South Africa 10 Day Itinerary
South Africa has so much to offer: phenomenal and affordable food and wine, stunning nature and beaches, breathtaking encounters with wildlife, and diverse culture. This South Africa 10 day itinerary is ideal for a girls’ trip (I just finished my trip with one of my best friends), romantic getaway, or even a solo trip!
Days 1-4: Cape Town
Fly into (and out of) Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
You’ll need at least 3-4 days just to see all of the highlights of Cape Town.
Day 1: I usually like to start my trip with a tour to learn more about the city and for tips for my trip. Since I also wanted to spend some time on the Cape Peninsula, I joined this small group tour of some of the highlights of Cape Town. The guide was great and knowledgeable, and the tour included riding a cable car to the top of Table Mountain, meeting the penguins at Boulder’s Beach, exploring the southwestern most point of Africa at Cape Point, and seeing the colorful houses of Bo-Kaap.
Day 2: As an avid scuba diver, I couldn’t pass up the chance to dive with seals and see the kelp forest in False Bay. If you’re interested in scuba diving but not dive certified, most dive shops also offer discovery scuba and snorkeling trips. For those who prefer staying on land, Cape Town has plenty of options for hiking available. Lion’s Head is a popular choice, and for safety reasons, you can hire a guide here. End the day with dinner at Pier Restaurant, which offers a multi-course fine dining experience that is well worth the price tag (dinner is $1,995 ZAR/person – about $109).
Day 3: Spend some time at the V&A waterfront and take the ferry to Robben Island to tour the museum. Then head to the Old Biscuit Mill market in Woodstock for art, shopping, and food.
Day 4: After exploring the city, take some time to unwind and plan a spa day at the One & Only Spa. After, head to an afternoon tea like this iconic one at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel.
Cape Town: Where to Stay
Mid-Range: Dorp Hotel. Located near the Bo Kaap neighborhood on Signal Hill, the Dorp Hotel is absolutely stunning, from the grounds and the rooms, to the hospitality of the staff, to the amazing food. The Dorp Hotel has, by far, the best breakfast buffet (included with the price of the room!) that I have ever had.
Price: The Dorp offers smaller rooms and larger suites. I booked a smaller room for two nights (2,000ZAR/night – about $110) and one of the suites in Arcadia for three nights (4,500ZAR/night – about $246), but was upgraded to the Arcadia suite for my full stay at no extra charge (I went in the winter and the hotel had several vacant rooms). For five nights, this came out to about $930, or $186/night.
Luxury: Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel. This gorgeous hotel offers a five star experience.
Price: The least expensive room is about $750/night.
Days 5-7: Safari
A trip to South Africa wouldn’t be complete without a safari! There are numerous game reserves throughout South Africa that offer sightings of the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo) as well as other wildlife.
- Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most well-known game reserves in South Africa. It is home to all Big Five, as well as a variety of other wildlife. It has a variety of accommodation options, from budget to luxury.
- I opted to go to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, one of South Africa’s largest privately-owned nature reserves. At 58,000 hectares, this gorgeous, sprawling reserve is almost the size of Singapore! It is only a 3.5 hour drive from Cape Town, so we didn’t have to waste any time going to the airport. It is also Malaria-free. We saw four of the Big Five (we missed the leopard) as well as plenty of other animals like giraffes, hippos, baboons, elks, etc.
Day 5: Travel to the reserve. Make sure you arrive on the reserve early enough to catch the afternoon game drive on the day you arrive! Many of the game reserves are all-inclusive, and include two game drives per day, meals, and beverages, in addition to the accommodation. The game drives are the highlight here, so relax in the lodge and enjoy the food in your free time.
Day 6: Days on the reserve are catered around the game drives and generally have the same structure each day: breakfast, game drive, relax in the spa, lunch, game drive, dinner.
Day 7: Breakfast, a morning game drive, then travel to the Cape Winelands.
Days 8-10: Cape Winelands
The Cape Winelands region is home to world-class wines, delicious food, and beautiful scenery. The area includes a number of wine regions, including Stellenbosch and Franschoek, and is less than a 45 minute drive from Cape Town.
Day 8-10: Wine tasting for the last few days of the trip! I always love to book a wine tour with a local guide and this one was excellent. The guide was knowledgeable about wine, the area and its history, and offered the flexibility to go to wineries based on preferences.
I also did my own personal wine tour, as many of the wineries had unique pairings I wanted to try! I was worried about Uber availability before my trip, but had no problems ordering Ubers in Stellenbosch. There is also a cute downtown area with shops and restaurants to check out.
If trains are more your style, Franschoek offers a unique hop-on hop-off wine tram to discover the Franschoek Valley.
Head to my South Africa Travel Guide for more tips on traveling to South Africa!