Small Group Tour from Cape Town

14 Day South African Explorer Tour

Our South African Explorer Tour is ideal for a guided journey in South Africa covering all the essential sights. Why wait? Book your journey with Getaway Africa today!

Start your journey on our South African Explorer Tour in Cape Town winding your way along the Garden Route and the country's most scenic coastline up to Port Elizabeth. Along the way you will find many hidden treasures from the massive caves of Oudtshoorn (Cango Caves), the stunning views from Knysna Heads and its Lagoon to the natural wonders at the Tsitsikamma Forest Reserve, and fun activities at Stormsriver. 

Upon reaching Port Elizabeth you will board the flight to Johannesburg where you will have free time to join some of the optional activities on offer before we head to the Kruger National Park for some thrilling game viewing in South Africa's most iconic nature reserve.

This tour offers a wide range of optional excursions excluded from the tour price that can be added as per your preference. Getaway Africa also offers extended stays in Johannesburg and Cape Town should you like to explore more of these cities.

Highlights of the South African Explorer Tour:

  • Visit to Cape Agulhas (the southernmost tip of Africa)
  • Visit to Cape St Blaize Cave in Mossel Bay, site of one of South Africa’s oldest archaeological excavations, and known as the Cradle of Human Culture
  • Visit the Tsitsikamma National Park & Storms River Mouth known for its wide range of outdoor activities.
  • Cruise on the Knysna lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve
  • Guided tour of the Cango Caves, wine tasting in the scenic Schoemanshoek Valley, guided tour of an ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn
  • Guided Safaris in the Kruger National Park
  • Bloukrans Bridge (highest single span arch bridge in the world)
  • Amazing scenic vistas on the Panoramic Route with sights like God's Window, Blyde River Canyon & Bourke's Potholes
  • Option to extend your stay in Cape Town to allow time to explore the city and the Cape Winelands region
  • Optional tours to join in Johannesburg including Soweto & City tour, Cradle of Humankind or Pretoria Tour.
  • Enjoy carefully chosen optional MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences that positively impact our travellers and the communities we visit.

See Also: 7 Day Kruger & Zulu Kingdoms & 15 Day South African Surprise Tour

Summary

13 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 4 Dinners

12 Days
South Africa

Day 1: (Sat) Cape Town Arrival
On arrival in Cape Town at Cape Town International Airport, you’ll be met by your representative and transferred to your hotel.

South Africa’s Mother City is consistently voted one of the world’s best cities to visit. The remainder of the day is at leisure and unescorted to enjoy the vibrant culture, scenic beauty, and award-winning cuisine.
Overnight in Cape Town.

Day 2: (Sun) Cape Town at Leisure
Enjoy a full day at leisure. Perhaps join a sightseeing tour including Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and Constantia Winelands (optional and for own account) or join an authentic, local experience on a day out at Babylonstoren Wine Farm in the picturesque Cape Winelands (optional and for own account).

Alternatively relax on one of Cape Town’s many pristine beaches. Although a small city, Cape Town is packed with sightseeing attractions, excellent bars, cafes, and restaurants as well as colourful craft markets.
Overnight in Cape Town.
Meals:
Breakfast

Day 3: (Mon) Cape Town - Oudtshoorn
This morning you will be met by your local tour guide and depart for the scenic Garden Route. Travel along Sir Lowry’s Pass, with its magnificent views, to Grabouw and Elgin, a lush landscape surrounded by majestic mountains. Stop en route at a farmstall packed with locally produced products from the area. Our journey continues to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The area has largely been untouched and unexplored with its rugged coastline being the graveyard for many a ship. The historic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is considered the icon that signifies the tip of Africa. After this thrilling experience, we continue via historic Swellendam and the Tradouw Pass to Barrydale and the famous Route 62. Continue to Oudtshoorn, known as the ‘ostrich feather capital’ and centre of the world’s Ostrich farming industry. Enjoy dinner at an Ostrich Farm, dining on local specialities such as Ostrich Steak. Overnight in Oudtshoorn.
Meals:
Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: (Tue) Oudtshoorn
After a leisurely breakfast take a tour of the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves, one of the world’s great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages. Join a fun filled interactive guided tractor tour at a working Ostrich Farm, followed by a wine tasting, sampling top quality wines of the region.
Overnight in Oudtshoorn.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5: (Wed) Oudtshoorn - Knysna
After breakfast, travel over the Outeniqua Pass to George, the sixth oldest town in South Africa, with many historical landmarks like the Slave Tree and King Edward VII Library building; said to be the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town. The tour travels via Wilderness, an attractive holiday resort, to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route. Enjoy a delicious lunch en route of traditional cuisine and local treats. The remainder of the day is at leisure until you join an afternoon sunset cruise on the Knysna Lagoon.
Overnight in Knysna.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 6: (Thu) Knysna
Today you’ll have the opportunity to further explore the natural beauty of the Garden Route. Visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, where you will be able to see a variety of primates, roaming free in the forest. This award-winning sanctuary is well known for its efforts to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates. A portion of the trip price of this TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE Activity, goes towards ensuring that these already endangered species can survive and reproduce for a future reintroduction into the wild. The tour continues to the famous Eastern Head, where you will enjoy spectacular views of the Knysna Heads (weather permitting). Afterwards you’ll travel to Brenton on Sea, a breath-taking holiday location and a nature lover’s paradise with its unspoilt beaches and peaceful surroundings. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure.
Overnight in Knysna.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: (Fri) Knysna - Tsitsikamma
Travel to Plettenberg Bay, considered the jewel of the Garden Route, for a visit to the Birds of Eden sanctuary, the biggest single free flight aviary in the world. The sanctuary was developed to create a safe environment in which to release a large collection of free-flight African birds.

A portion of the trip price of this TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE Activity goes towards protecting genetically pure species of various Taxa in a semi-wild state and to hold the seeds of these Taxa for future reintroduction into the wild.

Our journey continues to Bloukrans Bridge, currently offering the highest commercially operated Bungy Jump in the world. Visit the Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth (weather permitting). The Tsitsikamma National Park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular sea and landscapes, a remote mountainous region with secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate high forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea.
Overnight in the Tsitsikamma area.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: (Sat) Tsitsikamma - Gqeberha - Johannesburg
Head eastwards along the Tsitsikamma Forest to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), affectionately known as the “friendly city”. Travel to Chief Dawid Stuurman Airport for an onward flight to Johannesburg, where you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is yours to relax (unescorted).
Overnight in Johannesburg.
Meals: Breakfast 

Day 9: (Sun) Johannesburg
Spend a full day exploring Soweto and surrounds, where some of the watershed events in the struggle against apartheid occurred. The tour starts with a drive past the FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City and the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. It was the site of Nelson Mandela’s first speech in Johannesburg after his release from prison in 1990. The drive continues through Diepkloof, home to Soweto’s richest and then to Kliptown, where the Freedom Charter was officially adopted in 1955. Drive past the Regina Mundi Church that played a pivotal role in the township’s history of resistance against apartheid. Then onto Vilakazi Street, the most famous street in Soweto, where two Nobel Prize winners once lived, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

The afternoon will conclude with visits to the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum that commemorate the role of the country’s students in the struggle against apartheid and the prestigious Apartheid Museum, that covers the full history of the Apartheid era in South Africa. Return to your hotel.
Overnight in Johannesburg.
Meals: Breakfast 

Day 10: (Mon) Johannesburg
Enjoy a full day at leisure and unescorted. Perhaps join a tour to Maropeng, the Cradle of Mankind (optional and for own account) or enjoy some shopping at Nelson Mandela Square, home to a variety of shops and boutiques catering for all tastes and budgets.
Overnight in Johannesburg.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 11: (Tue) Johannesburg - Kruger NP
This morning you will be collected from your hotel, heading east to the Mpumalanga region. After freshening up at your lodge enter the world-famous Kruger National Park and spend the afternoon game viewing in your closed touring vehicle. The Park offers some of the best game viewing and wildlife opportunities in the world – and you’ll soon appreciate the challenges of managing this unique reserve. After an action-packed afternoon in the Kruger Park, enjoy authentic cuisine from the region at your hotel.
Overnight in Kruger area.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 12: (Wed) Kruger NP
The day begins with early morning coffee or tea, followed by a thrilling open vehicle game drive (with English speaking game ranger) through the Kruger National Park with pre-packed breakfast. Your guide will endeavour to spoil you with sightings of the “Big Five”, general game and prolific bird life.

There is an option (for own account and subject to availability) to learn more about the Kruger Park Anti-Poaching Dog Unit. This specialist unit trains dogs to track poachers in the field, detect firearms, ammunition and wildlife products that enter and exit through the Kruger National Park gates.

A portion of the trip price of this TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE Activity goes towards ensuring that these dogs receive the best possible care in support of the vital work they do. Return to the lodge for lunch (own account) and a short siesta. In the afternoon we will journey once again through the magnificent expanses of the Kruger National Park, unrivalled in its diversity of flora and fauna.

Enjoy an afternoon of game viewing in your closed touring vehicle pursuing the Big Five and other rare and endangered species. Optional (own account) open vehicle game drives are available.
Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Overnight in Kruger area.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 13: (Thu) Mpumalanga
Enjoy breakfast before setting out to explore the magnificent Panorama Route, one of the most scenic routes in the region, offering glorious views, spectacular landscapes, and exquisite waterfalls. Visit majestic sights including God’s Window, the Three Rondavels and Blyde River Canyon – the third largest canyon of its kind in the world, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, and the charming village of Graskop, one of the first gold mining camps in the country. Optional (own account) open vehicle game drives are available, should you prefer not to join the Panorama Route tour. Return for a delectable dinner at your hotel.
Overnight in Mpumalanga area.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 14: (Fri) Mpumalanga - Johannesburg
Enjoy breakfast before starting the return journey to Johannesburg. Arrive in Johannesburg, at OR Tambo International Airport, at approximately 14h30, where the tour ends on arrival.
Meals: Breakfast

South African Explorer

  South African Rand US$ (Subject to ROE) EURO (Subject to ROE)
2025 Rates
01 Jan - 30 Apr 2025 R 56,995 pp sharing
R 69,190 pp single
US$ 2,999 pp sharing
US$ 3,642 pp single
€ 2,893 pp sharing
€ 3,512 pp single
       
01 May - 30 Sep 2025 R 56,250 pp sharing
R 67,645 pp single
US$ 2,960 pp sharing
US$ 3,560 pp single
€ 2,855 pp sharing
€ 3,434 pp single
       
01 Oct - 31 Dec 2025 R 58,130 pp sharing
R 70,865 pp single
US$ 3,060 pp sharing
US$ 3,730 pp single
€ 2,951 pp sharing
€ 3,597 pp single
       

BOOK NOW

Rates in South African Rand are fixed. Rates in US$ and Euro are subject to exchange rates. Private Tours available on request Rates include a fuel levy that is subject to change, should there be further increases in the fuel price Minimum 2 guests / Maximum 10 guests  

Tour Includes:

  • Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle
  • Arrival and departure airport shuttle transfers
  • Professionally escorted by our professional tour guides
  • Accommodation in rooms with private facilities, on a twin share basis
  • Open Vehicle Safaris
  • 13 Breakfasts, 4 Dinners & 1 Lunch
  • Hotel porterage included
  • Kruger National Park Conservation Levy
  • Bottled water in eco-friendly packaging.

Rates Exclude:

  • Flight from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) to Johannesburg (Recommended schedule FA374 at 15h25)
  • Optional Tours
  • Lunches & Beverages
  • Services not mentioned in the program.
  • Travel insurance and medical repatriation

Transport

  • 2 guests will travel in a sedan vehicle.
  • 3-10 guests will travel in a 13-seater vehicle.
Prices are subject to change due to airfare increases, currency exchange, fluctuations, and any unforeseen circumstances, without prior notice.
  Departure Dates
    2025
January   4, 11, 25
February   1, 8, 15, 22
March   1, 8, 15, 22, 29
April   5, 12
May   3, 17
June   7
July   5
August   2, 16, 23, 30
September   13, 20
October   4, 11, 18, 15
November   1, 8, 15, 22, 29
December   -

OPTIONAL JOHANNESBURG EXCURSIONS:

Enhance the journey with optional excursions on the tour, available for pre-booking, subject to minimum 2 adults travelling:

** MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences seek to encourage the greatest community benefit from travel and tourism, while also educating guests about The UN Global Sustainable Development Goals and the local community actions being taken to advance them.

DAY 10 – JOHANNESBURG

MORNING MAROPENG, CRADLE OF HUMANKIND & STERKFONTEIN CAVES TOUR – R 2,985.00 pp Experience the birthplace of human life at the Cradle of Humankind, visit the Maropeng Museum and explore the Sterkfontein Caves, discovery site of Mrs Ples, the first complete Australopithecus skull.

AFTERNOON PRETORIA TOUR – R 3,060.00 pp Explore the highlights of Pretoria, including Paul Kruger House, Church Square, the Voortrekker Monument, Union Buildings and City Hall.

** DAY 12 – KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience – INTRODUCTION TO THE ANTI-POACHING DOG UNIT– R 250.00 pp
After the early morning open vehicle game safari, an introduction to the Kruger Park Anti-Poaching Dog Unit (Project Watchdog), that was established because of the increase in rhino poaching worldwide. Learn about the dogs that are trained to track poachers in the field, detect firearms, ammunition and wildlife products that enter and exit through the Kruger National Park gates. A portion of the trip price of this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience goes towards ensuring that these dogs receive the best possible care in support of the vital work they do. The experience directly advances UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land.

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