Skip to content
Table Mountain and Lion's Head above Table Bay, seen from a dune-backed beach, Cape Town

Sample journey · 12–16 days

South Africa — wildlife, winelands & the Cape

Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula, the Winelands, the Overberg & Greater Kruger

Photo: Shaun Meintjes / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

South Africa lets you bring together in one journey what elsewhere might take several separate trips. In Cape Town the mountain leans into the city and the ocean into the mountain; an hour's drive away the vineyard valleys begin, with their old white farmsteads, and a little further east lie the quiet bays of the Overberg, where whales often appear in the southern winter and spring.

After a few slow days in the Cape, a short flight takes you somewhere quite different: the private reserves that share an unfenced border with Kruger National Park. Here the light sets the rhythm of the day — open-vehicle drives at dawn and dusk, with long, quiet afternoons in between. This sample route is only a starting point: the pace, the stays and the order of places would be shaped around what matters most to you.

The route

The journey

  1. Cape Town
  2. Cape Peninsula
  3. Franschhoek & Stellenbosch
  4. Hermanus & the Overberg
  5. Sabi Sand (Greater Kruger)
  1. Brightly painted houses of the Bo-Kaap at the foot of Signal Hill, Cape Town

    01Days 1–3 · Cape Town

    A city beneath Table Mountain

    The first days are for getting to know the city without hurrying. Weather permitting, you might ride the cableway or hike up Table Mountain; when the wind is strong or the “tablecloth” of cloud settles on the summit, we simply swap the plans around. Then the colourful lanes of the Bo-Kaap and their Cape Malay heritage, a walk through Kirstenbosch botanical garden on the mountain's eastern slopes and sunset from Signal Hill.

  2. The Cape Point lighthouse on a rocky headland above the ocean, with mountains across False Bay in the distance

    02Day 4 · Cape Peninsula

    To the tip of the peninsula

    A full day on the peninsula: Chapman's Peak Drive, cut into the cliffs above the Atlantic, African penguins at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town, and further south the wind-blown headlands of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope in Table Mountain National Park. You can go with a driver-guide or on your own; either way it's worth leaving time for a walk along the coastal paths through the fynbos.

  3. The Franschhoek valley with its vineyards and mountain ranges, seen from the slopes of the pass

    03Days 5–7 · Franschhoek & Stellenbosch

    Slow days in the Winelands

    An hour from Cape Town the vineyards run right up to the foot of steep mountains. Franschhoek carries its Huguenot heritage and a strong food tradition; Stellenbosch is an old university town with Cape Dutch buildings in the shade of oak trees. Tastings, long lunches on the estates, a bike ride between the vineyards or simply a lazy afternoon — and so that nobody has to drive after a tasting, these days can be planned with a driver.

  4. A whale's tail rising from the water off Hermanus

    04Days 8–9 · Hermanus & the Overberg

    Cooler-climate wine and the whale coast

    East of Cape Town the road climbs over a mountain pass towards Walker Bay. In the Hemel-en-Aarde valley, where the nearby ocean cools the vineyards, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are often the wines to taste. In Hermanus a cliff path winds above the bay; roughly from June to November southern right whales are often seen right from the shore, though their timing and numbers vary each year. With more time, you could continue east for a few days along the Garden Route.

  5. Sunset over the Sabie River in Kruger National Park, with an old railway bridge in the golden light

    05Days 10–13 · Sabi Sand (Greater Kruger)

    The rhythm of the bush

    A flight from Cape Town to one of the small airports near Kruger, then on to a private reserve. Days begin before dawn: coffee, an open vehicle, a ranger and a tracker reading the prints in the sand. Private reserves often allow off-road driving to get closer to wildlife, and groups are small. Leopard, elephant or lion are seen here fairly often, but nothing in nature is guaranteed — which is exactly why no two drives are alike. Afternoons are for resting, and the evening drive ends with sunset over the bush.

  6. A tree silhouetted against the sunrise in Kruger National Park

    06Day 14 · Johannesburg

    A last morning in the bush

    One more early drive, breakfast and a flight to Johannesburg to connect home. If it appeals, you could stay a night in the city before leaving, or extend the journey elsewhere in the region.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    A morning on Table Mountain

    When the weather allows, the flat summit with the city below and the coast stretching away on either side.

  2. 02

    Penguins among the granite boulders

    At Boulders Beach a colony of African penguins lives just a few steps from the boardwalks.

  3. 03

    A long lunch among the vines

    Local produce, wine from the same estate and mountains that change colour as the afternoon goes on.

  4. 04

    Dawn in an open vehicle

    First light in the bush, a fresh print in the sand and the silence when the tracker raises a hand.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With children

    Fewer moves, penguins and beaches in Cape Town, and safari stays with family programmes. Some safari lodges set age limits for children, so we choose carefully; families also often consider reserves in the Eastern Cape, closer to the Garden Route.

  • As a honeymoon

    More nights in the Winelands, dinner among the vines, a private vehicle on safari and stays where you can simply do nothing by the river.

  • More active

    A hike up Lion's Head or Table Mountain, cycling between wine estates, the Hermanus cliff path and a walking safari with an armed ranger, where available.

  • In another season

    In the southern winter the Cape is cooler and wetter, but it is often the season for whales and for dry-season safari; in summer the Cape is warm and dry and the bush green and lush. We'd shape the route and its pace around when you travel.

Practical considerations

  • There's little or no time difference between Lithuania and South Africa — usually an hour at most — so after an overnight flight it's easier to settle in.
  • In the Western Cape many travellers drive themselves (South Africa drives on the left), while others prefer a driver-guide; in the Winelands and on safari a driver or ranger is often the most comfortable choice.
  • Cape weather changes quickly: a strong south-easterly wind blows in summer and the Table Mountain cableway sometimes closes for wind or cloud, so it's worth building some flexibility into the plans.
  • Parts of the Kruger region lie in a malaria area; check current health advice with a doctor or travel clinic. Light aircraft have strict luggage limits, and a soft bag is often required.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

Keep exploring

Destinations

Ways to travel

Related articles

More journey inspiration

Plan your journey

Shape a journey like this

Drawn to Cape Town, the Winelands and the bush alike? Tell us how you picture your journey, and we'll work out together how to combine it all at your own pace.

Shape a journey like this

This journey becomes the starting point of your enquiry — you can change or remove it.

All journey inspiration