Help with 3-week South Africa itinerary with kids (9 and 12) summer 2026 (page 2 of 2)

Hello! Hi Ms. Attila 😉 I’ve wandered around that area quite a few times... It’s pretty much what I mentioned in my previous posts—there’s a lot of driving. Days fill up fast, especially with kids... The peninsula (watch out for baboons), with Boulders as early as possible. Table Mountain too—plus Signal Hill, Bo-Kaap, Waterfront, Camps Bay beach... Hermanus... It’s truly a spectacular spot for whale watching... it gets busy, but there’s plenty of space. There’s a paved walk along the cliff, a restaurant right by the water... loads of accommodation options... and chances to do a whale tour in the bay... I’d maximize my chances by staying there a good while.

On the other hand, if you’re going to Boulders, I’d skip Betties Bay—it adds extra distance... (something to consider).

I loved De Hoop! So... just need to check if there’s still availability!

Along that route, a night at Agulhas NP in a fantastic bungalow inside the park... after crossing the two oceans... it’s no trouble and not expensive.

The return trip goes through the Overberg... I’m not a fan of the wine region... I’d head back via Swellendam (Bontebok NP), Montagu... for a final night near Franschhoek (to pass through the wine region) so you’re not far from Cape Town.

Lion’s Head is a climb that’s not too difficult, even for kids, and in the sun, you get a 360° view of the sea, Cape Town, Table Mountain, etc... (The regulars might laugh, but oh well...)

Explora’s suggestions seem sensible... like: Joburg → Dullstroom → Graskop → Balule → Kruger, then fly back to Cape Town... Addo is nice, but after Kruger National Park... Private reserves are either very pricey (Gorah) or great but not very secluded (Riverbend), and there’s one more (a renovated old lodge I saw in ruins that’s been taken over... well-located but I haven’t stayed there yet). You’ll save some kilometers...

Must-sees? Plenty! You’ll have to come back! !

Hello,

We’ll be in Kruger at the same time. We arrive on the 24th until the 29th. We leave on Saturday, heading to Cape Town to start.

Good luck with the last-minute trip prep! It’s going to be amazing, no matter what you decide.

Thanks so much to everyone for your valuable replies and encouragement.

We’re in the home stretch now—we leave on Tuesday.

Last-minute scare: apparently, an international driver’s permit is required. Do you know of any rental agencies that don’t ask for this famous international permit? Which agency do you use? Are there any other solutions? We can’t get it before we leave.

Thanks!

Have a great evening,

Nadia

Hi there,

Never once has an agency batted an eye when I didn’t have my international driver’s permit... that’s 4 out of 5 times (25 trips). I’ve heard it all about this international permit... Apparently, it only really matters to the police... As mentioned earlier... I rarely have it... but I usually get pulled over twice every time... Only once did a young officer make a fuss... I grumbled and that was that... Do you have the version with English subtitles?

On another note, unfortunately... more and more, police officers ask for a "gift"... or pretend to make you pay an on-the-spot fine to "help you out"... Stay firm and... Nowadays, I always carry this little printout with me...



and also



You’ll notice the 24/7 police number...

Hi there,

Same observation on my end (though I’ve done far fewer trips to South Africa than Michel!): 3 car rentals and never once was an international driver’s permit requested. I *did* run into issues with not having a "credit" credit card (a common topic with car rental companies), but if you don’t have one, some rental agencies accept debit cards—the kind we typically use in France.

So, are you heading to De Hoop (such a great memory for me)?

Have a fantastic trip! !

Hi there,

Still worth a read:

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/afrique-du-sud/conseils-aux-voyageurs-informations-utiles

Have a great trip! Best,

Puma2A

Hi there.

We're on the plane now, without an international driver's permit. Thanks for all the info and photos. I'll keep you posted on our trip when we get back. Yes, we're heading to De Hoop.

See you soon

Hi, it actually just came up recently...

Hello, Are you renting a car? Best regards, JPBRIERE

Hi, Personally, I’d skip a lot of the sights but I’d go back at least a second time—or even more—or stay for two months (visiting France in 15 days??????????????). I only stayed for 3 months and I didn’t see even 1% of the interesting things!) Best, JPBRIERE

Hello everyone,

I’d like to thank each of you again for your advice and suggestions—always so kind and helpful.

We had three amazing weeks (though I’m sure you already guessed that). We were blown away by the landscapes, animals, colors, lights, and people. Pure happiness. Thanks to you, our trip was well-balanced, and we didn’t feel like we were just "eating up kilometers."

As for the international driver’s permit, no one asked for it. We weren’t stopped by the police either.

We absolutely loved De Hoop (thanks, Michel!). The whales were there as promised (unlike in Hermanus, where we only saw one really close). We had a hard time getting to De Hoop because the roads were under construction and it was raining a lot. Since we had a sedan, we really thought we’d end up spending the night between two hills ;) Despite that, we loved it so much that we decided to go back two days later, between rain showers, and had a hard time leaving—it’s such a magical place.

I’ll just give you this little taste of the trip since you’ve all traveled so much, and we stuck to the classics for a first family trip with kids.

We were still incredibly lucky because, during the 4 days we spent in Kruger, we saw zebras, warthogs, all kinds of antelopes, elephants and giraffes in large numbers, hyenas, 8 lions (the kids counted them ;)), buffalo, and 1 leopard! The only thing missing was the rhino, but we saw so much that we couldn’t have been happier!

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to help us plan and answer all our questions before we left. It’s really generous of you.

Happy travels to everyone!

Nadia

Well, here we are... Happy people, thrilled to have discovered a beautiful country! Ndlelanhle to everyone! !