South Africa travel routes - Our top 10 tours including tips

We are often asked by our readers which travel routes through South Africa we recommend. We usually don’t have a clear answer to this question, as we have found many routes really cool so far. It always depends a bit on how much time you have in South Africa and which highlights you would like to see and experience.

Some prefer to explore the cities and relax on the beaches, while others would rather feel an adrenaline rush or two and experience the Big 5 up close. However, what we always tell all travelers: Don’t try to discover the entire country in the shortest possible time.

South Africa has an incredible amount to offer and is ideal for a second or even third trip. Each province is different and has different highlights and sights to offer. It’s better to travel through the country at a slower pace and with more intensity than rushing from A to B. In the following article, we would like to introduce you to some great South Africa travel routes. Enjoy browsing!

What else you should know

What else you should know
1. Evergreen: Cape Town & the Cape Peninsula
2. Cape Winelands – A tour for connoisseurs
3. Very popular: Cape Town & the Garden Route
4. In the footsteps of the legendary Route 62
5. Red Dunes: From Cape Town to the Kalahari Desert
6. Canyons & Waterfalls: The Panorama Route
7. South Africa Travel Routes: From Jozi to Kruger National Park
8. From Johannesburg via the Drakensberg to Durban
9. Along the Elephant Coast & KwaZulu Natal
10. For Explorers: Tour from Johannesburg to Cape Town
South Africa Travel Routes – Our Conclusion

1. Evergreen: Cape Town & the Cape Peninsula

Let’s start with a very popular South Africa travel route. Most vacationers probably head to Cape Town first to get a first impression of the metropolis and the surrounding area. We also recommend this region, as there is so much to discover and experience.

For us, the “Mother City” of Cape Town is one of the coolest cities in the world and never ceases to amaze us. To get a good impression, we recommend spending at least 5 to 7 days in the city (including the Cape Peninsula). Climb Table Mountain and enjoy the view of the city and the sea.

Stroll through the colorful streets of the City Bowl, enjoy the fair at the V&A Waterfront, browse the many cool markets, marvel at the beautiful beaches at sunset, and discover the diverse plant life in the Botanical Gardens. Cape Town is never boring!

And there’s plenty to see around Cape Town as well. Embark on the Cape Peninsula Route and drive along Chapman’s Peak Drive to the legendary Cape of Good Hope, watch the cute penguins at Boulders Beach and surf your first wave in Muizenberg.

Reiserouten-Suedafrika-Kapstadt-Kaphalbinsel

Interesting articles about Cape Town & Surroundings:

Helicopter flight Cape Town South Africa Stadium 2

2. Cape Winelands – A Tour for Connoisseurs

A very popular travel route through South Africa is the Connoisseur Tour through the Cape Winelands. On our last trip, we visited some stunningly beautiful wineries, enjoyed the great weather, and explored other highlights such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, and others. Look forward to a green rolling landscape, lush vineyards, old Cape Dutch-style houses, and world-famous wines and estates.

You have many options for a varied tour through this region. Start in Cape Town, then explore the wineries around Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek, take a detour further north to Ceres and Tulbagh, or explore the more southern part around Robertson and Montagu (Route 62 South Africa). Along the way, you’ll enjoy some of the country’s most important wine-growing regions and charming wineries.

You can easily spend a whole week or even two in the Cape Winelands; there’s so much to discover. If this is your first South Africa trip, we recommend at least 2 to 3 days in the Winelands to get a first impression of the region. You can read a detailed article about our tour here: Winelands in South Africa.

Travel Routes South Africa Cape Town Winelands

Popular Winelands Tours:

Hop-On/Hop-Off Franschhoek Wine Tram Tour*
Winelands Day Tour with Wine Tasting*
Franschhoek: E-Bike Winery Tour*
Stellenbosch: Historical Cycling and Wine Tasting*
Stellenbosch: Connoisseur Wine Tour*
Cape Town: Cape Peninsula & Winelands combination day tour*

Winelands-South Africa-Stark-Conde-Wines-See

3. Very Popular: Cape Town & the Garden Route

Now we come to the most famous and popular South Africa travel route, namely the Garden Route. We love this part of the country because a new adventure awaits around every corner. Explore the colorful and exciting metropolis of Cape Town, visit a few wineries in the surrounding Winelands, discover the beautiful Cape Peninsula, and then set off on the picturesque Garden Route.

Officially, this route runs between Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth. Dreamily beautiful coastlines, plenty of action, and breathtaking landscapes await you. We particularly like the small town of Muizenberg (perfect for surfing beginners), the whale capital of Hermanus, the beautiful sand dunes in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, the area around Wilderness, the lagoon town of Knysna, the Robberg Nature Reserve and the Tsitsikamma National Park. Wildlife can be found in the Addo Elephant Park and in a private game reserve, among others.

For the approximately 700 kilometers from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, you should plan at least 7 days, but 10 days are better. The more time you have, the better. Don’t rush; skip one spot and enjoy another more intensely. It’s also always good to be flexible. That way, you can stay in one place for an extra day if you particularly like it. You should also plan a small buffer for bad weather.

Interesting articles about the Garden Route:

4. In the footsteps of the legendary Route 62

We would definitely like to introduce you to this great South Africa travel route, even if we haven’t traveled it completely ourselves yet. If you’re driving the Garden Route, we recommend taking the R62 on your way back. This way, you won’t drive the same route twice and you’ll get even more out of your trip. You can drive the route in 2 to 3 days, but we recommend 5 to 7 days.

The R62 runs parallel to the N2 (Garden Route), but not along the sea, but rather across the Karoo. It takes you through the arid landscapes, past beautiful wine-growing regions and rivers, over impressive mountain passes to Oudtshoorn, Barrydale, and Paarl. This route is also called the “longest wine route in the world” because it passes through many wine-growing regions. You can find everything about this tour here: On the R62 in South Africa.

5. Red Dunes: From Cape Town to the Kalahari Desert

Now we would like to introduce you to one of the most beautiful travel routes in South Africa. Our last trip to South Africa took us from Cape Town to the Kalahari Desert in the north of the country. First, we spent a few days in Cape Town and the Winelands before setting off in our rental car to the Northern Cape. This region is completely different from any other province in the country. Awaiting us were dry, barren, and desert-like landscapes, endless sand dunes, breathtaking wildlife, incredible expanses, and above all, one thing – silence!

The highlights on this route include the West Coast National Park, the Cederberg Mountains, the Namaqua National Park, the Augrabies Falls and National Park, the Riemvasmaak Hot Springs, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. And let’s not forget the stunning and breathtaking starry sky, which we were able to marvel at every day. The Northern Cape is especially for hiking, nature, and wildlife enthusiasts.

For our route from Cape Town, you should plan at least 14 days (one way). We then flew back from Upington to Johannesburg and then on to Germany. If you want to drive back to Cape Town from the Northern Cape, plan on about 15 to 16 days. We ended up driving around 3,000 kilometers on our tour.

Interesting articles about the Northern Cape:

6. Canyons & Waterfalls: The Panorama Route

From the barren and desert-like landscapes in the north, we now head to the approximately 100 km long Panorama Route in the northeast of the country. Here you can expect roaring waterfalls, deep gorges, lush green landscapes, the green and impressive Blyde River Canyon, and the Kruger National Park.

The Panorama Route in South Africa is located northeast of Johannesburg, about 400 kilometers away. You should plan on at least 4.5 to 5 hours of driving time for the route to one of the starting points (Sabie, Graskop, Hazyview).

Many people visit this region for just one day and then continue on to Kruger National Park. That’s not a bad idea, but we recommend at least 3 days or more for the Panorama Route with its many highlights.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can cross all the beautiful viewpoints off your list. That would be fatal, because then you would also miss the breathtaking view of the Blyde River Canyon (see photo).

Our highlights along this route were the Mac Mac Falls, the Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls, Harrie’s Pancakes in Graskop, the Graskop Gorge Lift, the God’s Window viewpoint, the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels with the majestic Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world.

Interesting articles about the Panorama Route:

7. Travel routes South Africa: From Jozi to Kruger National Park

This travel route can be wonderfully combined with the Panorama Route; we recommend 10 to 14 days. It’s best to start your adventure in Johannesburg and explore this metropolis for 1 to 2 days. Even though Johannesburg doesn’t have a particularly good reputation, there’s still plenty to discover. Stroll through the hip Maboneng and Braamfontein districts, check out the trendy cafés and restaurants, and take guided tours by skateboard or on foot.

From Johannesburg, continue on to the Panorama Route. Waterfalls, gorges, lush valleys, gigantic viewpoints, and much more await you. We recommend at least two full days for the Panorama Route (as already mentioned), but three days are better. Right next door is the famous Kruger National Park, where you now have the chance to discover the Big 5 up close. We enjoyed our time so much and would love to go back again.

Enjoy your time in the almost 20,000 square kilometer park and discover elephants, giraffes, zebras, kudus, antelopes, turtles, monkeys, impalas, rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalo, hyenas, wild dogs, crocodiles, warthogs, and many other animal species. You can stay overnight directly in the park and/or outside the gates. We’ve done both and can recommend both options. We can also recommend that you take part in a guided game drive in a jeep or explore the park independently in a rental car.

Interesting articles about this region:

8. From Johannesburg via the Drakensberg to Durban

The tour from Johannesburg to Durban can be wonderfully combined with route recommendations 9 and 10. You should plan at least 7-10 days for this route. Start your trip in Johannesburg and explore the many different corners of the city. We recommend exploring on a skateboard! That was incredibly fun, and you also get to see many cool corners of Jozi (especially lots of graffiti). Also recommended is a guided tour through Maboneng or a detour to the Neighbourgoods Market.

From Johannesburg, you’ll now head to the majestic Drakensberg. This mountain range is up to 3,480 meters high and is the highest mountain range in Africa. The highest peak is in Lesotho and consists of basalt-like rocks. Far away from civilization, you can explore numerous waterfalls, wildflowers, many bird species, and diverse mountains. Learn more here: Drakensberg in South Africa.

After your hiking adventure in the Drakensberg, you’ll continue towards Durban. Along the way, you’ll pass Howick Falls, the Lions River, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Karkloof Falls, and much more. This route ends in Durban, the metropolis of KwaZulu-Natal. Endless sandy beaches, a cool promenade, various parks and nature reserves, as well as museums, cafés, and restaurants await you here. More about this soon on our blog.

Interesting articles about this route:

Johannesburg sights and travel tips
Our hike in the Drakensberg
Durban – The coolest sights & Highlights (post to follow…)

9. Along the Elephant Coast & KwaZulu Natal

Another possible itinerary starts in Johannesburg and takes you to the majestic Drakensberg Mountains. You can also skip this first part and start your trip directly in Durban. From Durban, the journey continues up the coast to just before the border with Mozambique.

The so-called Elephant Coast awaits you with a diverse range of flora and fauna as well as numerous adventures. The following stops were recommended to us: iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Tembe Elephant Park, Sodwana Bay, Kosi Bay, Cape Vidal, Durban, and Santa Lucia.

During our trip in December 2022, we didn’t drive the entire route to Mozambique, but only to St. Lucia, Hluhluwe, and the wetlands. It was a wonderful round trip with numerous great highlights.

If you’re looking for a mix of beach holidays, breathtaking landscapes, sightseeing, and wildlife, KwaZulu Natal is definitely the right choice for you! You can find out more about this trip here: KwaZulu Natal South Africa – The most beautiful highlights along the east coast.

10. For Explorers: Tour from Johannesburg to Cape Town

Now we come to the so-called “Grande Finale.” The route between Johannesburg and Cape Town is particularly popular among backpackers. We have also done this trip before and were impressed by the various regions, landscapes, and highlights.

You should allow yourself enough time for this itinerary; we recommend at least 4 weeks. We took 4 weeks for our first tour, but arrived in Cape Town after 3.5 weeks. The odometer showed just under 3,200 kilometers.

You start your trip in Johannesburg and head towards the Drakensberg Mountains for a hiking adventure. Here, we can recommend the Royal Natal National Park, among other places, or you can visit the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, which is also said to be very beautiful.

After your hiking adventure, you’ll head to Durban, where you can explore not only the great beaches but also numerous cool sights, such as Durban City Hall, the Durban Art Gallery, or a ride on the Zulumoon Gondola.

From Durban, your tour will then take you to Coffee Bay, which has a lot to offer, especially in terms of scenery. Here we not only saw dolphins and whales, but were also able to surf a wave or two. The route then continues along the Sunshine Coast and Garden Route to Cape Town.

Interesting articles about this travel route:

South Africa Travel Routes – Our Conclusion

We sincerely hope that this article has been helpful and that the suggested travel routes through South Africa have given you a better impression of the country. As you can see, there is an incredible amount to discover in South Africa, and we are far from tired of this country. We still have a few cool South African trips planned and are already looking forward to telling you about our next adventures.

If this is your first time traveling to South Africa, we recommend Cape Town, the surrounding area, and the Garden Route, or the Panorama Route combined with Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. Once you’ve been to South Africa, you’ll want to return a second or third time.

On a second trip, you could explore the Northern Cape, perhaps the Eastern Cape, the Elephant Coast, or the Drakensberg. But no matter which South Africa itinerary you choose – THIS COUNTRY ROCKS!

Our most beautiful travel routes through South Africa including insider tips