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!
Here is our 10-day itinerary in South Africa: from Cape Town, via the Blyde River Canyon, to Kruger National Park!
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 huge country with so much to see and do. You’ve got the well-known Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope, the wine regions, the Garden Route, the mountains and natural parks, and of course Kruger National Park.
When we decided to go on a 10-day journey of discovery of South Africa, we wanted our itinerary to include four main areas: So, we’ve got Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, the inland area of Mpumalanga, Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park.
In order to visit all of these places in South Africa in 10 days, it is obviously necessary to move around and plan accommodations in different places, so as to optimize the time devoted to travel. Consequently, it is also necessary to plan for multi-trip airline flights, as we explain in more detail below.
In summary, here is a super summary of the travel arrangements for our 10-day itinerary in South Africa:
🐧 Cape Town: Head South Lodge ⭐Trip To Try Choice
🌲Blyde River Canyon: Westlodge Graskop B&B ⭐Trip To Try Choice
🐘 Kruger National Park: Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge ⭐Trip To Try Choice
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 10-day itinerary in South Africa, we got to Cape Town International Airport in the morning, picked up our rental car, and headed to our hotel in the Greepoint area. After dropping our bags, we headed to the city centre to walk through the main streets and visit the neighbourhoods.
If you’re in downtown Cape Town, you can follow a route that will take you through the most famous places in the historic centre:
Although this neighbourhood is now famous for how nice it looks, the colours of the houses in Bo-Kaap have a much deeper meaning. They symbolise the struggle against slavery. Actually, the Bo-Kaap area started out as the “Malay Quarter” because it was built to house slaves brought over from Malaysia by the Dutch. Back then, the place looked very different, with all the buildings painted white and a ban on using warm colours. When slavery was abolished, people painted their houses in bright colours to symbolise their newfound freedom and the start of a new chapter.
The Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum is in this neighbourhood, in one of the old houses. You should definitely visit if you want to know more about the history of the place.
We wrapped up our tour of Cape Town’s historic centre with a stroll in the stunning Company’s Garden park, which is right next to another fascinating museum, the Iziko South African Museum.
In the late afternoon, we headed to the Constantia wine region for a tour of the vineyards and a tasting of some South African wines, followed by an excellent dinner with a view at the Beau Constantia restaurant.
🏫 BUY HERE the Cape Town City Centre and Bo-Kaap Walking Tour
In the late afternoon and for dinner, we travel to the Constantia wine production area to visit the vineyards and have a great tasting of South African wines, before an excellent dinner with a view at the Beau Constantia restaurant.
This wine-producing area is located not far from Cape Town and is perfect if you do not have much time to spare. Instead, if you have a few extra days, we recommend getting to the famous Stellenbosch, where you will find some of South Africa’s most famous wineries.
Short Market Street in Cape Town
Dinner at Beau Constantia restaurant
Bo-Kaap
🐧 Low budget: Anchor Bay Workation
🐧🐧 Medium budget: Head South Lodge ⭐Trip To Try Choice
🐧🐧🐧 No limits: Radisson Red Hotel V&A Waterfront Cape Town
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
The V&A Waterfront is where you can buy tickets and catch the ferry to Robben Island. After a nice morning checking out the Waterfront, you head off to this amazing place, which is definitely worth a visit if you’re planning to spend 10 days exploring South Africa. Robben Island is definitely one of the symbolic places of the struggle against apartheid that shook this country, and is still a present and heartfelt issue today.
The visit to Robben Island lasts about three hours, so when you get back, we suggest you stop by the Waterfront again in the evening. Have a drink in one of the bars with a great view, and enjoy an excellent dinner in one of the typical restaurants there.
Opening hours: guided tour daily at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (3 p.m. only from September to April)
Entrance fee: 600 ZAR (approximately €31.40)
Our tips: admissions are limited to the capacity of the ferries, so we recommend that you purchase your ticket online in advance. In case of bad weather, the visit will not take place, so keep an eye on the official website that will give you real-time updates!
On the third day of our 10-day itinerary in South Africa, we set off for the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a huge park on the outskirts of Cape Town located on the slopes of Table Mountain.
You could easily spend a couple of hours in this park, following the trails through the different microclimates, woodlands, the famous Canopy Walk (a wooden walkway suspended between trees) and the colourful flowers, like the protea, which is South Africa’s signature flower. Free guided tours leave from the main entrances of the park during the day, and you can find more detailed information on the official website.
We reckon a great idea would be to visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, and then drive to Constantia, which is just a few minutes away, for a wine tasting! If you’re interested, you can find the ticket for this combined tour here.
Opening hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from September to March, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to August
Cost of admission: 230 ZAR (approximately €12). You can purchase your ticket online here.
After you have finished your visit to Kirstenbosch, you set off in the direction of Hout Bay, the port from which boat excursions depart to visit Duiker Island, or the island of sea lions. Duiker Island is a very small island where you will find a colony of hundreds of sea lions and which you can observe from the boat.
This is a fairly short visit, taking about an hour in total, including the round trip.
Opening hours: 9 am to 6 pm, there are plenty of tours starting from Hout Bay and leading to Duiker Island, you can buy your ticket online at this link
Cost of admission: average 140-150 ZAR (about 7-8 euros)
Our tips: the Hout Bay area is not the best, so tip the valets at the parking lot where you leave your car to be on the safe side!
So, on the third day of our 10-day South African itinerary, we’re heading to Table Mountain. It’s that famous flat-topped mountain that looms 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 lines. Or you could climb to the top on foot, which is a bit of a challenge and will take at least half a day. When you reach the top of the mountain, you can enjoy the amazing sunset views of the city and the ocean. If you’re planning a 10-day trip to South Africa, you’d be mad not to visit Table Mountain.
When you’re planning your trip to Table Mountain, it’s really important to check the weather forecast. If the wind is strong or the weather’s bad, the cable car might be closed and the walking route might not be suitable. You can find the latest info on the official website, which you can access via this link.
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 try South African cuisine through a multi-course tasting menu.
Opening hours: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cost of admission: 430 ZAR for the A/R cable car ticket (about €22.50)
Our tips: in bad weather the cable car does not work and it is also dangerous to walk up, so keep an eye on the official website that will give you real-time updates!
🚞 BUY HERE your Table Mountain Cable Car Ticket and Cape Town Bus Tour
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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