PLANNING YOUR TRIP: 4 DAYS IN CAPE TOWN ITINERARY
April 3, 2024
Things to see in Cape Town range from modern districts to nature parks! Here is a ‘4 days in Cape Town itinerary’ for visiting Cape Town in 4 days!
South Africa is a country where the presence of man and unchallenged nature have learned to coexist and blend together, creating a breathtaking contrast. In cities such as Cape Town you can feel the full force of the ocean, and inland towns and cities have found their place in the middle of the bush and savannah, all the way to the mountains of the Blyde River Canyon.
There are plenty of places to visit and in this article we offer you our 10 day itinerary South Africa that will take you from the beautiful city of Cape Town to the far south to the Cape of Good Hope and then up to the Kruger National Park.
Ready to explore South Africa in 10 days?
South Africa is a vast state, where there are so many different places to visit, such as the famous and controversial Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, the wineries and vineyards region, the Garden Route, the hinterland full of mountains and natural parks and, of course, the Kruger National Park.
When we decided to go on a 10 days in South Africa tour itinerary, we wanted our South Africa travel itinerary to include four main areas: Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, the inland area of Mpumalanga and the Blyde River Canyon and the Kruger National Park. In order to be able to visit all these places in South Africa in 10 days, it is of course necessary to move around and provide accommodation in different places, so as to optimise the time spent travelling in order to follow a 10 day itinerary South Africa. Consequently, it is also necessary to plan multi-trip flights, as we explain in more detail below.
In summary, here is a super summary of the travel arrangements for our ’10 days in South Africa tour itinerary’:
Things to see in Cape Town range from modern districts to nature parks! Here is a ‘4 days in Cape Town itinerary’ for visiting Cape Town in 4 days!
On the first day of our itinerary of 10 days in South Africa, we arrived at Cape Town International Airport in the morning and, after collecting our rental car, headed to our hotel in the Greepoint area. After depositing our luggage, we headed towards the historic centre of Cape Town to take a walk through the most famous main streets and visit the characteristic neighbourhoods.
In the centre of Cape Town, you can follow a route that will take you through the most famous places in the old town:
After visiting the old town, head to the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, one of the most colourful neighbourhoods in the world. The typical colours of the houses in this neighbourhood are an expression of freedom from slavery: at the time of Dutch colonisation, the houses of the slaves were located here and had to be strictly white.
In one of the houses in Bo-Kaap is the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, where you will learn interesting information about the history of this district.
In the late afternoon and for dinner, you will travel to the Constantia wine-growing area, to visit the vineyards and have an excellent tasting of South African wines, before an excellent dinner with a view at the Beau Constantia restaurant.
Short Market Street in Cape Town
Dinner at Beau Constantia restaurant
10-day South Africa tour itinerary: Bo-Kaap
The second day of our “10 day itinerary South Africa” is dedicated to visiting the most modern district of Cape Town: the V&A Waterfront, located on the ocean. This neighbourhood is the most famous in the city and definitely one of the places to include in any itinerary in South Africa, as well as one of the quietest areas to spend an evening.
The Waterfront consists of several modern buildings, including the large shopping centre, the Watershed, museums and restaurants, and the aquarium, which line the pedestrian walkways along the pier.
If you are looking for souvenirs or local handicrafts, you should visit the Watershed building.
At the V&A Waterfront you will find the ticket office and the pier from where the excursion ferries leave to visit Robben Island Prison.
After spending a pleasant morning exploring the Waterfront, it’s off to this incredible place, definitely one of the places to include in your 10 days in South Africa travel itinerary to discover South Africa. Robben Island is certainly one of the symbolic places of the struggle against apartheid that shook this country, and which is still a present and felt theme today.
The visit to Robben Island lasts about 3 hours, so on your return we recommend that you stop again at the Waterfront to stroll around this area in the evening, have a drink in one of the various scenic bars and enjoy an excellent dinner in one of the typical restaurants there.
South Africa travel itinerary: V&A Waterfront
On the third day of our ’10 itinerary South Africa’, we set off for the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a huge park on the outskirts of Cape Towne located on the slopes of Table Mountain. The visit to this park lasts at least a couple of hours, walking along paths that wind through the various recreated microclimates, the forests, the famous Canopy Walk, a wooden walkway suspended between the trees and the colourful flowers such as the Protea, South Africa’s typical flower. Free guided tours depart from the park’s main entrances during the day. We recommend visiting the official website at this link for more detailed information.
Once you have finished visiting Kirstenbosch, head for Hout Bay, the port from which boat excursions depart to visit Duiker Island, the island of sea lions. Duiker Island is a tiny island where you will find a colony of hundreds of sea lions, which you can observe from the boat.
The last stop on this third day of our trip for visiting South Africa in 10 days is the famous Table Mountain, the iconic flat mountain towering over Cape Town. To reach the top of the mountain you need to take the cable car, which we recommend you book in advance to avoid the long queues. Alternatively, you can climb to the summit on foot, which is a bit of a trek and will take you at least half a day. Once you reach the top of the mountain, it’s time to enjoy the beautiful sunset views of the city and the ocean. Table Mountain is absolutely one of the places to visit during a trip of 10 days in South Africa.
In the evening, we booked our typical dinner at the Gold Restaurant, where there are traditional dance performances to the beat of the bongo and you can discover South African cuisine through a multi-course tasting menu.
The last day in Cape Town involves a visit to the southernmost part of South Africa, starting at Muizenberg Beach, where long rows of colourful beach cottages stand out against the ocean.
After spending some time taking wonderful photos or watching the surfers’ stunts at Muizenberg beach, we head to the famous penguin beach: Boulders Beach.
Boulders beach is located near Simon’s Town and is another must-see on a 10 day South Africa tour itinerary. It is a protected beach, observable from wooden walkways, where colonies of penguins live permanently. Here you can spend a pleasant hour or so observing these cute animals diving into the ocean waves or hatching their eggs in the shelter of the vegetation surrounding the beach.
After the visit to Boulders beach, we depart for the Cape of Good Hope, the famous southern tip of South Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Once you arrive at the main car park, there are several trails that allow you to explore this peninsula and offer you breathtaking views of the coastline, all the way to wild beaches where you may encounter friendly ostriches or see sea lions playing in the ocean waves.
10 days in South Africa: Cape of Good Hope
10 days in South Africa: Muizenberg beach
10 days in South Africa: Boulders Beach
On the fifth day of our ’10 days in South Africa travel itinerary’, we headed to Cape Town airport to catch an internal flight to Nelspruit airport. Here, we picked up our new hire car and headed towards the village of Hazyview.
In Hazyview town, after an excellent lunch, we had two experiences: a visit to the reptile house, Perry’s Bridge Reptile Park and a visit to the elephant sanctuary, Elephant Whispers.
The Perry’s Bridge Reptile Park is home to many species of reptiles, many of them native and found in the wild in South Africa. You will be treated to demonstrations, where you can see some of the most venomous snakes in the world (and found in South Africa) and learn more about these animals. The trail runs through a park where there are several recent ones, including turtles and crocodiles.
Once you have visited Perry’s Bridge Reptile Park, you move a few metres to one of the most important elephant protection sites in the area, the Elephant Whispers. This is where abused elephants are cared for and rescued. It is necessary to book a time to visit as you will be guided inside and learn about the history of this place and the elephant rescue process. Afterwards, there is the interaction phase with these gentle giants, during which you will be able to pet them.
At the end of the visit, you leave for the last stop of the day and your overnight accommodation: the village of Graskop, located in the Blyde River Canyon area.
Travelling from Hazyview to Graskop you take the scenic route through the Mpumalanga region, along which you will suddenly have the impression that you are in a typical mountain landscape.
The day ends with dinner in Graskop (we recommend dining at The Glass House!).
10 days in South Africa: Elephant Whispers
Day six of our ’10 days in South Africa travel itinerary’ starts early in the morning, exploring the Blyde River Canyon area, to which half the day is devoted, before heading off in the direction of the Kruger National Park. Here are the places you could visit using the whole morning:
The Mpumalanga hinterland area is full of amazing places and we think that in a trip discovering South Africa in 10 days should not be missed.
After a lunch break, it’s time to hit the road to the Kruger National Park. We opted for a lodge located in the southern part of the park, on the Crocodile River.Arriving in the late afternoon, you could already plan a guided night safari in the Kruger National Park.
South Africa tour itinerary: Bourke's Luck Potholes
South Africa tour itinerary: Blyde River Canyon
South Africa tour itinerary: Berlin Falls
We dedicated the last four days of our ’10 day itinerary South Africa’ to the Kruger National Park, devoting all our available time to bush safaris. The Kruger National Park is an incredible park, where you enter the animal kingdom and have the opportunity to witness the spectacle of life in the bush. Needless to say, a South Africa travel itinerary cannot fail to include a visit to the Kruger National Park.
Having four days at our disposal, we decided to focus on the southern part of the park, where the likelihood of spotting the big five is greater as there is a higher concentration of animals.
We did both guided safaris and explored the park by self-drive. For example, on the first day of our stay in the Kruger we went on a full-day private guided safari, to familiarise ourselves with the park and to understand the distances to be covered from camp to camp and the time required for travel. The next day we planned a guided safari with the Kruger rangers at dawn, when the gates are still closed to other visitors, and once that was over we went on a self-drive safari. On the third day we decided to go on another self-drive through the park and then experience the guided safari at sunset.
On the last day we had a final sunrise safari to say goodbye to the Kruger National Park and set off in the direction of Johannesburgh to resume our international flight to come back home.
Elephant in Kruger National Park
Lion in Kruger National Park
Hippos fighting al Kruger National Park
If you are intrigued by the self-drive safari in the Kruger National Park and would like more information, we recommend that you read the article we have dedicated to this topic and which we post below.
Here are 11 useful tips for organising your Kruger self drive safari! A unique experience to be enjoyed at least once in a lifetime!
We hope that this article has enticed you to set off on a journey of discovery through the fantastic state of South Africa and that it will be helpful in planning your 10 days in South Africa travel itinerary. A 10-day trip to South Africa will allow you to visit its most famous sights, from the southern Cape of Good Hope and Cape Town to the northern Kruger National Park. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to answer them!
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