10 days South Africa - Johannesburg to Cape Town tips?

Destinations South Africa
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I’m going to South Africa in March, 10 days starting in Johannesburg and then heading to Cape Town, planning to stay most of the trip in Cape Town. Any tips, suggestions, gems or things to avoid? For now, I only have the round-trip tickets to Johannesburg, the itinerary is still a white canvas. I’ll take a TR tour as well, but haven’t chosen yet.

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Do a few days in Kruger for the safari part and then fly down to Cape Town and would suggest doing a tour there. Earthstompers is an amazing provider to do the garden route :wink:

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for what it’s worth, I booked this tour

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i had booked this trip and was really good! 3 day Garden Route + Safari Highlights Tour from Cape Town by Hotspots2c with 83 Tour Reviews (Code: gr-saf3) - TourRadar 3 day Garden Route + Safari Highlights Tour from Cape Town by Hotspots2c

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I would highly recommend checking out the penguins in Simons Town, hike up Table Mountain (or taking the cable car) and Lions Head and get a little tipsy in the Winelands in Franschhoek or Stellenbosch. :chocolate_bar: :grapes: :wine_glass: If you need any recommendations on great wine farms , let me know!

If you want to avoid the crowds, then I can also highly recommend doing a small self-drive on the Garden Route with stops along Knysna, Tsitsikama and towards Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha.

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@traveler_878338 I see you’re heading to Johannesburg in March. Personally, I wouldn’t spend more than a day or two in the city itself. It’s interesting, but it definitely feels more like the business capital than a classic travel stop. That said, it’s a great base to reach a safari.

You can go on to Kruger, but we actually did Pilanesberg National Park, which is much closer to Joburg and worked really well for us. There are some great lodges there, and it’s an easy way to fit in a safari without long travel days.

If you do stay in Joburg, a few things I’d really recommend:

  1. Apartheid Museum, absolutely worth it
  2. Vilakazi Street in Soweto, where Nelson Mandela’s former home is
  3. Cradle of Humankind, about an hour outside the city and honestly fascinating. The Maropeng Visitor Centre and Sterkfontein Caves are well done and give great context to the history of the area.

After that, I’d make my way down to Cape Town. If you have the time, the Garden Route is a brilliant option, and finishing in Cape Town feels like the perfect end to the trip.

I hope the itinerary is coming together nicely!

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@traveler_878338 How did you get on?