Hints and tips for three week itinerary?

it looks like you have done a lot of research and know where you want to go and why you want to go there, that is great. personally, with 3 weeks in south africa, i would probably plan another itinerary, but the emphasis is on "personally" :-). there is no right or wrong. and there is nothing stupid about your itinerary.

a couple of inputs:
- from east london to cape town its about 1000km. yes, you can do it in two days (stopping somewhere in the middle overnight), but i dont really see the point. you will spend two full days driving, without the time to see much on the way. i would rather fly from east london (or port elizabeth) to cape town.
- cape town and surrounding areas are fantastic, so you will be glad for all the time you have there. for all the attractions you mention (maybe with the exception of the shark dive), i would stay in central cape town. if you stay in a place in gardens for example, you have plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes, shops in easy walking distance. you can walk to museum and galleries, take a bus or cab to the lower table mountain station, walk to the v&a for robben island etc. you can explore the cape peninsula with a rental car, or if you dont want to rent one, book a day excursion. you should book a day excursion to the winelands (and not self-drive), so that both of you can try some of the amazing wine.

and as you are from the uk, you might consider flying back directly from cape town to london instead of going via joburg (ba has direct cpt - lhr flights).

Thanks so much for your replies. Our flights are already booked - we would ideally have flown home from CT but got a great deal on flights to and from Jo'burg. We are coming from Scotland so no direct flights.

I will definitely look into flying between East London and CT, would be good to get an extra night in CT and cut out some driving. It sounds like we'd manage without a car in CT, or get another rental there.

It seems a shame that you schedule is so tight :( We drove from East London to CT, taking 4 days over the trip. Firstly we stopped at Addo national park, then Knysner, trying the produce of Mitchells brewery while we were there :).
From there, we went inland to Oudtshorn, allowing us to drive on the Klein karoo, visit Jemima's restaurant and see some spectacular landscapes. from there, we travelled on to Swellendam, stopping at a fantasic guest house 'The Olde Wagonhouse' This allowed us to take a leasurely drive down to Cape Aghulas for a paddle from the Indian ocean, round to the South Atlantic [about 10 paces] :) From there, a bit of a race to CT, but made it easily in daylight. While you're on the cape, don't miss out on the peninsula, cape point is worth seeing, and while on the park, it should be compulsory to visit Good Hope. You should also drive Chapmans peak, probably one of the most spectacular roads in SA, and I would always recommend a stroll on Silvermine, followed by a drive down to the coast, head for Kalk bay and try lunch at the 'brass Bell' I hope this helps ?

As mentioned you don't have enough time to do all of this, the Garden Route has lots to offer. Cape Town requires 4 days at least to scratch the surface, you could spend 2 days on just the HOHO bus red & blue route, add in Robben Island trip & browsing the city & a bit of beach time. Then you need to hire a car for the Cape Peninsula & another day for a trip to the winelands, either organised tour or self drive, an extra day could take you to Hermanus & Cape Agulhas.

I also highly recommend Kalk Bay, Brass Bell, Kalkies, the best place for fish in the whole of CT.

Ezulwini: stay in Lidwala Lodge

Drakensberg: I visited and stayed a few nights in the northern, central and Southern Drak. Inkosana Lodge was a fabulous spot Ian the central Drak. Great hiking around there as well.

I'd recommend flying to cut down on the driving as well.