Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
South Africa: Johannesburg, Kruger, the Garden Route and Cape Town
16 days from Johannesburg to Cape Town: Soweto, the Panorama Route, three nights by Kruger, one flight to Addo, the Garden Route, the Little Karoo, Hermanus and four nights in Cape Town.
16 days · Johannesburg to Cape Town · up to 12 guests
The Blyde River Canyon on the Panorama Route, seen from the rim Photo: Elin Jonsson elinjonsson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blyde_River_Canyon,_Sydafrika_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 16 days, 15 nights
- Start and end
- Johannesburg to Cape Town
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 9 h on day 4
- Activity level
Moderate
Most days include 1 to 3 hours on foot on paths, boardwalks and steps: the Panorama Route viewpoints, the Storms River Mouth trail (about 2 km with a few hundred steps), Robberg (about 2 km on rocky trail, longer if you choose), the Table Mountain summit and Cape Point. Game drives in Kruger and Addo are seated, and the full Kruger day is about ten hours in an open vehicle. Two driving days are long: about 5 hours on day 2 and up to 6 on day 11. Every walk has a shorter option or can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 15 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,255 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to November (Kruger's dry season May to October; whales in Hermanus June to November)
Highlights
Why this trip
- Soweto with a local guide, Vilakazi Street and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, then the Apartheid Museum
- The Three Rondavels above the Blyde River Canyon at opening, before the coaches
- A full day in Kruger from the moment the gate opens, in an open vehicle with a field guide, and a second dawn drive
- One flight from the lowveld to the coast instead of two long road days, and Addo's elephants at first light
- Storms River Mouth late in the day, Robberg above the seals and two nights in Knysna with a lagoon cruise
- Wild meerkats at sunrise and the Cango Caves in the Little Karoo
- The Hermanus cliff path at dusk and dawn, looking for southern right whales from June to November
- Four nights in Cape Town: Table Mountain on an early car, Cape Point and the penguins, and a winelands day in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 9 h, on day 4.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,255 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 9 h, on day 4.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Johannesburg: Soweto and the Apartheid Museum
O. R. Tambo International Airport to Soweto, then the Apartheid Museum and your hotel in Rosebank
- Lunch in Soweto and a welcome dinner
- Stay in Johannesburg
- Drive about 1.5 h
Fly into O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and a driver meets you in arrivals.
Evening
Plan to land by about 10 am; if your flight comes in later, we can add a night before the trip. Your See Sight Tours guide meets the group and we drive about 45 minutes to Soweto, where a local guide who lives there walks us down Vilakazi Street, past the small house where Nelson Mandela lived before his imprisonment, to the Hector Pieterson Memorial, which remembers the students shot during the 1976 uprising. Lunch is at a restaurant in Soweto. In the afternoon we visit the Apartheid Museum, about two hours through photographs, film and personal accounts from segregation to the 1994 election. It is not a light visit, so the evening is easy. If the museum is closed on our day, we go to Constitution Hill instead. We cross the Nelson Mandela Bridge as the city lights come on, check in in Rosebank, and meet for a short briefing and a welcome dinner.
Included
- Pick-up at O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)
- Soweto walk with a local guide: Vilakazi Street and the Hector Pieterson Memorial
- Lunch in Soweto
- Guided visit to the Apartheid Museum (Constitution Hill when the museum is closed)
- Welcome briefing and welcome dinner
Free time: Free after the welcome dinner
Activity: Land by about 10 am to join the Soweto afternoon. If your flight arrives later, ask us to add the night before; the rest of the trip is unchanged.
Over the escarpment to Graskop
Johannesburg to Dullstroom, over the Long Tom Pass to Sabie, then Graskop and God's Window
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Graskop
- Drive about 5 h
This is one of two long road days, about 400 km and five hours of driving, and we split it into three stretches of under two hours each. Flying to the lowveld would save little once airport time is counted, and the escarpment road is the scenery. We leave Rosebank at 8 am and head east on the N4 across the open highveld, with a coffee stop after about ninety minutes.
Afternoon
Dullstroom, a trout-fishing town at around 2,000 m, is where we sit down to lunch. From there the road runs through Lydenburg and climbs the Long Tom Pass, named after the Boer field guns hauled up it in 1900, and we stop near the top for the view over the lowveld. Then down through the pine plantations around Sabie to Graskop, a small town on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment. In the late-afternoon light we walk out to God's Window, where the cliffs drop away to the lowveld, and to Pinnacle Rock.
Evening
The evening is free in Graskop.
Included
- Drive over the highveld with your guide, via Dullstroom and the Long Tom Pass
- Sit-down lunch in Dullstroom
- God's Window and Pinnacle Rock in the late afternoon, entry fees included
Easier option: Stay at the God's Window car park viewpoint instead of the short uphill path to the rainforest lookouts.
Free time: Evening free in Graskop
Activity: Over our usual 4-hour cap; split into legs of about 1.5, 1.5 and 2 hours, with a coffee stop, lunch in Dullstroom and a viewpoint stop on the Long Tom Pass.
The Blyde River Canyon, then down to Hazyview
Graskop to the Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes and Lisbon Falls, then down the escarpment to Hazyview
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hazyview
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We are out by 7 am so we reach the Three Rondavels viewpoint near opening, before the coaches and while the morning light still reaches into the Blyde River Canyon, cut about 750 m deep into the escarpment. Three round, grass-topped peaks give the viewpoint its name, with the Blydepoort Dam far below them. Back south along the canyon rim, Bourke's Luck Potholes are deep round pools scoured into yellow rock where the Treur River meets the Blyde; a short path and footbridges cross above them.
Afternoon
On the way back we stop at Lisbon Falls, then sit down to lunch in Graskop. In the early afternoon we drive down off the escarpment to Hazyview, a market town a few minutes from Kruger's Phabeni Gate, where we stay three nights and unpack once. The rest of the afternoon is free: rest before tomorrow's dawn start, or browse the roadside stalls where carvers sell wooden animals.
Included
- The Three Rondavels viewpoint over the Blyde River Canyon near opening
- Bourke's Luck Potholes
- Lisbon Falls
- Sit-down lunch in Graskop
- Panorama Route entry fees
Easier option: Stay on the paved paths at the Three Rondavels and the first footbridge at Bourke's Luck.
More active option: Walk the full circuit of footbridges and paths at Bourke's Luck Potholes, about 45 minutes with steps.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Hazyview
A full day in Kruger
Hazyview into Kruger National Park by Phabeni Gate, along the Sabie River to Lower Sabie and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hazyview
- Drive about 9 h
Kruger covers almost 20,000 square kilometres of lowveld and has been a national park since 1926.
Morning
We leave Hazyview before dawn with coffee and rusks so we are at the gate when it opens, about 5:30 am in summer and 6 am in winter, because the first two hours give the best chance of lions and leopards still on the move. You ride in an open safari vehicle with a qualified field guide at the wheel and your See Sight Tours guide alongside, no more than eight guests to a vehicle. We follow the Sabie River east, looking for elephants, buffalo and hippos at the water.
Afternoon
Breakfast is a picnic at a designated stop, and lunch is a sit-down meal at Lower Sabie rest camp, on a deck above the river. In the midday heat we slow down at the dams and waterholes, then work back west as the light softens, leaving the park before the gate closes.
Evening
Dinner is together in Hazyview.
Included
- Full-day drive in Kruger National Park in an open safari vehicle with a qualified field guide
- Kruger conservation fees
- Picnic breakfast in the park
- Sit-down lunch at Lower Sabie rest camp
- Dinner in Hazyview
Activity: A game-drive day: about nine hours and 200 km in an open vehicle at park speeds, Hazyview to Phabeni Gate (about 12 km) and inside the park to Lower Sabie and back, with stops. A long day, about eleven hours, mostly seated in an open vehicle. Dawn is cold in winter: bring a warm jacket, a hat and binoculars. Sightings are never guaranteed.
Dawn in Kruger, a free afternoon
Hazyview into Kruger by Paul Kruger Gate towards Skukuza, and back
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hazyview
- Drive about 6 h
Morning
A second morning in the park, by a different gate. We leave at first light for Paul Kruger Gate and spend about five hours on the roads around Skukuza and the Sabie and Sand rivers in an open vehicle with a field guide, the best hours before the heat sends the animals into the shade. Yesterday's sightings shape the plan: if the group is still hoping for leopard, rhino or wild dog, your guide and the field guide decide where to look, and rangers share sightings by radio.
Afternoon
Breakfast is a picnic in the park, and we are back in Hazyview before lunch.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are yours, the only properly free half-day in the north: rest by the pool, have lunch in town, or sign up for an optional sunset drive with a park guide. Tomorrow we fly to the coast, so this is also a good evening to repack into the soft bag the regional flight prefers.
Included
- Dawn half-day drive in Kruger in an open safari vehicle with a qualified field guide
- Kruger conservation fee
- Picnic breakfast in the park
Optional experiences
- Sunset drive in Kruger with a park guide, where available for guests staying outside the park, priced at booking
Easier option: Skip the dawn drive and sleep in; the afternoon is free for everyone.
More active option: Swap the drive for a guided morning bush walk with armed park rangers, about three hours, where available on your date (priced at booking).
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Hazyview
Activity: A game-drive morning: about 150 km and six hours in an open vehicle, including about 45 km each way between Hazyview and Paul Kruger Gate.
Fly from the lowveld to the coast
Hazyview to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP), fly to Gqeberha (PLZ), then Addo
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Addo
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
An unhurried breakfast, then about 50 km and 45 minutes to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) near Mbombela. From here we fly to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha, the city on Algoa Bay that was called Port Elizabeth until 2021. There is no direct service between the two, so the flight connects, usually through Johannesburg or Cape Town; it replaces two long road days that other trips spend crossing the country. Your See Sight Tours guide flies with the group and handles the connection, and you see the exact flights in your final itinerary. A driver meets us at PLZ for the drive of about an hour north to Addo Elephant National Park, where we stay at a lodge near the main gate.
Evening
We arrive in the late afternoon, in time for a walk around the grounds as the light goes, and dinner is at the lodge. Tomorrow starts early in the park.
Included
- Transfer to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP)
- Flight from MQP to Gqeberha (PLZ), with a connection and checked baggage
- Transfer from PLZ to Addo
- Dinner at the Addo lodge
Free time: Evening free at the lodge after dinner
Activity: Regional aircraft have tighter cabin and hold limits; we confirm the baggage allowance with your dates.
Addo at dawn, Tsitsikamma by evening
A guided drive in Addo Elephant National Park, then Jeffreys Bay and Storms River Mouth
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Storms River
- Drive about 3.5 h
Addo was proclaimed in 1931 to protect the last eleven elephants left in the area, and today it holds several hundred.
Morning
At first light a field guide takes us out in an open vehicle for about three hours, when family groups come down to the waterholes; buffalo, zebra, kudu and warthogs are common, and watch the road for the flightless dung beetle, which has right of way.
Afternoon
Back at the lodge for breakfast, then past Gqeberha and west on the N2, about an hour and three quarters to Jeffreys Bay, the surf town, for a sit-down lunch near the beach. Another hour and a half brings us to Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park.
Evening
We walk the boardwalk trail through milkwood forest to the suspension bridge across the river mouth in the late afternoon, after most day visitors have gone, and stay the night nearby. With the dawn drive this is a full day: about 270 km and three and a half hours of driving in all.
Included
- Dawn guided game drive in Addo in an open vehicle with a field guide
- Addo Elephant National Park conservation fee
- Sit-down lunch in Jeffreys Bay
- Storms River Mouth suspension bridge trail with your guide, Tsitsikamma entry included
Easier option: Skip the dawn drive and have breakfast at the lodge; walk only as far as the first viewpoint on the Storms River Mouth trail.
More active option: Climb the steep path from the far side of the suspension bridge to the lookout above the river mouth, about 30 minutes more, with rough steps.
Free time: Evening free in Storms River
Activity: The boardwalk to the bridge has a few hundred steps up and down; take it slowly and the walk is about an hour there and back.
Bloukrans, Robberg and on to Knysna
Storms River over the Bloukrans bridge to Nature's Valley and Plettenberg Bay, then Knysna
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Knysna
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Early risers can walk back to the river mouth before breakfast, when the coast is empty. Then west on the N2 to the Bloukrans bridge, where we stop at the viewpoint above the gorge; the bridge carries a commercial bungee jump for anyone who wants it. A short detour drops through forest to Nature's Valley, a quiet lagoon and beach inside the national park. By mid-morning we are at Robberg Nature Reserve outside Plettenberg Bay, a narrow peninsula of sandstone cliffs where Cape fur seals haul out on the rocks below and dolphins pass offshore. The Gap circuit takes about an hour.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Plett, then half an hour on to Knysna, where we stay two nights by the lagoon.
Evening
We arrive mid-afternoon and the rest of the day is yours: the waterfront, the shops on the main street, or an early dinner of the town's oysters.
Included
- Bloukrans bridge viewpoint
- Nature's Valley
- Walk in Robberg Nature Reserve with your guide, entry included
- Sit-down lunch in Plettenberg Bay
Optional experiences
- Bloukrans bridge bungee jump, priced at booking
Easier option: Walk only the short Gap circuit at Robberg, about 2 km, or stay at the viewpoint above the beach.
More active option: The Witsand circuit at Robberg, about 5.5 km and 2.5 hours, down to the sand spit and the island; rocky in places, with steep steps.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Knysna
Activity: Robberg paths are rocky with some steep steps and exposed edges; good shoes matter.
Knysna: the Heads and the lagoon
Knysna to the Eastern Head, then a cruise on the Knysna Lagoon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Knysna
- Drive about 30 min
Evening
A slower day, and the second night in the same bed. After breakfast we drive up to the Eastern Head, one of the two sandstone cliffs that guard the narrow mouth of the Knysna Lagoon, to watch the Indian Ocean surge through the channel, and walk down to the rocks at its foot. Late morning we take a cruise on the lagoon, a sheltered estuary protected as part of the Garden Route National Park, out towards the Heads to see the channel from the water and back past the oyster beds and the wetland birds. Lunch is a sit-down meal at the waterfront, with Knysna oysters for anyone who wants them. The afternoon and evening are free. Walk the boardwalks at Thesen Island, browse the town, or join your guide for a walk in the old Knysna forest, where giant yellowwoods grow and a few elephants still roam, though they are rarely seen.
Included
- Knysna Heads from the Eastern Head
- Cruise on the Knysna Lagoon
- Sit-down lunch at the Knysna waterfront
Easier option: Stay at the Eastern Head viewpoint and skip the steps down to the rocks.
More active option: An afternoon forest walk with your guide in the Knysna forest, about 2 hours on shaded trails.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Knysna
Activity: Cruises depend on sea and weather at the Heads; if one cannot run, we move it to the morning of day 10.
Over the Outeniqua Pass to the Cango Caves
Knysna to Buffalo Bay and Wilderness, over the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn and the Cango Caves
- Breakfast
- Stay in Oudtshoorn
- Drive about 3 h
We leave Knysna at about 9 am and turn off the N2 for Buffalo Bay (Buffelsbaai), a long beach backed by dunes and fynbos on the edge of the Goukamma reserve, for a walk by the water.
Afternoon
Further west we stop at the lookout above Wilderness, where the rivers and lakes meet the sea, then take lunch at your own pace in the village. From George the road climbs the Outeniqua Pass, where the green forest of the coast gives way to the dry slopes of the Little Karoo, and drops into Oudtshoorn. In the afternoon we drive about 30 km up the Cango Valley to the Cango Caves, a limestone cave system in the foothills of the Swartberg, where a local guide leads the Heritage Tour, about an hour through great chambers of stalagmites and flowstone on lit paths with steps.
Evening
The evening is free in Oudtshoorn, among the sandstone mansions the ostrich-feather barons built before the First World War.
Included
- Buffels Bay beach walk
- Wilderness lookout
- The Outeniqua Pass
- Cango Caves Heritage Tour with a local guide
Optional experiences
- Ostrich farm visit (we do not include ostrich riding), priced at booking
Easier option: The Heritage Tour of the caves is gentle; stay at the beach car park at Buffalo Bay if you prefer.
More active option: Take the Cango Caves Adventure Tour instead: about 90 minutes of crawling and squeezing through narrow passages, not for anyone uneasy in tight spaces (the difference in price is shown at booking).
Free time: Lunch at your own pace in Wilderness; evening free in Oudtshoorn
Meerkats at sunrise, then the whale coast
Oudtshoorn to a meerkat burrow at sunrise, over the Robinson Pass to Mossel Bay, then Swellendam and Hermanus
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hermanus
- Drive about 6 h
An early start, for good reason.
Morning
At sunrise we sit on folding chairs a few metres from the burrows of a family of wild meerkats, used to quiet visitors but never fed or handled, and watch them climb out, stand sentry and turn their bellies to the sun. The visit runs only in dry weather.
Evening
Back for breakfast, and then the longer of our two long road days, about 420 km and up to six hours of driving, split into three stretches of two hours or less; stopping in between would add another one-night hotel. Over the Robinson Pass to Mossel Bay for coffee by the sea, then west on the N2 to Swellendam, founded in 1745 and one of the oldest towns in the country, for a sit-down lunch. The last leg runs through the wheat country around Caledon and down the Hemel-en-Aarde valley to Hermanus. We arrive late afternoon, in time to walk the cliff path at dusk; from June to November southern right whales come into Walker Bay, often close to the rocks.
Included
- Wild meerkat visit at sunrise with a local guide (dry weather only)
- Coffee stop in Mossel Bay
- Sit-down lunch in Swellendam
- Hermanus cliff path walk at dusk with your guide
Easier option: Skip the meerkat start and meet the group at breakfast.
Free time: Evening free in Hermanus
Activity: Over our usual 4-hour cap; split into legs of about 1.5, 2 and 2 hours, with coffee in Mossel Bay and lunch in Swellendam. The meerkat visit is cold before sunrise in winter: bring a warm jacket.
Clarence Drive and Kirstenbosch into Cape Town
Hermanus along Clarence Drive (R44) to Gordon's Bay, then Kirstenbosch and Cape Town
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cape Town
- Drive about 2.5 h
The cliff path again at about 7:30 am for anyone who wants it, when Walker Bay is often calm and whales in season are easiest to spot.
Morning
After breakfast we head west along the coast through Kleinmond and Betty's Bay, then take Clarence Drive, the R44, which clings to the mountains above False Bay, with stops at the lookouts.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal by the sea at Gordon's Bay. In the afternoon we cross the Cape Flats to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, which grows plants from across southern Africa, including proteas and the fynbos of the Cape. Walk the canopy walkway, known as the Boomslang, through the treetops, or sit on the lawns under the mountain. We reach our central Cape Town hotel by about 5 pm and stay four nights, so you unpack once.
Evening
The evening is free in the city.
Included
- Early cliff path walk in Hermanus
- Clarence Drive (R44) along False Bay
- Sit-down lunch in Gordon's Bay
- Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, entry included
Optional experiences
- Boat-based whale watching from Hermanus harbour, June to November, about 2 hours, priced at booking (instead of the early walk)
Easier option: Skip the 7:30 am walk; at Kirstenbosch, stay on the paved paths near the entrance.
Free time: Evening free in Cape Town
Activity: Whales are seasonal, roughly June to November and most reliable from August to October; they are never guaranteed.
Table Mountain early, the Bo-Kaap at lunch
Central Cape Town to the Table Mountain cableway, then the Bo-Kaap
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cape Town
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We are at the lower cable station for one of the first cars of the morning, around 8 am (a little later in winter), ahead of the queues and before the wind usually picks up. The rotating car climbs to the flat summit, more than 1,000 m above the sea, in about five minutes, and easy paths lead to views over the city, Robben Island and the Twelve Apostles running south down the Atlantic coast. If the cableway is closed for wind or cloud, we swap this morning with one of the next two days. Back down, a local guide walks us through the Bo-Kaap, the steep streets of brightly painted houses on the slopes of Signal Hill. This is the home of the Cape Malay community, whose ancestors were brought to the Cape from South and South East Asia from the 17th century, many of them enslaved.
Afternoon
Lunch is Cape Malay cooking in the neighbourhood.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are yours.
Included
- Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, return ticket, at one of the first cars
- Bo-Kaap walk with a local guide
- Cape Malay lunch in the Bo-Kaap
Optional experiences
- Robben Island tour from the V&A Waterfront (about 3.5 hours; book ahead; sailings are often cancelled by wind)
Easier option: Stay near the upper cable station, where the viewpoints and the cafe are a few minutes' walk apart on level paths.
More active option: Walk the summit paths out to Maclear's Beacon, the highest point of the mountain, about 1.5 hours there and back on rough, rocky trail.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free: the Zeitz MOCAA museum at the Waterfront, the Company's Garden, or Robben Island
Activity: The cableway shuts for about two weeks of annual maintenance, usually mid-year; on those dates we drive up Signal Hill instead and tell you before you book.
The Cape Peninsula: penguins and Cape Point
Cape Town down the False Bay side to Boulders Beach and Cape Point, back by Chapman's Peak Drive
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cape Town
- Drive about 3.5 h
We run the peninsula in the order that avoids the crowds. We leave at about 7:45 am down the False Bay side, past Muizenberg's beach huts and Kalk Bay's fishing harbour, to reach Boulders Beach close to opening, when the boardwalks above the granite coves are quiet and the African penguins are busy on the sand. They are now listed as critically endangered, so we watch only from the boardwalks. Next is the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park: walk or ride the funicular up to the old lighthouse at Cape Point for the view down both coasts, then stop at the Cape of Good Hope sign on the rocks. It is the south-western tip of Africa; the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, further east.
Afternoon
Lunch is fresh fish in Simon's Town. In the afternoon we drive back up the Atlantic side on Chapman's Peak Drive, with the sun on the cliffs, and are in Cape Town by late afternoon.
Included
- Boulders Beach penguin colony, entry included
- Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park entry
- Cape Point funicular
- Lunch in Simon's Town
- Chapman's Peak Drive (toll included)
Easier option: Ride the funicular both ways at Cape Point and stay on the boardwalks at Boulders Beach.
More active option: Walk the coastal trail from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope, about an hour on a rocky path with steps; the van meets you at the other end.
Free time: Evening free in Cape Town
Activity: Cape Point is windy: bring a warm layer even in summer. If Chapman's Peak Drive is closed for rockfall or wind, we return by Ou Kaapse Weg and lose only the lookouts.
The Winelands: Franschhoek and Stellenbosch
Cape Town to Franschhoek, over the Helshoogte Pass to Stellenbosch, and back to Cape Town
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cape Town
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
We leave after breakfast for the Cape Winelands, about an hour and a quarter east to Franschhoek, a valley of vineyards closed in by mountains on three sides. French Huguenot refugees settled here from 1688, and the Huguenot Monument at the end of the main street remembers them.
Afternoon
We taste at one wine estate in the morning, then sit down to a long lunch in the valley; nobody in the group has to drive, so take your time. Non-drinkers get a grape juice or food pairing where the estate offers one. Mid-afternoon we cross the Helshoogte Pass to Stellenbosch, founded in 1679, and your guide walks you down oak-lined Dorp Street to the Braak, the old village green, past the Cape Dutch houses of the Village Museum. A second tasting at an estate outside town closes the afternoon.
Evening
Back in Cape Town by about 6 pm, we sit down together for a farewell dinner.
Included
- Huguenot Monument, Franschhoek
- Wine tasting at an estate in the Franschhoek valley
- Long sit-down lunch in Franschhoek
- Guided walk through old Stellenbosch: Dorp Street and the Braak
- Second wine tasting near Stellenbosch
- Farewell dinner in Cape Town
Depart from Cape Town
Central Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The last morning is free. Walk to the V&A Waterfront for a last look at Table Mountain over the harbour, wander the Company's Garden, or take a slow breakfast after a full sixteen days. Check-out is usually late morning, and the hotel can hold your bags.
Evening
A driver takes you the 20 km to Cape Town International Airport (CPT), about half an hour, at a time that suits your flight; your guide checks every departure the evening before. Most flights home connect through Johannesburg or a European or Middle Eastern hub, and a few fly direct to North America; book a flight leaving after about 1 pm so the morning is not a rush. If you want more time in the Cape, we can add nights in Cape Town or the winelands, or a few days on the Garden Route, and quote them when you request to book.
Included
- Drop-off at Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
Free time: Morning free in Cape Town
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm.
- Johannesburg1 night
- Graskop1 night
- Hazyview3 nights
- Addo1 night
- Storms River1 night
- Knysna2 nights
- Oudtshoorn1 night
- Hermanus1 night
- Cape Town4 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May to October is the dry season in Kruger: the bush thins, animals gather at the rivers and game viewing is at its best, with cold dawns and warm days. It is also winter in the Cape, cooler and wetter, and whale season in Hermanus from June. September to November brings spring flowers in the Cape and the last whales. December to March is hot and wet in the lowveld, with green bush and newborn animals but harder viewing, and peak summer in Cape Town.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want the whole country in one trip: history in Johannesburg, Kruger, the coast and Cape Town
- Travellers who want real game viewing as well as the Cape, without three days on the road
- People who prefer a published drive time for every day and a sit-down lunch on the long ones
- Solo travellers who want company without a big coach group
Not for you if you want
- A private-reserve safari focus with off-road tracking: Kruger here is the national park on public roads (see our Cape Town, Winelands and Kruger trip for a private reserve)
- Anyone who wants to stay in each place several nights: this is a circuit, with six single-night stops
- Travellers on a short break: our 10-day trips cover the Cape and the Garden Route, or Kruger, on their own
- Step-free access: the Panorama Route, Storms River Mouth, Robberg, Table Mountain and Cape Point all have steps
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
15 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Johannesburg1 night
- Graskop1 night
- Hazyview3 nights
- Addo1 night
- Storms River1 night
- Knysna2 nights
- Oudtshoorn1 night
- Hermanus1 night
- Cape Town4 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 15 nights: 1 in Johannesburg (Rosebank), 1 in Graskop, 3 in Hazyview near Kruger's Phabeni Gate, 1 at a lodge near the main gate of Addo Elephant National Park, 1 at Storms River in Tsitsikamma, 2 in Knysna, 1 in Oudtshoorn, 1 in Hermanus near the cliff path, 4 in central Cape Town
- Central hotels and lodges of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) on day 1 and drop-off at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) on day 16
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, and again from Gqeberha to Cape Town
- Open safari vehicles with qualified field guides in Kruger (no more than 8 guests per vehicle) and at Addo
- Flight from Kruger Mpumalanga International (MQP) to Gqeberha (PLZ), with a connection and checked baggage
- The Knysna Lagoon cruise and the Chapman's Peak Drive toll
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, including the flight
- Local guides in Soweto, the Bo-Kaap, the Cango Caves and at the meerkat visit
- Field guides for the game drives in Kruger and Addo
Activities
- Johannesburg: Soweto walk with a local guide, the Hector Pieterson Memorial, the Apartheid Museum
- Panorama Route: God's Window, the Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes and Lisbon Falls, with entry fees
- Kruger National Park: a full-day drive and a dawn half-day drive in open vehicles, conservation fees
- Addo Elephant National Park: dawn guided game drive and conservation fee
- Tsitsikamma: Storms River Mouth suspension bridge trail and park entry
- Plettenberg Bay: Robberg Nature Reserve walk and entry
- Knysna: the Eastern Head and a lagoon cruise
- Oudtshoorn: Cango Caves Heritage Tour, wild meerkats at sunrise
- Hermanus: cliff path walks with your guide
- Cape Town: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway return ticket, Bo-Kaap walk
- Cape Peninsula: Boulders Beach, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope with park entry and the funicular, Chapman's Peak Drive
- Winelands: tastings at a Franschhoek estate and a Stellenbosch estate, Stellenbosch walk
Meals
- Breakfast daily (15)
- 12 lunches: Soweto, Dullstroom, Graskop, Lower Sabie rest camp in Kruger, Jeffreys Bay, Plettenberg Bay, the Knysna waterfront, Swellendam, Gordon's Bay, the Bo-Kaap, Simon's Town and Franschhoek
- 4 dinners: welcome dinner in Johannesburg, Hazyview after the full Kruger day, the Addo lodge and a farewell dinner in Cape Town
Not included
- International flights to Johannesburg and home from Cape Town
- Travel insurance
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Malaria prophylaxis and other vaccinations
- 11 dinners and lunch on days 5, 6, 10 and 16
- Drinks, other than the wine tastings
- Tips for your guide, drivers and field guides
- Optional activities: a Kruger sunset drive or bush walk, the Bloukrans bungee, an ostrich farm visit, the Cango Caves Adventure Tour upgrade, Hermanus whale boat, Robben Island
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,255 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Fifteen nights in central hotels and lodges, breakfast daily, twelve lunches and four dinners, airport transfers at both ends, the flight from the Kruger area to Gqeberha, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, from Soweto and the Apartheid Museum to Kruger and Addo game drives, the Table Mountain cableway and two wine tastings.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one vehicle with one guide, so everyone gets a window seat on the passes and fits around one table at lunch. In Kruger we use open safari vehicles with no more than eight guests each. Private departures for your party only are also available.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Johannesburg to Cape Town, including the flight. Local guides lead the Soweto walk, the Bo-Kaap, the Cango Caves and the meerkat visit, and qualified field guides drive the open safari vehicles in Kruger and Addo. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately active. Most days include one to three hours on foot on paths, boardwalks and steps, at the Panorama Route viewpoints, Storms River Mouth, Robberg, Table Mountain and Cape Point. Each walk has a shorter option or can be skipped. The full Kruger day is about eleven hours seated in an open vehicle, which is tiring in its own way.
I am travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,255 more, shown up front when you request to book. If you would rather share, ask us: when another solo traveller on your departure also wants to share, we can pair you, and we tell you before anything is confirmed. Solo guests get the same seats, tables and plans as everyone else.
When is the best time to go?
May to October is best for Kruger: the bush is dry and thin, and animals gather at the water. It is also whale season in Hermanus from June, though Cape Town is cooler and wetter then. September to November suits both ends well. December to March is hot and wet in the lowveld, and the trip still runs year-round.
Is there malaria on this trip?
Yes, on part of it. Kruger and the lowveld, days 3 to 6, are in a malaria area, with lower risk in the dry winter months. Ask your doctor or travel clinic about prophylaxis before you travel. The Garden Route, the Little Karoo, Hermanus and Cape Town are outside malaria areas.
Will we see the Big Five?
We give you a good chance, not a promise. Kruger holds all five, and with a full day and a dawn drive most groups see elephants, buffalo and often lions; leopard and rhino need more luck. Addo adds elephant herds at close range. Animals are wild, so we never guarantee a sighting.
Why fly from Kruger to Gqeberha instead of driving?
Because the drive is more than 1,300 km, two long days in the vehicle. One flight, connecting through Johannesburg or Cape Town, takes most of a day but lands us at Addo by evening. Your guide flies with you, and the checked bag is included; we confirm the allowance on the regional aircraft with your dates.
How long are the drives?
Most days drive one to four hours with stops. Two days are longer: Johannesburg to Graskop on day 2 and Oudtshoorn to Hermanus on day 11, about five and up to six hours, each split into legs of two hours or less with a coffee stop and a sit-down lunch. Every day's drive time is in the day plan.
Do I need a visa for South Africa?
Canadian, US, UK and most EU citizens can currently visit visa-free for up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days after you leave South Africa and have at least two blank pages. Entry rules change, so we confirm the requirements for your passport when you book.
How does booking work, and can we choose our own dates?
Choose a start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken with the request. The small group starts from CAD 7,375 per person sharing, taxes included. For your own dates, book the private trip, or ask us for an independent quote with the same hotels and activities.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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- Local1-289-271-9767
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