Scan the savanna for buffalo herds, rhinos, and prides of lions, while your guide also reveals smaller wonders such as the dwarf butterfly. Pause at a rest camp to stretch, enjoy refreshments, and take in the atmosphere of this iconic reserve.

Settle into a second full day of wildlife viewing in Kruger National Park, following fresh tracks and quieter backroads in search of big cats, elephants, and rare birdlife.

With your guide tailoring the route to your interests, linger at waterholes, learn how to read animal behavior, and capture the kind of wildlife moments that stay with you long after the journey ends.

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the legendary Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, one of the best places in the Greater Kruger for big cat sightings. Follow the Sand and Sabi Rivers with expert guides, where leopard encounters are especially rewarding.

Explore renowned safari areas such as Mala Mala, Djuma, Lion Sands, Sabi Sabi, Londolozi, Singita, and Ulusaba. Between drives, deepen the experience with guided walking safaris and atmospheric bush dinners beneath star-filled skies, with the distant roar of lions carrying through the night.

Wake to your final morning in Kruger National Park and take in the sights and sounds of the bush one last time. Your driver will collect you from your lodge and transfer you to Hoedspruit or Skukuza Airport for your flight to Johannesburg.

On arrival, transfer to your hotel and shift from wilderness to city energy, adding an urban finale to your city and safari trip in South Africa. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or start exploring Johannesburg’s culture, dining, and nightlife.

Discover the pulse of Johannesburg on a panoramic city tour through central Jozi, where high-rise towers, historic landmarks, and everyday urban life reveal the city’s layered character.

Take in wide views from the Carlton Centre’s Top of Africa deck, admire the striking diamond-shaped 11 Diagonal Street designed by Helmut Jahn, and see the iconic cylindrical Ponte City Towers.

From above, look out across the suburbs, distant Pretoria, and old mine dumps before exploring exhibits on Gandhi and South Africa’s complex past.

Enjoy a relaxed final morning in Johannesburg, with time for breakfast and one last glimpse of the city. At the arranged time, your private transfer will take you to OR Tambo International Airport for your departure flight.

Your city and safari trip in South Africa ends with vivid memories of Cape Town, the Winelands, Kruger, and Johannesburg, shaped around the way you like to travel.