Last Updated on 23/06/2026 by Ting Dalton
South Africa is one of those trips that looks daunting to plan and then, once you’re there, leaves you wondering why you waited so long. It was a throwaway comment one Christmas that set ours in motion, a half-joke about being somewhere sunny for the holidays, and a few weeks later I’d booked flights to Cape Town and the real work began.
That work is what this guide is about. Not the day-by-day route, which I cover in our two week South Africa itinerary, but everything you need to sort before that. When to go, which airport to fly into, how the visa rules work, hiring a car, booking accommodation that won’t sell out, what it all costs, and how to keep everyone safe and comfortable.
Whether you’re travelling solo, as a couple or, like us, with young children in tow, this is how to plan a trip to South Africa without losing your mind. I planned ours independently rather than buying a tour package, and most of South Africa travel is straightforward to arrange yourself with a few good travel guides and a bit of forward planning.
Is South Africa a good place to visit?
In a word, yes. I’ve yet to meet anyone who came back from South Africa with a bad word to say about it, and after our own trip, I understand why. It’s a huge, varied country with dramatic landscapes, reliable sunshine, world-class wine regions and some of the most accessible safaris on the continent, home to the Big Five of lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. Seeing wild animals roaming free is high on most visitors’ lists, and one of the best things about the country is that you can combine a city, a coastline and a game reserve in a single trip, which is rare.
Some of the best places sit within easy reach of one another. In Cape Town alone, you can ride the cable car up Table Mountain, hike Lion’s Head at sunrise, swim at the False Bay beaches and wander the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, all in a couple of days. One planning note: the Table Mountain cable car closes in high winds, so keep it flexible and go on a clear, calm day rather than pinning it to your last morning. That density of things to see is part of what makes the country such a rewarding first long-haul trip.
For families specifically, there are two big draws worth knowing early, because they shape your planning. The Western Cape and the Garden Route are malaria-free, and there’s only a one-to two-hour time difference from the UK depending on the season, so jet lag barely registers. That’s a large part of why we chose the Cape over a Kruger safari for our first visit with a baby and a six-year-old.
A few basics for first-time visitors. South Africa has 12 official languages, though English is widely spoken everywhere you’ll travel as a tourist, so communication is rarely an issue. The currency is the rand, the electricity runs on its own plug type, and the country spans several distinct regions, so no two trips look quite the same.
How long do you need in South Africa?
This is the first real planning decision, because it drives everything else. Exactly how much time you need depends on how far you want to roam, but South Africa is vast, roughly five times the size of the UK, and distances are deceptive on a map. For a bucket list trip, you’ll want to give yourself enough full days in each spot to actually enjoy it rather than racing on.
- One week: enough for one region. Either Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula with a couple of days in the Winelands, or a focused safari near Kruger. Don’t try to do both in seven days.
- Ten days: Cape Town plus a stretch of the Garden Route, or Cape Town plus a short safari add-on by domestic flight.
- Two weeks: the sweet spot. Enough for Cape Town, the Winelands and a good run along the Garden Route, with time to relax. This is what we did, and our full route is in the two week itinerary.
- Three weeks or more: now you can combine Cape Town, the Garden Route and a full Kruger safari, perhaps adding Victoria Falls or Botswana’s Okavango Delta as a separate flight.
My honest advice is to do less than you think. If you have limited time, pick one region and travel it slowly. The temptation is to cram, but the driving distances punish over-ambition, and a trip where you actually stop and look beats one spent staring at the road.
When is the best time to visit South Africa?
South Africa is a year-round destination, but the right month depends entirely on what you want from the trip and which region you’re heading to. The seasons are flipped in the northern hemisphere, so the local summer runs from roughly November to March.
For Cape Town and the Garden Route
The summer months of November to March bring hot, dry weather ideal for beaches, the Atlantic Ocean coastline and the Cape Winelands. This is peak season though, so it’s the priciest and busiest time, overlapping the local school holidays, and accommodation books up months ahead. We travelled over Christmas and the New Year, the absolute peak, and I was astonished how much was already fully booked when I started looking in January for the following December. Spring, around September to November, is quieter, better value and lovely for wildflowers.
For safari near Kruger
The dry winter months of May to September are the best time for wildlife viewing in the national parks. During the dry season, the vegetation thins out and animals gather at waterholes, making game far easier to spot on early morning and late afternoon drives. A private guide or a stay at a private reserve improves your chances further, as guides track sightings and can go off the main roads.
For whales
If seeing the southern right whales is a priority, head to the Western Cape coast around Hermanus between June and November, with the best sightings usually in September and October.
In the coldest months, May to July, Cape Town can drop to around 10°C overnight, so it’s not all wall-to-wall sun. Pack accordingly.
Which airport should you fly into?
South Africa has three main international airports, and the one you choose shapes your whole route.
- Cape Town International Airport is the gateway to the Western Cape, the Cape Peninsula and the Garden Route. If you’re doing the route most first-timers picture, fly in here.
- OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg is the main hub and the usual springboard for Kruger and the Panorama Route, with onward domestic flights to Hoedspruit or Nelspruit (Mbombela).
- King Shaka International Airport in Durban serves the east coast and KwaZulu-Natal, including Durban’s Golden Mile beachfront and the game reserves of Zululand.
Geography is everything here. Cape Town to Kruger is more than 18 hours by road but only around a two-hour domestic flight, so most people combining the two fly rather than drive to cut the travel time. Domestic flights between the major cities are frequent and cheap, giving easy access to regions that would otherwise be a long drive apart. From the UK, you can reach Cape Town and Johannesburg on direct overnight flights of around 11 to 12 hours, which is part of what makes South Africa such a manageable long-haul trip. It’s a long flight, but the time difference is small, so the dreaded jet lag is minimal.
Do you need a visa for South Africa?
For many travellers, the answer is reassuringly simple, but check your own nationality, because the rules differ and they have been changing.
Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and most of Western Europe do not need a visa for tourism. You’re granted a visitor’s permit on arrival, usually for up to 90 days, stamped into your passport at the border. No paperwork in advance, no fee.
Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your planned departure date and have at least two blank pages for stamps. In practice, aim for six months’ validity to be safe, as that’s what many airlines and officers prefer.
Travellers from countries that do need a visa now apply through South Africa’s online eVisa system, and a separate Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is being rolled out in phases through 2026 for certain nationalities. If you’re not from a visa-exempt country, apply well ahead, three to six months is a sensible buffer, and don’t expect to sort it on arrival, because you can’t. Always confirm the current position on an official source such as the South African Department of Home Affairs before you book, since this is an area in flux.
Travelling to South Africa with children
This is where I most want to update what I wrote years ago, because the rules have changed in travellers’ favour. When we first planned our trip, South Africa famously required every child under 18 to carry an unabridged birth certificate (one showing both parents’ details) alongside their passport, and people were being turned away at check-in without one.
Since 8 November 2019, that requirement has been waived for foreign children who are accompanied by their parents. If you’re travelling as a family with your own children, you no longer need to carry birth certificates or consent letters for entry. It’s a real relief and one less thing to chase before you go.
A few important caveats remain, so don’t switch off entirely.
- Unaccompanied minors, or children travelling with only one parent or with another adult, may still be asked for an unabridged birth certificate and a consent affidavit from the absent parent or parents. If this is your situation, carry the documents.
- Rules can tighten again, so it does no harm to travel with a copy of your child’s birth certificate just in case, even when accompanied.
- Always check the latest guidance with the airline and the Department of Home Affairs close to your travel date.
Planning your route
Once you know your airport and how long you’ve got, the route falls into place. Rather than repeat our full day-by-day plan here, which lives in the two week South Africa itinerary, here’s a quick overview of the classic options so you can pick the shape that suits you.
The Cape and Garden Route (self-drive)
Fly into Cape Town, spend a few days in the city and on the Cape Peninsula, add the Winelands, then drive east along the Garden Route to the coastal towns of Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, with the Indian Ocean alongside you much of the way. It’s a classic self-drive road trip, malaria-free, and the driving is gentle once you’re past the first leg, which suits families and first-timers. Each town is worth visiting in its own right, and boat trips on the Knysna lagoon or out to spot dolphins are an easy addition. Inland detours such as the Cango Caves at Oudtshoorn are easy to add too. This is the route we took, and you’ll want a rental car for it.
Cape Town plus Kruger safari
Combine a few days in Cape Town with a domestic flight to the Kruger region for a Big Five safari, either in Kruger National Park itself or one of the private game parks such as Sabi Sands. On the way in or out you can drive the Panorama Route for the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest green canyons in the world and some of the country’s most striking natural beauty. Bear in mind the Kruger Lowveld is a malaria area, so take medical advice before travelling there with young children.
The Eastern Cape alternative
If you want a Big Five safari without the malaria risk, Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) is malaria-free and an easy add-on to the end of a Garden Route trip.
Whichever you choose, do your research on driving distances and times before you commit, and work out the best route for the time you have. The single biggest planning mistake is underestimating how far apart things are. As a rough sense of scale, Cape Town to the start of the Garden Route is around four to five hours, Cape Town to Kruger is an 18-hour drive but a two-hour flight, and even short hops between Garden Route towns eat up more of the day than you’d expect once you factor in stops. Build in more time than the map suggests, and you’ll enjoy the scenic drives rather than racing through them.
Hiring a car in South Africa
For the Cape and the Garden Route, a hire car is close to essential. The roads are good, the scenery is part of the experience, and for UK drivers, there’s a welcome bonus: South Africa drives on the left, just like home. If you’d rather not drive at all, you can rely on private transfers between airports, hotels and overnight stays, though it works out pricier and less flexible than self-driving. Here’s what I learned booking ours.
- Book early. Prices creep up the longer you leave it, and in peak season, cars sell out. I noticed the quotes climbing while I procrastinated.
- Don’t just take the cheapest quote. The headline rate on comparison sites often excludes the extras. Factor in insurance, additional drivers and any one-way fees before you compare.
- Buy car hire excess insurance separately. A standalone annual or trip policy is usually far cheaper than the daily excess waiver the rental desk will try to sell you.
- Think about size and transmission. If you’ve got luggage, a family and long drives ahead, a larger automatic with air conditioning is worth it. Work out the total cost over the whole hire rather than fixating on the daily rate.
- Bring or request car seats. We took our own to be sure they were suitable, and used a free offline sat-nav app so we didn’t need mobile data to navigate.
- Read the company’s reviews. A few minutes checking customer service ratings saves a lot of grief at the collection desk.
As a rough 2026 guide, a car large enough for a family runs from around R450 to R850 a day (roughly £20 to £37), more in peak summer. Budget for fuel on top, as the Cape to Garden Route loop covers a fair distance.
Booking accommodation
South Africa has somewhere to suit every budget, from guesthouses and bed and breakfasts to self-catering apartments, holiday rentals and luxury safari lodges. The choice can feel overwhelming, but it narrows quickly once you’ve settled your route.
My main lessons from booking ours, much of it nearly a year ahead because we travelled at Christmas:
- In peak season, book months in advance. The Cape over Christmas and New Year is the busiest it gets, and the best family places go first.
- Use a platform with free cancellation. I like being able to hold a room and still cancel without charge if plans shift. Read the small print, though, because in peak season many places take a deposit to secure the booking.
- Check that the place is actually family-friendly. I was surprised how many boutique stays around Cape Town are adults-only. If you’re travelling with children, confirm before you fall in love with a listing.
- Think about location. Staying a short drive from the city centre is often cheaper and quieter than being right in it, and with a hire car you’re not tied to the middle of town anyway.
- Decide how much you want to move around. We chose comfortable bases we could settle into for a few nights each, rather than packing and unpacking constantly, which makes a big difference with kids.
For specific places we stayed and loved, from a beach house on the dunes in Wilderness to a hilltop retreat in Knysna, see the where-to-stay sections of the two week itinerary.
How much does a trip to South Africa cost?
The honest headline is that South Africa is excellent value once you’ve arrived. The rand stretches a long way for UK and US visitors, and eating and drinking out cost a fraction of what they do at home, the Winelands especially. Your big upfront costs are the international flights, car hire and accommodation. Here’s a rough 2026 picture for the Cape and Garden Route, with sterling conversions at around R23 to the pound. Treat it as a planning guide, since prices swing with the season.
- Flights from the UK: typically £600 to £900 per person return, depending on season and how far ahead you book.
- Car hire: around R450 to R850 a day (£20 to £37), so roughly R6,500 to R12,000 (£280 to £520) for two weeks.
- Accommodation: mid-range hotels and guesthouses average around R1,400 to R2,100 a night (£60 to £90), with family rooms at the upper end.
- Eating out: a relaxed dinner for two with wine often comes in under R600 (£26). Self-catering breakfasts and the odd picnic keep costs right down.
- Attractions and park fees: these add up. As a guide for international visitors, Boulders Beach is around R190 per adult, Cape Point about R460, the Table Mountain cableway roughly R395 to R490, and Kirstenbosch around R260. A SANParks Wild Card can save money if you’re visiting several parks.
- Domestic flights (if adding a safari): Cape Town to Johannesburg one-way often runs around R1,300 to R2,500 (£55 to £110).
Booking attractions and excursions
A little planning ahead pays off, especially in peak season, when the popular experiences sell out. Work out the handful of things you most want to do and book them before you arrive. Tickets to big draws like Robben Island, the UNESCO World Heritage Site where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, get snapped up fast, as do popular wine tastings, game drives and the like. We reserved our Stellenbosch tasting, our game drive near Plettenberg Bay and our elephant walk in Knysna well ahead.
One thing worth checking carefully if you’re travelling as a family: not every excursion welcomes children. We’d always wanted to cage-dive with great white sharks, but under-10s aren’t allowed on the boats, and the same age limits apply to many whale-watching tours. Read the rules before you build your heart around an activity.
Money, connectivity and getting around
- Currency: the South African rand (R, ZAR). Credit cards and contactless payments are widely accepted, and several attractions, including Boulders Beach, are now cashless, so always carry a card. Keep some cash for tips, markets and small towns.
- Tipping: customary in restaurants at around 10 to 15 per cent, and a small tip for petrol attendants and car guards is normal.
- SIM cards and data: a local SIM or eSIM is cheap and useful for maps and bookings on the move. A free offline sat-nav app is a good backup for driving.
- Driving: on the left, with good main roads. Avoid driving at night where you can, and keep valuables out of sight.
- Plugs: South Africa uses its own three-pin plug (type M, and increasingly type N), so bring a suitable adapter.
Is South Africa safe?
This was the question that worried me most before we went, and I want to be straight about it. South Africa does have crime, and the crime rate looks alarming in the statistics you’ll read while researching. But the trouble tends to concentrate in areas well away from the usual tourist routes. Across two weeks in the Western Cape and along the Garden Route, travelling with two small children, we never once felt unsafe.
The sensible precautions are the same ones you’d take in any unfamiliar city. Keep valuables out of sight, don’t flash expensive phones or jewellery, use car guards and secure parking, avoid walking alone in quiet areas after dark, and drive with doors locked and windows up in cities. Do that, stick broadly to the well-travelled routes, and you’ll likely find, as we did, that people are warm, helpful and proud to show off their country.
What to pack for South Africa
- Layers. Cape Town can deliver four seasons in a day, and game drives are cold first thing even in summer.
- Sun protection. High-factor sun cream, a hat and sunglasses. The African sun is fierce.
- Insect repellent. Useful everywhere, essential if you’re heading to a malaria area.
- Beach shoes. Many Garden Route beaches are pebbly, and the water is cold.
- Binoculars. Worth it for game drives and for whale-spotting from the coast.
- Adapters and a power bank. For all the photos you’ll be taking.
- Any medication you need, plus a basic first-aid kit, and check whether antimalarials are needed for your route.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you plan a trip to South Africa?
Start by deciding how long you have and which region suits you, then choose your airport (Cape Town for the Garden Route, Johannesburg for Kruger). Book flights, a hire car and accommodation early, especially in peak season, check whether you need a visa, and reserve popular attractions before you arrive. Our two week itinerary shows how it all fits together.
Do UK and US citizens need a visa for South Africa?
No. Citizens of the UK, US, Canada, Australia and most of Western Europe get a visitor’s permit on arrival for up to 90 days, with no visa needed for tourism. Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond departure with two blank pages.
Do children need an unabridged birth certificate to enter South Africa?
Since November 2019, foreign children accompanied by their parents no longer need to carry an unabridged birth certificate. Unaccompanied minors, or children travelling with one parent or another adult, may still need one plus a consent affidavit. Carry a copy regardless and check current rules before you travel.
How many days do you need in South Africa?
One week covers a single region, ten days allows Cape Town plus the Garden Route or a short safari, and two weeks is the sweet spot for combining city, coast and a taste of safari. Three weeks or more lets you add a full Kruger safari and even Victoria Falls.
Is South Africa expensive?
Flights, car hire and accommodation are the main costs, but once you’re there, South Africa is good value, with food, wine and attractions cheaper than in the UK. A two-week Cape and Garden Route trip is very doable on a mid-range budget.
Is it safe to drive in South Africa?
Yes, on the main tourist routes. The roads are good and they drive on the left, the same as the UK. Avoid driving at night where possible, keep valuables out of sight, and lock doors in cities.
Start planning
South Africa rewards a bit of preparation more than most destinations, simply because the distances and the seasons matter so much. Sort the big four early, flights, car, accommodation and your route, check the entry rules for your nationality, and the rest falls into place. It remains one of the trips that surprised me most, and we left already plotting our return.
When you’re ready to map out the days, head over to our two week South Africa itinerary for the exact route we took, where we stayed and what we did.
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