Top 6 road trips to visit South Africa

Planning your circuit is above all a question of time. So how many days does it take to visit South Africa? The most common is 15 days with a large part in the Cape region and the garden route and the rest on safari in Kruger National Park and around Johannesburg and Soweto. Personally, we recommend 21 days (3 weeks) with a program that covers most of the country. The complete loop is done in 30 days and if you are lucky enough to be able to stay 1 month then go for it. But if you only have 10 days or even 7 days, South Africa is still an attractive destination because almost all of the world famous sites are in Cape Town or its region: Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Town , the wine route of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the garden route (or Garden Route), the Cape of Good Hope, Muizenberg, the white sharks of Hermanus, etc ... To better decide, this article explains in detail what each of our itineraries from one week to 1 month contain.

If you prefer to focus on a region of South Africa rather than a road trip that crosses the whole country, you can read our other programs by clicking on this link:

The best routes to visit South Africa

The best itinerary to visit South Africa in 7 days: discover Cape Town and its region

South Africa in a week, it's the perfect duration to visit the essential sites without having to run to the four corners of the country. Cape Town will be your base and you will discover this magnificent city surrounded by natural sites unique in the world. The best route to visit South Africa in 7 days is punctuated by visits as beautiful and interesting as each other. You will walk in the different districts of the city: Bo-Kaap, Sea Point, Green Point or the Waterfront. You will admire the breathtaking view at the top of Table Mountain. You will visit the famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and the legendary Nelson Mandela Prison on Robben Island. You will enjoy the many exclusive activities of Cape Town such as diving with seals, caged with white sharks or cruises to see whales. Passing through Chapman's Peak, you will explore the peninsula with the must-see Cape of Good Hope, its penguin colonies and its renowned surf spot of Muizenberg. You will relax on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world at Camps Bay or Clifton. And finally, you will taste the reds and whites of the best vineyards on the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek wine route. With all these visits, we promise you an exceptional stay in South Africa ! 

For a detailed program of the 7 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best route to visit South Africa in 1 week 

To stay in Cape Town, you can follow our guide: Discover the best Cape Town hotels in South Africa: from hostels and the best B & Bs to the finest residences.

The best itinerary to visit South Africa in 10 days: Cape Town and the Garden Route

10 days allow you to visit all the essential sites of South Africa (except the Kruger National Park). The best itinerary to visit South Africa in 10 days keeps the base of our tour to visit Cape Town and its region in 1 week, but adds the magnificent garden route (also called Garden Route) very popular with locals. You can swim in the warm water of Plettenberg Bay lagoon, kayak up the Wilderness River or surf the legendary Jeffreys Bay spot. If you regret not having time to visit the Kruger National Park north of Johannesburg, rest assured because you will be able to take the only safari in the west of South Africa: Addo Elephant Park. This 10 day South Africa tour is the ideal duration for those who want to see all the sites not to be missed without compromising on safaris.

For a detailed program of the 10 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best route to visit South Africa in 10 days

The best route to visit South Africa in 15 days: from Cape Town to Kruger Park safari

The most typical tour is two weeks because it covers all the must-see sites in the country, Kruger included! The best route to visit South Africa in 15 days is to leave 10 days in the South in the Cape region and finish by the Garden route then 5 days in the North to visit the region of Johannesburg and the Kruger. The 10 days in Cape Town are the same as in our tour to visit South Africa in 10 days. They cover all the exceptional sites of this region renowned for its unique beauty in the world: Cape Town, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, Robben Island, the Cape of Good Hope, the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton or the wine route. by Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Then, you end the southern part with a road trip along the Garden Route through the Wilderness, Plettenberg Bay or Addo Elephant Park. The 5 days in the North allow you to visit the best of the best safaris: the Kruger National Park. You will take the opportunity to discover the cosmopolitan city of Johannesburg, the history of the country in Soweto, the waterfall route on the way to the Kruger and the famous Blyde River Canyon. This route is the preferred circuit for tourists who do not want to visit South Africa without taking a safari at the legendary Kruger Park.

For a detailed program of the 15 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best itinerary to visit South Africa in 2 weeks

To find accommodation in South Africa, you can follow our guides by region:

• Discover the best Cape Town hotels in South Africa
• Discover the best Johannesburg hotels in South Africa
• Discover the best hotels in Kruger National Park in South Africa

The best itinerary to visit South Africa in 17 days: the Kruger private reserves

Between the classic 15-day and the 17-day tour, there is only two days of difference but these two days count if you want to be sure to explore all the facets of Kruger National Park and see all the animals of this Park. We recommend you in the circuit to visit South Africa in 2 weeks to spend 2 days at the Kruger. The best route to visit South Africa in 17 days allows you to spend four. In addition to the two days in the national park by auto tour, we advise you to spend the other two additional days in a private reserve. This 2 + 2 combo is clearly the top for those who have made Kruger Park the main focus of their stay. This unique experience is definitely worth it! These reserves are privatized areas inside the Kruger that allow you to be almost sure to see all the Big 5 in the company of a guide who knows all about the flora and fauna. In the evening you sleep in a little corner of paradise in the middle of the savannah with a view from the swimming pool, a water point where elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes and even felines come to drink ... Nothing better to end the stay in apotheosis or for a honeymoon!

For a detailed program of the 17 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best route to visit South Africa in 17 days

To stay at Kruger Park, you can read our article which recommends the best private reserves adapted to each budget: from the very high end to the good accessible plan: The best private reserves in Kruger Park in South Africa

PLEASE NOTE: All these lodges are in great demand but have very few bedrooms. It is therefore advisable to book well in advance.

The best route to visit South Africa in 21 days: from Eswatini to Durban

If you asked us how many days it takes to visit South Africa, we would answer you 3 weeks is ideal. This is the duration that we recommend because 21 days allow you to do without hurrying all of the South, North and East of the country. You have time to make the Cape and its region, the Garden Route, Johannesburg and Soweto, the Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon just like in our circuit to discover this country in 2 weeks. But the best route to visit South Africa in 21 days also includes a road trip that descends from Kruger to Durban via Swaziland (today Eswatini) with its famous Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary, by Saint Lucia with its iSimangaliso Wetland Park classified site and by Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve with its last white rhinos in the world. In short, this circuit is the best so as not to miss anything and not to regret anything!

For a detailed program of the 21 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best itinerary to visit South Africa in 3 weeks 

To find accommodation in South Africa, you can read our article which recommends the best hostels, B & Bs and hotels step by step: Where to sleep in South Africa?

The best route to visit South Africa in 30 days: Lesotho and the Drakensbergs

Rare are the lucky ones who can leave for a whole month but if you are part of it then this 4 week tour is made for you. It is the most complete program which includes all the most beautiful regions of South Africa. It follows the same lines as the 3 week program but it continues after Durban until in the Drakensberg. The best route to visit South Africa in 30 days includes the most beautiful hikes in this mountain range: Sani Pass, Giant's Castle Valley and Royal Natal National Park with its Tugela waterfall (the 2^nd highest in the world). But above all it makes you discover Lesotho and its village lost in the mountains: Semonkong. At the end of this epic month, you can say that you have visited South Africa from A to Z! This program is really THE great ideal loop for those who do not leave a country without having visited ALL its points of interest ...

For a detailed program of the 30 days of this tour, read our article: Discover the best itinerary to visit South Africa in 1 month

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• The best tailor-made itineraries to visit South Africa
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