South Africa Itinerary 3 Weeks
Are you traveling to South Africa soon? Nice, this country has so much to offer! We enjoyed the beautiful nature, wildlife spotting in the parks and the delicious wineries. In this article you will find our complete South Africa itinerary for 3 weeks, with rental car. This way you can put together your own itinerary and discover all the beauty of South Africa!
Flight to Cape Town South Africa (1 Day)
Depending from your starting point, it will take at least one day to travel to South Africa by plane. We always compare ticket prices via Skyscanner. Disadvantage: we spent longer on the plane and therefore arrived in Cape Town quite tired. Fortunately, you won’t have any problems with the time difference, so you can start your itinerary South Africa 3 weeks after a good night’s sleep!
Tip: book a hotel close to the airport so you do not have to travel in the dark after a long flight, because this is not recommended. Or take a night flight and arrive early in Cape Town. Considering hotels close to airport, we recommend Hotel Verde in Cape Town (and Premier Hotel OR Tambo in Johannesburg). We booked these hotels well in advance, so we could spend the night here for a reasonable price.
Cape Town (3 Days)
Our travel plan trough South Africa started in Cape Town, where we stayed for 3 full days. In our opinion, this is enough time to get a good impression of the city. We mainly did active things in Cape Town, like hiking to the Tabel Mountain and Cape of Good Hope. For more tips for Cape Town check out our Guide for 3 Active Days in Cape Town!
The Garden Route with Rental Car (8 Days)
The Garden Route is known as one of the most beautiful routes to drive in South Africa. Officially the route runs from Mossel Bay to Stormsriver. However, we think you should consider additional stops from Cape Town all the way to Port Elizabeth. Interesting points vary from visits to beaches to short and long hikes. For more information, read all about our tips and stops at the Garden Route South Africa.
Flight Porth Elizabeth to Johannesburg (1 Day)
There are various options to travel from Gqeberha (former Port Elizabeth) to the north. A long journey by car takes you through Lesotho, Durban and even Eswatini, however this takes more time. We only had 3 weeks and chose to fly from Gqeberha to Johannesburg directly. These flights depart regularly and are a cheaper and much faster option to reach the northern part of the country.
Panorama Route (2 Days)
Be sure to plan 2 days for the Panorama route because it is quite a drive, even from Johannesburg. There are many stops that are quite easy to visit. One of the best places to stay is the village of Graskop, located directly on the Panoramaroute and also a few hours from the Kruger Park. We didn’t stop everywhere on the route, but we did drive to the end (Bourke’s Luck Potholes). Please note that you have to pay a small entrance fee at almost all viewpoints.
Kruger Park with Rental Car (3 Days)
This was absolutely the highlight of the whole trip. Although super famous and touristic, we still really much loved going on safari ourselves. There are numerous other national parks where you can spot wildlife, still the Kruger National Park cannot be missed. We even spotted the BIG5 here! We definitely recommend going on a guided game drive as well. It is great fun to watch wild animals in the jeep and the ranger knows exactly where to go, getting tips from collegues. On the last safari day we drove back to our accommodation in Graskop later in the afternoon so that we could drive back to Johannesburg the next day.
Johannesburg (3-4 Days)
The drive back to Johannesburg from Kruger or Graskop again takes a day. The route is really well paved, consists of mostly highway and some parts are toll road. Back in Johannesburg, we dropped the rental car at the airport and went to the city center by cab. Johannesburg is said to be quite dangerous. Although we didn’t walk through the city on our own, we did not feel unsafe anywhere and visited quite some places. After all, we were very satisfied by visiting the city, having learnt so much about the history of South Africa. Consequently, we highly recommend everyone to visit Johannesburg during a tour of South Africa! Do you want to know more about a visit to Johannesburg?
Flight Back Home (1 Day)
After a really divers tour, Johannesburg is the end of the trip. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. The international airport OR Tambo from Johannesburg is a great option to fly back home. Like Cape Town, it has many flight connections internationally. We took a flight to Dubai!
