2 Week South Africa Itinerary: Cape Town KwaZulu-Natal, Jo’Burg.

Our sensational South Africa 2 week itinerary captures the best experiences from our repeat visits (our sister lives here) to guide you in designing an incredible stay.

Our route starts in Cape Town, continues to Durban and KwaZulu Region. Along the way, discover historic sights, stunning waterfronts, wineries, beaches, safaris, and inland Drakensberg Mountain adventures.

Despite turbulent times, we feel South Africa remains a unique place to visit. It’s very affordable and 2 weeks gives you enough time to get a real feel for this beautiful country.

Quick Itinerary Overview

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick overview of our suggested itinerary.

Days 1 – 4: Cape Town

A beautiful city on the southern coast, this is a great starting point for any visit to South Africa.

Organize from our favourite experiences below to suit your interests, and preferred pace of sightseeing.

Cable Car Ride Up Table Mountain (Half Day)

Who doesn’t recognise Table Mountain? It’s featured on South Africa’s flag, supports an incredible biodiversity and is part of a massive Table Mountain National Park hiking system.

If you’re driving, park near the cable car entrance. Or take a bus, or combine a City and Table Mountain Tour from Cape Town. The aerial cableway only takes 5 minutes to take you to the top of one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

This table top is home to more than 1200 species of fynbos  (small plants, often shrub-like with small, hard leaves). That’s huge – to compare, it’s more than all types found in the UK!

When we got to the top, the views took our breath away. Rugged coastline with waves splashing onshore and blue and green water. It’s impossible to capture how this place feels in a photograph 🙂 

Plan to spend a couple of hours up top. There’s quite a bit to explore. We were impressed that the footpaths on top are well maintained, and there are interesting information boards to pause and read en route.  

There is a restaurant and shop on top. We didn’t go to them as we wanted to spend time walking around outside, soaking in the views from all sides.  I could have spent hours up here, and it’s a must do when in Cape Town.

UNESCO Bo-Kapp (2-3 Hours)

Spend a morning or afternoon in this part of town to experience both Cape Malay culture and the Islamic heart of Cape Town.

Its origins sadly came out of slavery when people from East Africa to Malaysia, Madagascar, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and The Philippines were brought here.

It’s a miracle that this area of town is still with us as it was nearly torn down during apartheid by the City Council. The historic buildings date back to pre-1850s: the country’s oldest residential area. 

With so many people away from their homeland, food was an important way to keep their original culture alive. Taste these ‘local’ foods when you visit and learn a little about their history.

Visit District Six Musuem (1-2 hours)

Our visit to District Six Museum was a sobering reminder of the difficult past here.  It’s really well designed for visitors, helping us understand why this specific place became a symbol of apartheid.

People were forcibly removed from their homes in District Six during those times and many of these dwellings were bulldozed.

The museum tells the story of some of these former residents. The Zonnebloem area is what remains from the original District Six. It is slowly re-emerging with a new generation of residents. 

If you see a small area of bare land, still empty, it’s that way for a reason: to ensure no-one forgets what happened here.

Robben Island Guided Tour (By Boat) – Half Day

This excellent Half Day Robben Island Tour leaves from The Waterfront several times daily. You sail for around 30 minutes to get to the island, then disembark and get on a bus transfer to the visitor areas.

There are different boats used, some are faster than others, so if you want to use a faster vessel, check when you book for that option.

Once you’re at the island’s main museum areas, an official guide (we had a former inmate) leads you around this UNESCO heritage site. With over 500 years of history, there’s a lot to appreciate.

Our tour ended with seeing the tiny, concrete cell where Nelson Mandela spent 17 of his 25 imprisoned years. It is hard to imagine how his life must have been.

Our guide was excellent explaining the realities of life here during this time and afterwards we had time to reflect on our own.

After you disembark back in Cape Town Waterfront, it’s an easy walk to a host of restaurants and bars. Here’s our recommendations: 

• Harbour House – a local fresh menu with local wines at a reasonable price. 
• Tasha’s – upmarket chain, popular for brunch; can get busy at weekends. We enjoyed their Durban restaurant too.
• Mugg & Bean – range of coffees & pastries, think South Africa’s Starbucks; you will find them throughout across the country.

If you’re in need of a meeting point on the waterfront, the clock tower is it (see photo below). This is where most of the boat tours leave from, and it’s also popular to stroll around before or after your Robben Island tour.

Cape Point, Cape Of Good Hope (Full Day)

Cape Point is in the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve, part of Table Mountain National Park. This whole area is part of Cape Floral Region, and not surprisingly, another World Heritage Site. 

The drive from CapeTown to Camps Bay is stunning itself. There are beautiful beach stops on the way here. Consider enjoying a couple of hours on your return to Cape Town if you’re driving.

If you are visiting independently, make a first stop at Buffelsfontein Visitors Center. You’ll get details of any events, what’s open, weather and more.

Then continue south and park up to take the funicular (Flying Dutchman) to the lighthouse. Alternatively you can walk the Cape Point trail which is what we did.

This is a huge park and it’s simply not possible to see it all in one day. There are accommodation huts in the park if you want to take longer overnight hikes and although we didn’t do this, it looks fun!

South African Penguins in Simons Town

You might be a little tired after the thrills of Cape Point, but make a stop at Boulder Beach between Simons Town and Cape Point to meet African Penguins, known as Jackasses.

Tours also offer this stop, as part of a day to Cape Point area.

🔍 Click to Book Cape Point & Boulders Beach Day Tour

You can wander amongst them as they go about their rituals. They are so entertaining to watch and interact with each other. Do not touch though – they can give you a good peck apparently!

Wine Tasting In Stellenbosch & Franschhoek (Full Day)

A day spent wine tasting is in our top 3 things to do when in Cape Town. To avoid driving, the easiest option is to book a wine tour with lunch.

South Africa’s wines may not be visible to many of us living in USA or Europe, but many are of outstanding quality. During visits, we’re amazed at the choice of great wines, even in local supermarkets.

🔍 Click Here to Book A Wine Tasting Tour & Lunch

Some of the vineyards we enjoyed were Fairview, Goats Do Roam and a wonderful lunch at La Grapperia (below) with view over the mountains.

It is very relaxing to sit in the gardens and sample the wine whilst watching some of the process in front of us.  Quite informal as you can see from the photos. 

Relax in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (2-3 hours)

If you enjoy a walk in the park vs a hiking trail, plan to spend a few hours in Cape Town’s Botanical Gardens. Visit during the summer, and you can check the Summer Concert series which we have attended. Very relaxing.

Sit on the grassy areas, relax listening to great music. It’s a lovely way to end a full day of sightseeing.

The Cape Point Vineyard is also a local perfect spot for indulging in fantastic South African wines and doing pretty much nothing else.

You can pre order a picnic which we did and it was delicious.  

Where to Stay In Cape Town

Our picks are based on location, safe links to transport, and overall value for money.

If your budget allows it, stay at Cape Grace Hotel.  It’s a fantastic location only 900 feet from the city’s clock tower landmark on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

Days 5 – 8: Durban & Hluhluwe Safari

We flew from Cape Town to Durban, then picked up a car here to explore KwaZulu-Natal area. The flight is approximately. 2 hours.

Durban is growing in popularity as a destination for overseas visitors as it offers a lot of variety including golf, surf-friendly beaches, great restaurants and history.

It’s close to amazing wildlife and the country’s highest peaks so if you choose not to drive, it’s a great base for day trips which we have outlined below too.

City of Durban & It’s Coastline

We tend to use Durban as a base to visit places from, but also stayed here a night or two also.  At first glance it may look like just another city, but scratch the surface and you’ll discover a lot more.

Here’s 3 suggestions:

St Lucia Hippo and Croc Boat Cruise at Sunset

St Lucia is a marvelous wetlands region, and home to so many hippos and crocodiles. You won’t see these on the Hluhluwe safari, so maybe take a late afternoon tour from Durban to St Lucia.

If you time this tour for sunset, you’ll get a beautiful cruise as well as hopefully seeing some locals in or out of the water. I’m always amazed how big hippos are, and as for crocodiles, well, keep your distance!

Market Guided Walking Tour

The long trading history of Durban means local markets are fascinating to explore. The best way to do this is with a guided food tour, where you visit a market, followed by a local lunch on the beach.

Alternatively, book a 6 hour Durban City Tour with a local guide to delve into the culture of Durban, past and present. This is a top rated tour, and although we haven’t taken it, it comes highly recommended.

🔍 Click To Book 6 Hour Durban City Tour – Top Rated!

Where to Stay In Durban

Our picks are based on location, safe links to transport, and overall value for money.

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve (1-2 days)

Drive 3 hours drive north of Durban and you will arrive at the oldest game reserve in South Africa, and where we love to come for safaris. 

At over 950 square km, Hluhluwe first opened as a park in 1895. It is the only state-operated park in KwaZulu Natal that protects and supports Africa’s Big 5.

Elephants, Giraffes, Rhinos, Lions are in residence here. Hippos & crocodiles can be viewed in the St Lucia Estuary, an easy day trip from Durban. 

Our suggestion is to stay overnight so you can experience 2 game drives. Our accommodation options are below.

If you don’t have your own transport, enjoy a Hluhluwe-Imfolozi: Big 5 Full or Half-Day Safari, with to/from transport provided.

The park states that it has the largest population of White Rhino in the world and we saw a baby and mother on our second visit. They asked us not to post photos of them we took because of ongoing poaching risks. 

The vehicles are roomy with plenty of space for everyone to enjoy sightings. As the rangers know the park so well, they often know patters of animals, and do their utmost to let you see as many as possible.

Of course, these are in the wild, so no guarantees.

If you have the energy, we say enjoy lunch, relax or have anap and be ready for a dusk safari. This is often when there is more action!

Where to Stay In Hluhluwe

There are a number of camps and hotels dotted around the reserve. Here’s ones we have stayed at and recommend.

Days 10-12: Midlands & Drakensberg Mountains

The Drakensberg Mountain range lies within KwaZulu Natal and are the highest peaks in South Africa. We suggest a minimum of 2, preferable 3 nights here.

Driving west from Durban we travelled through beautiful rolling countryside stopping at the towns of Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road on route. 

There are some unique spots to check out along the route especially with kids (our niece and nephew were with us). Piggly Wiggly and Chocolate Heaven at Nottingham Road are always two of their favourites.

On our first night,  we stayed at Fourdoun Hotel and Spa. The facilities were excellent and it was quiet so we pretty much had the pool to ourselves.

We ate at the hotel restaurant and everything was delicious, fresh and local. The spa was also great value with high standards which us girls enjoyed for an hour or two.

Drakensberg Mountains

The next day, we drove on into the mountains into more remote areas, with rougher roads (SUV needed here) until we reached our next lodge.

The Drakensberg Mountain Retreat is 25 miles from Harrisburg and an old-fashioned, family style lodge, set in glorious countryside.  It was not full of mod cons, but for a night or two, it was great and the views alone were worth the trek.

You can hike, horse ride or just lounge by the pool. The sunsets were beautiful over the mountain.

Nelson Mandela Capture Site

On our return we stopped  at the impressive Nelson Mandela capture site nearby. This was an absorbing visit and 2 hours flew by as we walked through the exhibits down to the point of capture.

It was humbling and a powerful addition to our Robben Island trip, helping us understand more about this time in South Africa’s history.

A couple of hours here to fully appreciate the journey of Nelson Mandela is a must in my book. 

The metal monument  was so clever with the reveal of his face visible when you stand back at a specific angle, as you can see in the photo above.

Return to Durban and fly or drive to Johannesburg the following morning.

Days: 13 – 14 Johannesburg

It’s a short flight of an hour or so from Durban to Johannesburg. Or you can travel by road, but its a 6 hour drive through the mountains. To be honest we had originally planned to fly, but because of airline issues, we kept our rental car, and drove.

The roads are mainly highways and decent, but there are not many places to stop except the reliable Mugg and Bean’s at petrol stations 🙂 So, for a first visit, we suggest it’s best to fly.

You may be tired after such a busy 12 days and so we suggest a slower pace for your last couple of days.

Getting Around Johnnanesburg

Even staying in the center of town, it’s not easy to get around. We dropped our car off before going to our hotel. The best bet is to either use tours to see 1-2 of the top places in and around town or use a Tour Bus.

Hop On Hop Off Bus

If you buy a full day ticket on Johannesburg Hop On Hop Off bus, you have flexibility to see sights like Constitution Hill, Apartheid Museum, Mandela square and Sandton district.

Lunch In Nelson Mandela Square

This square named after Mandela is actually a shopping center with over 400 stores. But it is worth visiting to see the 6m, 2.5 tonnes monument that towers over the open area.

It was an easy walk from our hotel (Holiday Inn Sandton), although at night, always get a hotel taxi to get around the city. 

As we walked, artists lined the streets with a range of work and goods for sale. This area is known as the golden mile, the wealthiest square mile on the African continent.

It’s full of office blocks, hotels and high end shopping, but worth having lunch in one of the many restaurants.

Visit Soweto Township

A poplar reason to spend time in Johannesburg is visit Soweto, the city neighborhood created during apartheid. It’s easiest to take a tour here and be guided by a local.

🔍 Click Here to Book A Soweto Walking Tour

Maropeng Cradle of Humankind

Around 1.5 hrs from Johannesburg you can visit the Maropeng Cradle of Humankind & Sterkfont Cave. Best to take a tour with a guide to help you explore this site where fossils over 3 millions year old have been found.

🔍 Click Here For Maropeng Cradle Tour Prices

We hope that for your final night in South Africa, you enjoy a relaxed dinner with a glass of Western Cape wine.

FAQs

Getting Around South Africa

Renting a Car

We always hire a car when visiting South Africa.  Do read the small print in terms of insurance as they differ from company to company. Insurance is essential.

There may be a requirement to pay insurance when you pick the car up so double check if this is the case when you book.  Typical rentals will be smaller cars, with a small engine. If you can, upgrade to a large vehicle for a family and longer drives. 

It’s easy to drive in South Africa but the distances between places are further than you might imagine.  You may not need a car if part of your trip is in Cape Town as there is the option to take organised tours from the city.

Where to Fly Into In South Africa?

In our experience, international flights into Johannesburg or Cape Town offer the best schedules and prices. We usually fly via London to Cape Town and then up to Durban.

You will also find flights to Cape Town from most European hubs including Paris, Amsterdam, and Istanbul, as well as southern hemisphere cities like Singapore.

🔍 Click Here To Check Flight Deals to Cape Town

If coming from the USA (East Coast), Delta, or United, fly directly into Johannesburg Airport. So you could adjust this itinerary to start here. While these are very long flights the good news is that there are no layovers or transfers to deal with!

Emirates offers flights via Dubai into Durban which might work better if you’re only planning to visit the KwaZulu-Natal region.

More Africa Wildlife Experiences

If you are looking for other ideas for Africa, read our 3 Day Masai Mara Safari from Nairobi article to see the best of Kenya’s nature.

It’s possible to combine time in South Africa and then fly to Kigali, Rwanda or Uganda to go trekking with mountain gorillas.

Read about how to plan your Uganda Gorilla Trekking Adventure here.