South Africa in 10 Days: An Itinerary

Another summer, another trip! This summer I was lucky enough to explore the beautiful South Africa! Now South Africa is a huge country, so in comparison - this itinerary will only cover a small section, but it is a beautiful one! I'm talking about Cape Town and the Garden Route (which is along the south east coast!).

There is also a VIDEO on this trip, if you are wanting some more inspiration to coincide with this itinerary - click here !

THE ITINERARY

Day 1-3: Cape Town

Top things to do in Cape Town

1. Lions Head - A moderate hike where you should allow 2 hours to hike up and down. It begins with a steep incline, followed by ladders, chains and a little bit of boulder scrambling! There is an alternative route also available if you aren't quite up for the challenge of that part of the hike though! There are beautiful views over Cape Town waterfront, table mountain and the 12 apostles and is a must do while you are in Cape Town.

2. Table Mountain - A view for everyone to enjoy with multiple hike and non hike options! For those who are short on time or hiking isn't for you then there are cable cars available that ride from the bottom to the summit of table mountain and cost around £20 return. We however hiked, Platteklip Gorge up and got the cable car down. This route is clearly marked out and takes around 1.5-2 hours to hike one way. At the top of table mountain, you can enjoy a cafe, restaurant for light bites, a gift shop and multiple walks and trails around the top of table mountain. Another route that is highly recommended for those wanting a more challenging hike is 'Skeleton Gorge' which hikes through the beautiful botanical gardens and more. Unfortunately we did not have time to do this hike so cannot comment on this directly! TIP - The weather in Cape Town can be very variable, especially in regards to getting clear visibility at the summit of table mountain. My advice would be to be flexible with when you do Table Mountain, and whenever weather is shown to be promising - to grab that opportunity to visit the summit.

3. V and A Waterfront - A modern and safe destination during the day and the night. Excellent place for restaurants and shopping as well as some amazing markets. I would highly recommend the Craft Market and the Food Market. At the craft market you can find a variety of paintings, sculptures, crockery, accessories, jewellery and more, making for a perfect place to pick up gifts and other special pieces. The food market has everything you can think of! From South African stalls, to burgers, Indian, Chinese, sushi, drinks, sweets and can cater for a variety of dietary needs. Unfortunately the food market closes at 7pm - so make sure to pay a visit before then. Both were visited on more than one occasion!

4. Cape Peninsula - The Cape Peninsula is a lovely 1.5-2 hour drive south of Cape Town. Make sure to drive down Chapman's Peak drive (there is a 50R toll but it is so worth it!) en route to the Cape Peninsula National Park. It costs 303R each to enter the park and the highlights include, Cape Point, Cape Point Lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope. It is a stunning coastal edge where you could spend half a day easily here. There are options of walking from the lighthouse to the Cape of Good Hope, or you can drive there also.

5. Boulders Beach - Boulder's beach is a must see, for this incredibly dense population of African Penguins! The Beach is located in Simon's Town which is on route back from the Cape Peninsula (TIP- Coordinate this in one day!). Entry to Boulder's beach is 76R per person.

6. Cape Peninsula beaches - South of Cape Town there are a variety of beaches which you can make a pit stop at or spend a few hours there enjoying the scenery and the sun. Beaches I would recommend would be: Clifton Beach (there are 5 of them!), Camps Bay Beach (more facilities close by) and Llandudno Beach.

7. Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens - At the base of table mountain sits the botanic gardens, providing at least half a day's worth of walking and exploring around these plants. Costing only 70R to visit, it also has a unique tree canopy bridge, giving excellent views across the gardens.

8. Bloubergstrand Beach - 30 minutes north of Cape Town, sits a white sanded beach with the scenic backdrop of Table Mountain. The view is just outstanding.

9. Robben Island - A 4 hour experience around this historic island which I would have loved to do had the weather cooperated! This is a very weather dependent activity and ferries will be cancelled on the day if the weather is not appropriate. You must book tickets online in advance (link here ), but if the ferry does not run then they will refund your card automatically.

10. Kloof Corner - a gentle 30 minute incline to the western most part of table mountain, giving excellent views of lions head and the 12 apostles. Easy to squeeze into your day!

Accommodation: We stayed in an air bnb apartment (link here ) which I would highly recommend for location, good parking, facilities and safety.

Day 4: Hermanus and L'Agulhas

• Drive to Hermanus via the N2 (1 hour 40 mins) or you can take the whale coastal route (via Betty's Bay and Stony Point Beach) which takes 2 hours but much more scenic. We did the whale coastal route.

• Ensure you have arranged some form of whale watching experience for the day prior to the trip as these book up very quickly. TIP - Whale watching season is between June - December each year. You can book a whale watching boat or you can take a private flight over the ocean to whale spot! We booked a flight with African Wings (link here ), which was incredible and would highly recommend. The boats are said to be great also, but they can be cancelled on the day if the waves are too rough.

• Next spend some time in Hermanus. Whale spot from Gearing's Point and enjoy a lovely walk along Grotto's Beach.

• Eat some delicious seafood from Bientang's Cave restaurant (link here) which is famous for its delicious fresh food (we enjoyed the seafood platter) and the fact it is in a cave and looks directly out at the ocean, so you can whale watch at the same time!

• Drive 2 hours down to L'Agulhas. L'Agulhas is a small place and you do not need long to explore it. We arrived at 16:30 and sunset was at 18:00. Visit the lighthouse, and walk along the boardwalk to the southernmost point of Africa. The sunsets are beautiful, so enjoy a chilled walk along the coast.

Accommodation: Cape Agulhas Guest House (link here) - Lovely Guesthouse 5 minutes walk from L'Agulhas Lighthouse

Day 5: De Hoop Nature Reserve

• Drive 1 hour 15 minutes along the N2 to De Hoop Nature Reserve. Firstly, be aware that it might take longer as the turn off to De Hoop Nature Reserve is a gravel road and if you don't have a 4x4 and it's a hire car, you need to drive significantly slower.;

• The entry cost is 50R per person and there is a variety of activities to do here, such as Guided safari tours, Guided marine walks, Eco boat cruise, Land based whale watching, Bird watching, Mountain biking and hiking. There is 1 restaurant and a gift shop on site. There is also accommodation if you wish to stay there also (as there is so much you can do!). Link for more info is here .

• We went on the eco boat cruise where we saw flamingos, eagles, elands and multiple other birds while enjoying the the view from the lake. They also provide free refreshments on board and are very informative.

• From just driving through the nature reserve, it was almost like doing a self-guided safari tour. We saw zebras, elands, bonteboks, tortoise and ostriches!

• The rest of the time we spent land-based whale watching on De Hoop's stunning white sand dunes. We did part of the marine coastal walk, but got too distracted by the amazing amount of whales that could be seen from shore.

Accommodation: Battenbergs Guest House (link here) - Lovely Guesthouse in Swellendam, approx 40 minute drive from De Hoop Nature Reserve and on route to the next destination!

Day 6: Kynsna (with stops at Mossel Bay and Wilderness on route)

• Drive 2 hours 20 minutes from Swellendam to Wilderness, but with a stop at Mossel Bay en route (TIP - Go straight to Whale Phin Guest House, and just beside that there is a great viewpoint of the bay and to whale watch).

• Next, stop at wilderness and enjoy the view from dolphin point (unfortunately we saw no dolphins!), look at the old railway bridge and stop for some lunch - we went to Beejuice cafe. There is also a National Park in Wilderness if you would like to stay longer which the Kingfisher trail and canoeing is recommended.

• Arrive at Knysna and go straight to Thesen Island and rent a kayak for an hour each, costing 150R per person from Knysna Charters (link here). Here you can kayak anywhere on the lagoon and see the waterfront, or Knsyna heads.

• Other places to explore in Knysna are the 2 viewpoints of Knysna Heads (2 giant sandstone cliffs) and the waterfront. I would also recommend going to Blend Country Restaurant for lunch or dinner - the food is delicious (and also right beside the accommodation we stayed at!). Link here .

Accommodation: 47th on Howard Guest House (link here) - Lovely Guesthouse 5 minutes drive from Knysna Heads.

• Day 7 and 8: Kranshoek Coastal Trail, Plettenberg Bay and Tsitsakamma National Park Drive to 30 minutes to Kranshoek Coastal trail, which is part og the Garden route National Parks. This is a 9km walk and is starts at a picnic sight which has an amazing viewpoint over the coastal ridge. This route starts at the top of a waterfall then goes down through the forest, crossing streams and walking on uneven terrain until it plateaus out to walk along the coast, before having to make your way back up.

• Next drive 15 minutes to Plettenberg Bay, where you can look out at the whales/dolphins from Whale tail lookout point, and enjoy a walk along Lookout beach.

• Finally drive 50 minutes along the N2 to Tsitsakamma National Park (the Storms River Mouth part). There is lots of walking trails to do at this part of Tsitsakamma National Park for every ability. We completed the Mouth trail, which crosses over 3 suspension bridges and is an easier walk, taking about 30-40 minutes one way. We also completed the waterfall trail which is a beautiful walk right along the coast. It takes 3.5-4 hours return and is classes as a challenging hike. It involves points of no marked out path and boulder scrambling, but the end point is a beautiful waterfall. There is also other water sports available to do at this National Park

Accommodation: Forest Hut at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, in Tsitsakamma National Park itself (link here) - Would highly recommend staying in the park, as having the ocean on your doorstep is incredible. There is one shop and one restaurant within the rest camp but you have free access in and out of the National Park as you wish.

Day 9: Driving Day on Route 62 and Wine Tasting at Stellenbosch in the Evening

• How do you make a travel day more interesting? take a more exciting route. You have 2 options here. Either you can drive 6.5 hours down the N2 back to Stellenbosch or you can take route 62, which takes around 8 hours (not including stops).

• From Tsitsikamma National Park, drive via Prince Albert's Pass to get to Route 62. Prince Albert's Pass is a very windy gravel road, going through some beautiful scenery. However due to the road conditions, the type of car you have may affect your decision to take this route. Route 62 itself is all tarmac and takes you through a different 'dry' type of scenery, which has often been recognised as similar to the USA's route 66.

• Visit Oudtshoorn for some lunch, as it is famous and the home for it's Ostrich Meat in South Africa. Also go via Kogmanskloof Mountain Pass for more beautiful scenic views.

• We started our drive at 06:20 and arrived in Stellenbosch at 16:00. We quickly checked into our accommodation, freshened up and ordered an uber to Uva Mira Vineyards, to end our day with some wine tasting and a time to relax, whilst looking over beautiful vineyards with a mountain view.

Accommodation:The Country Guesthouse, Stellenbosch (link here) - closest vineyard is Uva Mira Vineyard and is a 15 minute drive from Stellenbosch town

Day 10: Vereglegen Wine Estate and Stellenbosch

• We started our day with visiting Vereglegen Wine Estate which in, which incorporates old historic buildings, gardens and a vineyard. Costing only 10R to enter into, it is a lovely experience. Allow around 1 hour for enjoying this estate and longer if you plan to wine taste and/or have any food there!

• Next explore Stellenbosch, a quaint town with lots of beautiful white buildings, a variety of independent shops, and a stunning backdrop of the mountains. You can spend the rest of the day here, or head to back to Cape Town to explore anything you may have missed in the first few days! I would also recommend going via Helshoogte Pass.

Accommodation: WEX1 514 City Apartments, Cape Town (link here) - we stayed our last night in Cape Town ready for our departure the following day.

HOW LONG DO I NEED?

I was there 10 days, but 2 weeks would have been ideal - so I'd recommend around that time frame.

BEST WAY TO TRAVEL ROUND?

We hired a car for this trip which I would highly recommend as it is the safest mode of transport and public transport is also very limited. They also have a lower age limit on hiring a car which works perfectly! We hired from Hertz Car Rental, as we could pick up the car direct from the airport. Parking around South Africa is mostly free and easy to find. Commonly you will find 'attendants' requesting tips because they help you find a space etc. but this is at your discretion. If you do decide to tip, no more than 10R should suffice. When you fill fuel, the attendants will fill the car up with fuel for you, and often other attendants will wash your car and /or your car windows. You should tip these attendants also - again no more than 10R should suffice.

TRADITIONAL FOODS TO TRY

• Chakalaka - a spicy vegetable relish which is based on canned beans, tomatoes, onions and chillis

• Bobotie - South Africa's amazing meatloaf which is deliciously spiced with a savoury custard topping

• Biltong - dried, cured meat which is produced from various game animals.

• Malva Pudding - a sweet pudding with apricot jam and has a spongy caramelised texture

• Koeksisters - fried dough infused with syrup or honey

• Ostrich meat

• Any form of Seafood (you are by the coast after all!)

Happy Travelling!

Ruth xxx