South Africa Round Trip: 3 Weeks Route, Tips & Travel Report

South Africa Round Trip 3 weeks: Travel report with tips for route, prices & travel time

Are you planning your individual South Africa round trip and have about 3 weeks for your road trip? Then you've come to the right place, because I've already been to Africa's southernmost country eight times - and I love it! We show you a route for the first South Africa round trip (3 weeks), and also have tips for alternative routes. We ourselves spent 21 days in South Africa with a rental car on our first South Africa road trip, to see the the most important highlights of the of the country.

Since I am self-employed, I spent one week in the West Coast National Park and Cape Town extended.

Here you can find our useful South Africa tipsand our costs of the trip. Everything you need to know about best time to travel in South Africa, Safari in Kruger National Parkthe best excursions in and around Cape Town.

To inspire you with your route planning, here is a list of all the places and highlights I visited during the South Africa road trip.

Tip: Is South Africa expensive? Can I find the right way if I hardly speak English? We hereby clear up the bias. Read all about → my South Africa tips & round trip experiences here. I have already been to this beautiful country eight times!

Is it worth going to South Africa?

South Africa advertises with the slogan "The world in one country" - quite rightly. Whether dreamlike beaches, desert-like dune landscapes, steep cliffs, gigantic trees, perfect conditions for a safari in the Kruger National Park or private game resorts like e.g. Sabi SabiKlaserie or Timbavati.

There really is everything here. Also big cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg (with Soweto) are definitely worth a visit.

We spent a total of 27 days travelling through South Africa by rental car (with a detour to Eswatini). I have summarised some tips for driving in South Africa.

We only changed our travel plan at the end of the trip along the Garden Route. We had to book accommodation in national parks well in advance.

Driving a car in South Africa? I find it pretty easy!

I get a lot of messages asking whether it is easy and safe to drive a rental car in South Africa.

My answer: I found the roads very empty (except in Cape Town and Johannesburg, of course), I quickly got used to driving on the left, except that sometimes another car starts to overtake when I am overtaking - I couldn't get used to that even after four weeks. This is Africa.

Here are some very detailed tips from me on driving in South Africa

South Africa itinerary for 3 - 4 weeks by rental car

Day 1 - 3: Cape Town | Cape of Good Hope & Cape Peninsula

Day 4: West Coast National Park and West Coast

Day 5: Winelands, Stellenbosch

Day 6 - 7: Cape Town

Day 8: Flight to Johannesburg - Soweto

Day 9 - 10: Sabi Sabi (Private Game Reserve near Kruger National Park)

• Day 11: Panorama Route

• Day 12 - 13: Kruger National Park (Walking Safaris)

Day 14: Swaziland, Mkhaya Game Reserve

Day 15 - 16: St. Lucia

• Day 17 - 18: Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve

• Day 19: Durban

• Day 20: Tsitsikamma National Park

• Day 21 - 22: Knysna / Plettenberg Bay

• Day 23: Mossel Bay

• Day 24: Swellendam

• Day 25 - 26: Hermanus

• Day 27 Cape Town

(Click on the links to read detailed travel reports. All other articles will follow as soon as possible)

Other itineraries:

10 - 14 days from Johannesburg

Johannesburg - Soweto - Panorama Route - Kruger National Park - Johannesburg (Pretoria may be included)

10 - 14 days from Cape Town

Cape Town and Cape Peninsula via Winelands via the Garden Route. Either return - along the coast and back via the Karoo or fly back from Port Elizabeth via Cape Town or Johannesburg.

Find inspiration for 17 activities and excursions for Cape Town, Cape Peninsula and Garden Route.

10 - 14 days from Cape Town

Cape Town and Cape Region - Karoo (Observatory) - Kagga Kamma - Namaqualand - Augrabies NP - Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park - Upington - return via Cape Town or Johannesburg

See travelogue for this route here: Northern Cape South Africa from Cape Town

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Map of South Africa with itineraries

Here you can find all the itineraries of my trips to South Africa. These are constantly being updated as I travel to South Africa almost every year to explore new regions.

South Africa Route, Distances, Accommodations and Activities as PDF

A detailed list of my South Africa round trip can be found here as a free PDF download, with all distances, driving times, accommodations and activities undertaken:

Overview of the 1st South Africa trip as PDF download

Highlights and visited places in South Africa

It is not so easy to decide which places you should have seen on a rental car round trip through South Africa. The country is huge, and the choice of places and activities really boggled my mind as I got to know more and more about the country. But I had to make a decision at some point. A single trip to South Africa is not enough to visit all the highlights and "desired places".

Here are the highlights and visited places of my 1st South Africa round trip:

Cape Town

Cape Town - The place to be in South Africa and the city with the many highlights: Table Mountain, Waterfront, Robben Island (report on the visit), local markets, township tours and Design Capital 2014. No one is guaranteed to get bored here.

In the meantime, I have been to Cape Town six times and keep discovering new places and favourite spots. Therefore, I have written up several detailed reports for Cape Town.

Comprehensive Cape Town Guide with all info and highlights

• My 21 best tips to plan your Cape Town holiday stress-free

The most beautiful places and Cape Town sights at a glance

Eating out in Cape Town - the best restaurants & cafés (Food Guide)

• Tips for accommodation in Cape Town: Premier Hotel Cape Town (Sea Point), Balfour Place Guesthouse (Camps Bay), DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town Upper Eastside (Woodstock)

• Tips for tours: Helicopter flight with NAC Helicopters (I've already done it three times), combination tour Robben Island & Township

Everyone who has taken a helicopter flight knows this panorama. V & A Waterfront and Table Mountain on the return from Robben Island. West Coast National Park, Langebaan and Kraalbai

The West Coast of South Africa is a bit of an insider tip. Too many tourists leave it out when they are in Cape Town. Yet there are incredible sand dunes in the West Coast National Park. Or watching the stars at night with San - the indigenous people - and in Kawa ttu visited a San village and tried our hand at their click language. Another highlight is the lagoon at Langebaan and Kraalbai.

We had an appointment with a real lighthouse keeper (with a visit high up) in Paternoster, the small cosy fishing village.

• Tips for accommodation in the West Coast National Park: Duinepos Chalets (self-catering, but in the middle of the National Park).

• Tips for tours: Sunrise hike over the sand dunes (Dawid Bester Trail), visit San village and try your hand at the click language

• Info: As a Wild Card holder you have free entry here.

See all highlights and tips for the West Coast of South Africa here

Highlights along the West Coast of South Africa: Langebaan & Paternoster Stellenbosch & Winelands

I have already been to the Winelands three times: twice as part of a round trip and once when I was allowed to visit the filming locations for the Matthias Schweighöfer and Florian David Fitz film "Der Geilste Tag". Apart from Stellenbosch, I also visited Boschendal and Franschoek.

On my first visit I thought: This is what it must look like in southern England. I felt like I was in a Jane Austen setting. Beautiful (just too many golf courses and snobs for my taste).

We pass one winery after the other. There is great and very stylish accommodation here for all price ranges. No matter if Stellenbosch or Franschhoeck. The Winelands are definitely worth a visit and should not be missed on the route through South Africa.

→ Here you can find an article with the highlights in the Winelands around Stellenbosch.

• Tips for accommodation in the Winelands: Kleine Zalze Stellenbosch,

• Boschendal Cottages

• Tips fortours: "Classic Cape Cuisine" food tour through Stellenbosch with Bits and Bites (approx. 4 hours)

• Wine tasting tips: Boschenda (→ filming location in the movie "Der Geilste Tag"), Delheim (wine tasting with cupcakes).

View over the vineyards of Kleine Zalze The Winelands in Stellenbosch. Here you can see our accommodation the Kleine Zalze Johannesburg with Soweto

Johannesburg is avoided by many tourists. Why? They are afraid. I didn't see the centre of Johannesburg on my first visit either, only the poor district of Soweto. Not out of lack of interest, but simply out of lack of time. In the meantime I have been back three times.

The staff member at the rental car company was wide-eyed when we said our destination "Soweto" out loud, but left us completely cold.

We stayed in Soweto (South Western Township), the largest township in South Africa. While one part of Soweto is becoming more and more touristy, one should not be deceived: there is indeed a high crime rate in many corners. It is even as high (or higher) than in favelas in Brazil. You shouldn't wander around here alone. And we didn't, we spent a night in the Soweto Backpackers and really enjoyed the hospitality of the residents.

We went on a bike tour at unbelievable 36° Celsius to get to know different quarters of Soweto. We were surprised at the different conditions in which people live here. From pretty little terraced houses to corrugated iron huts without their own water supply or electricity. Definitely experience it and go there!

I have now been to Johannesburg and Soweto a third time. I have checked out more highlights and have written down all my tips and recommendations here:

→ See the sights in Johannesburg

Kruger National Park & Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

The Kruger National Park and the adjacent Private Game Reserves are the highlight of my first trip to Southern Africa. If you want to see wild animals in their natural habitat, this is the place to be (I recommend avoiding the "zoos" around Cape Town. These game reserves are not quite as authentic for me).

Lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and everything else you could possibly see can be found in the Kruger National Park.

All tips for the Kruger National Park:

→ Kruger National Park Safari Guide: All Information & Tips

Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Kruger National Park

Insider tip: Ranger taster course with EcoTraining - you can't get more nature and animals than this!

The elephant is relaxed and not disturbed by our presence A magnificent specimen, isn't it? In Sabi Sabi we were very lucky and spotted leopards on every game drive. Panorama Route with Blyde River Canyon

On our first road trip we left the safari world of Kruger National Park for one night to explore the Panorama Route from Graskop. On the second visit I was here for two nights.

Highlights here are the beautiful stops along the road, which are very easy to drive along. Bourne's Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon and the towns of Graskop or Hazyview .

For nature lovers, this route is fantastically beautiful.

All tips, highlights and information on the Panorama Route with Blyde River Canyon can be found here.

Tips for accommodation: Rustique (Graskop) or the Blyde River Canyon A Forever Resort directly at the Blyde River Canyon.

• Tips for breakfast: Harry's Pancakes

Blyde River Canyon Bourne's Luck Potholes Kruger National Park: Glamping & Camping

After a detour via the Panorama Route, we head into the Kruger National Park with Rhino Walking Tours. One night in the bush in luxurious tents - called "glamping" and one night in a very simple tent with sleeping bag in a tree house in the middle of the bush savannah.

Highlights are, of course, the walking safaris on foot and the sleep out in the tree house. Crickets under the starry African sky and listening to the sounds of roaming and hunting animals at night. In contrast to Sabi Sabi, where mainly cats live, here we encounter large herds of elephants and buffalo (on foot!!!). many zebras and monkeys.

I didn't always have complete trust in our ranger here. Especially during the walking safaris. He led us to a large herd of buffalo (150 buffalo for sure) at a distance of only 15 metres. As we know, buffalo are really dangerous. One or two rhinos also came suspiciously close to us.

Pure nature - including the sounds of animals at night and a thunderstorm drizzling into the tent. Great!

Everything you need to know for the Kruger National Park

Right as a welcome, an elephant looks past our tent. Eswatini: Mkhaya Game Reserve

Unlike most tourists who drive through Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) quickly, we stayed in Mkhaya Game Reserve. We spent a night in open huts and experienced more game drives and animal sightings. Also directly in front of and above our open hut. In general, everything here is more pristine and just a great place.

Read the detailed report for the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Eswatini here.

St Lucia: iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Apart from many drunken South Africans, you can meet hippos at night (or even during the day), which run through the place looking for water or drink swimming pools dry. No joke.

Fortunately, we only encountered them on the hippo and crocodile tour through the St Lucia Estuary.

We encountered an endangered species on the nightly turtle tour : The Leatherback Turtle. Unbelievable to watch this over 600 kg heavy turtle laying its eggs on the beach in the national park. The tour was not over until daylight at around 5 am - it was worth it to turn night into day.

All tips and highlights in St. Lucia and iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve

Hluhluwe National Park (pronounced "Schluschluwie", by the way) proudly claims to have brought the rhino population in South Africa back to growth. And rightly so. Nowhere else did we encounter so many rhinos (especially on our walking tour on foot).

The hut at Hilltop Camp was simple, but extremely cosy. We prepared our own braai here and fortunately bought most things for it in advance at the supermarket. The supermarket in the park offers hardly any fresh produce, no vegetables at all and also otherwise more untypical "canned food" à Spaghetti Napoli.

That's why we ate in the restaurant on the second evening (we had to book in advance, but of course we didn't, so we sat alone in the next room).

....and it doesn't turn off. The wind is unfavourable for us. Hi Folks - that's what the monkey wants to tell us. Or: Get away from my rubbish. Somehow I can get this thing open... Durban

Durban was my personal low-light. In South Africa's "hottest place to be" it was dull and it rained again and again. Not a trace of sun or heat. I am sure that with better weather and more time I would have found beautiful spots in Durban.

• Tips for Durban: Take a relaxed stroll along ushaka Beach, have a coffee at the pier (Moyo at the end of the jetty) and in the evening have a delicious meal at Moyo (restaurant on the beach promenade) -> unfortunately no longer available thanks to Corona.

• Tips for accommodation in Durban: The Concierge Boutique Bungalows

Durban, cloudy, windy and drizzling. Not one of the "hottest places to be" during our visit. View from the Mojo Cafe at the pier Along the Garden Route back to Cape Town

From Durban we went by plane to Port Elizabeth and directly on to the Tsitsikamma National Park. From here we followed the Garden Route to Cape Town to Cape Town.

For this route I have written a detailed report with all the highlights of the Garden Route written.

More articles on the Garden Route:

Addo Elephant Park

De Hoop Nature Reserve

Tsitsikamma National Park

Suspension Bridge Tsitsikamma National Park Tsitsikamma National Park South Africa Road Trip Checklist and Travel Diary

To make sure you don't forget anything I have compiled a checklist for a road trip for a road trip.

Another tip: Write a travel diary during your trip!

The memories in them are the best souvenirs of your trip! That's why I designed my own travel diaries and had them printed.

In these notebooks you can write down costs, weather, impressions, highlights and travel experiences. There is also space to stick in pictures. Ideal as travel mementos.