A week's travel through South Africa

Hello fellow travelers,

I am quite confused on how to plan the itinerary for S.A mainly because I will only have 7 days in the country, excluding the day of arrival and departure. I plan on staying in Cape Town then driving down to Port Elizabeth with my partner, before flying (or maybe taking the train?) to Joburg. I have been looking at the garden route which seems interesting but I am open to better routes, if any.

However, I would like to squeeze in a day's visit to stellenbosch (is it along the way); while heading towards Khysna and finally Port Elizabeth. What short yet scenic route would you recommend we use? And what stops are worth seeing?

hi lacie
7 days is indeed not a lot. it also depends on your interests of course. the garden route is very nice and definitely worth a visit, but the main reason for me (and many other people) to travel to south africa is to see wildlife, and for that krüger np is fantastic.

with 7 days, personally i would spend 4 days in and around cape town (including a days visit to the winelands). fly from cape town to krüger mpumalanga airport (there is one direct flight per day), spend 3 days in krüger np and fly to johannesburg to fly out of south africa.

between cape town and pe, its about 850km. you need 4 days (thats the absolute minimum in my opinion) for cape town and the cape peninsula (including a day in the winelands). which leaves 3 days for cpt to pe. if you dont want to go to krüger np, spending at least a day in addo elefant park (80km north of pe) is a must in my opinion. there you can see large herds of elefants and plenty of other wildlife. which leaves 1-2 days for 850km. which will mean a lot of driving, and not a lot of time to do / visit something on the way.

you could also easily spend 7 days in and around cape town and going on a 2 day excursion from there. if you travel soon (up to november), to the whale coast (hermanus / gaans baai / de kelders) to see whales (about 2 hours east of cape town, longer and more scenic if you travel along the coast). you could also travel up north to paternoster or langebaan to spend 1-2 days on the beach, go for walks, eat seafood. or up north to the cederberge for beautiful nature, bushmans painting, hiking, cycling etc.

Hi nathalie2. Thanks for the quick response. I have given it more thought and I think at least 3 days in Cape Town would be great. About seeing wildlife, I am not as keen, because I have done that several times in my home country, Kenya. However, I do like the idea of spending a day in the winelands. Then perhaps traveling to Hermanus. Do you think I could spend a day in Hermanus and Stellenbosch or should I do a day in each area?Then I am considering the option of driving down to George instead of P.E and flying to Johannesburg from there. Also, do you have a suggestion on good beaches in Cape Town?

okay, so if you dont want to see wildlife (as you have done that in your home country kenya), visit cape town and surroundings and maybe part of the garden route.

you can easily spend a day in the winelands (dont self drive but join an excursion so that you can try some wine). on a day trip you will visit 3-4 wineries, have some time to walk around stellenbosch (which is a old university town with a lot of charm), have lunch somewhere, and you will probably also visit franschhoek. there are also plenty of nice wineries near hermanus, so you could also drive from cape town to hermanus, and visit some wineries like creations.

cape town has many beautiful beaches. great for walking, dipping your feet into the water, surfing and amazing sunsets. i love to swim and do so at home (in switzerland) even when the water is too cold for most people. beaches in cape town are in my opinion not really great for swimming (too cold, too wild, maybe sharks). camps bay has a beautiful beach, which is great to walk on, have a sunbath, have a nice lunch in one of the posh restaurants on the "beach promenade" and especially so for people watching. muizenberg beach is very wide and a fantastic beach for surfers. the colorful beach houses there make for great foto subjects.

Visiting Stellenbosch and Franschhoek sounds good : ) Thanks for the useful info on the wineries and beaches.And I shall definitely give Camp's bay a visit. I think my itinerary is starting to come together

Beaches:
Try Clifton - short walk from Camps Bay but more sheltered from the wind (especially when the South Easter is blowing) and down steps so further away from cars driving by. There's Clifton First through to Fourth beaches - each with a different vibe.

Llandudno is similar - bit more out of the way, so great in peak season. All beaches on this side: Clifton, Lllandudno, Camps Bay, etc. are great for sunsets.

False Bay has warmer water so better for swimming and the beaches tend to be more family orientated. Boulders Beach, which is just outside Simon's Town, and the added advantage of penguins wandering about. (Though if you don't want to pay the entrance fees or its high tide and crowded, rather go to Froggy's Pond - take the small gate on the right at the end of the road into the parking lot). St James, Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, et al. are also nice beaches.

As you can see, there are loads of beaches in Cape Town. Some of the places you'll be passing through on your driving will also have nice beaches: Vic Bay, Knysna (Noetsie, Brenton-on-Sea), Wilderness, etc. (As you go up the coast towards PE the water will get progressively warmer).

Thanks ghalied. Wow, there are so many beaches to choose from. Clifton, Camps Bay and St. James seem interesting enough. About seeing penguins, I was thinking of stopping over at Betty's Bay. It shouldn't be too far from Hermanus, right? Or is it before that area?

hi lacie8, indeed plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from in and around cape town. for the penguins, you are right, you can stop at betty's bay on the way to hermanus. the "shortest" way from cape town to hermanus is probably via sir lowrys pass, but its only 20km or so longer to drive along the coast via betty's bay and absolutely worth it. the penguin colony here is less visited than the one on boulders beach.

if you go to st. james (where there is a natural "rock swimming pool"), there is a nice short 20 minutes walk along the coast to muizenberg, which is very wide beautiful beach.

its great to watch sunset somewhere with a view of the ocean. it does look tacky from the outside, but the view from the balcony of the leopard bar in the 12 apostels hotel is fantastic. this is a fantastic place to have a glass of wine or a cocktail and watch the spectacular sunset (the bar is open to non hotel guests and has reasonable prices).

Yeah, besides the penguins, Betty's Bay has a nice beach too (I surfed with dolphins there once!) but not near the penguins. If you're going to Betty's Bay, the best way to drive is via Gordon's Bay and hugging the coast (http://goo.gl/y0iyNU) - actually that's always the better, more scenic route. (For getting the most out of the day, on the return journey, I would take the N2, turn off at the R321 and head to Franschoek for supper before heading back to town - I've done this a few times and it makes for a long but rewarding day)

You'll probably pass Boulder's Beach as part of a going to Cape Point (and don't forget Chapman's Peak is spectacular) - so you might want to pop in for a dip anyway if it's a hot day.

Hi Nathalie2, driving along the coast does sound lovely. I think we'll take that route. And hopefully get to watch the sunset from the 12 apostles : )

Thanks for the directions Ghalied.There is so much to do it seems and such little time. I'll definitely have to come back to SA for a longer trip some time

If we were to drive back to CP from Hermanus though, using Sir Lowry’s Pass, how long do you think it would take? Would it make more sense to do that instead of driving down to George, in terms of saving time? I am trying to figure out how to pack one more day in, for Cape Town; before having to fly back to Jo-burg for my flight out.

if you dont have time to do / visit something else on the garden route, i would definitely drive back from hermanus to cape town instead of driving to george. hermanus to cape town via sir lowry's pass is about 150km, and a relaxed 2 hours drive. its a very nice journey, and the pass is quite nice, with good views.

and any day more you have in and around cape town is good news.

Yes, it does seem like the better option; and about half the time it would take to get to George.Plus more flight options to get back to Jo-burg from Cape Town

enjoy your 7 days in south africa lacie8. im sure you will enjoy it will be back for more.
cheers, nathalie

Thanks a lot. I bet I will : ) Looking forward to it

Other options:
If you want to incorporate a night in Stellenbosch (though I prefer Franschoek):
http://goo.gl/XoPPgQ (can be done in one long day at a push)
A longer loop, spend the night in Swellendam and swap a visit to Stellenbosch for a visit to Robertson:
http://goo.gl/X6Ov11

Either way, enjoy your travels!

Great. I shall look at these options as well. Thanks

Other options:

If you want to incorporate a night in Stellenbosch (though I prefer Franschoek):
http://goo.gl/XoPPgQ (can be done in one long day at a push)
A longer loop, spend the night in Swellendam and swap a visit to Stellenbosch for a visit to Robertson:
http://goo.gl/X6Ov11

Either way, enjoy your travels!