South Africa itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Seven days is a Cape Town trip, not a South Africa trip. Five nights in the city gives you Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and Robben Island without rushing; add two nights in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek for wine. Trying to add Kruger to a week means two flights and a road transfer, and you lose most of a day each way.

With 10 days you can add one more region. With 14 days the parent route works: Cape Town, the Winelands, the Garden Route, Addo, then a flight to Kruger. Three weeks adds the Drakensberg, Zululand or the Northern Cape, but only if you accept more one-night stops.

Days 1–5 in Cape Town. Give Table Mountain a flexible slot: if the cableway is running and the summit is clear on day one, go up that day, because cloud can close it for days. Book the Robben Island ferry online in advance. Use one full day for the Cape Peninsula loop — Chapman's Peak, Boulders Beach penguins at Simon's Town and Cape Point — and keep a day for Bo-Kaap, the District Six Museum and the V&A Waterfront.

Days 6–7 in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, about 45 minutes to an hour from the city by car. Two nights is enough for two or three estates and one long lunch. You can do this without a car using a wine tram or a guided shuttle, which also solves the drinking-and-driving problem.

If a safari is the whole point of the trip, swap the Winelands for three nights in the Kruger area and fly. That leaves Cape Town 4 nights, Kruger 3 nights, and no driving between them.

The parent route is Cape Town 4 nights, Franschhoek or Stellenbosch 1 night, the Garden Route 3 nights (Knysna or Plettenberg Bay as a base), Addo Elephant Park 1 night, then Kruger 4 nights. Fly Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) to Johannesburg and on to the Kruger area rather than driving back; drop the rental car at Gqeberha or George.

The Garden Route is a one-way drive, not a loop. Cape Town to Knysna is roughly 5 hours on the N2 without stops, and you will want stops, so break it. Addo is malaria-free and sits near the end of the drive, which makes it a good first taste of elephants before Kruger.

Kruger works two ways: self-drive from a rest camp, or a private lodge with game drives included. Self-drive is cheaper and gives you freedom; a lodge costs more and removes the planning. Four nights gives you a full day in the park plus arrival and departure half-days.

With 21 days, keep the 14-day route and add one region rather than spreading thinner. The Drakensberg gives hiking and San rock art over 2–3 nights, usually reached from Durban or Johannesburg. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi with iSimangaliso adds rhinos, wetlands and the Indian Ocean in KwaZulu-Natal, 2–3 nights, and pairs well with Durban.

A slower alternative is to cut Kruger to 3 nights and give the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape more time, including a stop at Graaff-Reinet or a beach night at Jeffreys Bay. Both versions beat a 21-day list of one-night stops.

Whale season changes the plan: Hermanus is worth 1–2 nights between June and November, and it sits between Cape Town and the Garden Route, so it slots into either the 14- or 21-day route.

Distances are long and the default is to fly between the Cape and the bush. Driving is fine by day on main routes; avoid night driving outside cities because of animals on the road and poor lighting on secondary routes.

Domestic flights are the main cost lever. Booking early and flying midweek is usually cheaper. Kruger rest camps, popular lodges and Robben Island ferries are the three things that sell out first in peak season.

This is a planning page, not a booking page. Check visa rules, currency and tipping practice, and current park fees before you commit.