Trip report: Our South Africa journey in July

Hi there,

We’re back from our 3-week trip to South Africa in July. It was a family trip with our four grown-up kids (ages 18 to 25).

First off, I’d like to thank everyone on this forum for their great tips—they really helped us plan this trip!

The trip: We spent 15 days between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, then a week around Kruger (including Blyde River Canyon). We found South Africans to be welcoming and always ready to help. We never felt unsafe (just followed basic safety rules). The police are very visible, especially on the roads.

Logistics: We’d booked our accommodations in advance but made a few changes on the spot based on how we felt at the time. We rented two vehicles from Firefly (Hertz). No complaints—recent cars, quick returns, and the deposit wasn’t charged. We’d gotten our international driver’s permits... which stayed in France! Luckily, no one asked for them. Driving on the left wasn’t an issue (it wasn’t our first time). The roads we took were in good, even great, condition. Only a few tracks to lodges or parks were rough and required extra caution. Lots of pedestrians on the sides of roads, even highways. And plenty of very slow trucks. But they pull over to let you pass. It’s also common for cars to cross into the opposite lane to overtake, even with white lines. We took two domestic flights: one early in the morning (Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth) and one in the late afternoon (Cape Town to Johannesburg) to save time.

We had some highlights and a few disappointments—all part of the journey! More details coming soon.

Good evening! We’ll be eagerly waiting for the rest—it’s true that with six people, you either need two cars or a really long, expensive Toyota. From what I’ve seen, unless there’s an exception, the international driver’s permit is still just theoretical… Phew!

Hi Laurence

Lovely photo to start with... makes me want to see the rest! 😉.

Hi Laurence, Oh yes, I agree with Muriel—the first photo is really beautiful (where is this?) and makes me want to see the rest. Thanks for putting together the travel journal and good luck sorting through the photos!

This is the kind of view you get from Olifants Rest Camp.

Hi there,

Thanks for your messages. The photo was taken from the Malelane Gate bridge in Kruger.

Day 1: For our first day, we decided to take it easy and stay in Johannesburg. We visited the Apartheid Museum—really interesting and moving—where we ended up spending over 3 hours without realizing it. Then we went to Constitution Hill, but it was closed due to a water issue. We could only see the outside, which wasn’t very exciting. Since it was a Sunday, we wrapped up at the Rosebank Mall Sunday market. Great vibe, lots of African craft stalls (some better than others), food stands, and a second-hand market. We can’t say the city itself—at least the little we saw—really wowed us. But there are probably nicer neighborhoods than the ones we passed through. We used Uber for all our trips—reliable, fast, and cheap.

Hi there,

Day 2 & 3: Addo Elephant NP. Our first long-awaited safari—here we are!

We entered through the south gate and drove up to Addo Main Camp for 2 nights. The landscapes were stunning, and we saw tons of animals: dozens and dozens of elephants (2/3 times quite aggressive, forcing us to back up or even turn around), just as many zebras, warthogs, various antelopes, hyenas, and other animals—including 1 lion. Actually, we first *almost* spotted one at the end of the day. It was the people in another car, scanning the horizon with huge binoculars, who pointed it out to us. With our much less powerful binoculars, we could just barely make out a distant shape lying on its back. You couldn’t really say we *saw* a lion—more like the silhouette of one. We wondered how they even spotted it! The next morning, several stopped cars alerted us to an animal, and bingo—another lion, lying in front of some bushes. Still pretty far, but clearly visible with binoculars. We passed by the same spot in the afternoon, and the lion was still there! We stayed a little while to watch it until it disappeared into the bushes. We got really lucky this time (spoiler: that won’t always be the case ).

Two days felt like enough for this part of the park. It let us do some loops twice without necessarily seeing the same animals—we spotted more in the northern part than the southern. Some dirt roads require keeping the car at a decent height.

This amazing park was our first love. Beautiful landscapes, tons of animals, hardly any crowds—pure bliss! !

Well, here’s a good start! Joburg has its appeal, but definitely not everywhere or at any time of day. Pretoria is a tad cooler. Addo… It’s the park created for elephants— originally tuskless ones. A “natural” selection under ivory-hunting pressure. It’s true that an elephant—especially a grey one, not pink—can be pretty impressive and not always easy to understand or handle. Sometimes it’s better to back off *very* gently! Lions were reintroduced quite recently, and you’ll need some luck to spot them. I know what I’m talking about… Did you notice the lack of giraffes? Since they weren’t endemic to this region, they weren’t introduced to Addo. Alright then, We’re eagerly waiting for the rest of the story!

Good evening Michel,

For the giraffes, we’ll still have to wait 🙂.

Days 4 & 5: Headed to Garden Road NP. Spent the night at Storms River Mouth rest camp. The waves crash against the rocks—still a stunning sight. Easy and pleasant walk to the suspension bridges, which we thought would be much higher. We spotted several monkeys. The next day, before leaving, we made a quick climb to a viewpoint for an overview. Suddenly, a spout of water caught our attention—a whale! The advantage of being in a group is there’s always someone looking in the right place. What was supposed to be a quick glance lasted much longer than expected. Stopped at Robberg Nature Reserve. Since the morning was already well underway, we decided to do the 2-hour hike. It took us much longer—not because it was difficult (far from it), but because it was so beautiful. Between the cliffs, the white sand beaches, and the noisy, smelly seal colony, we lingered the whole way. Second favorite moment—it was incredible. We regretted not having time to do the longer loop. We skipped the other planned stops along the route to arrive at Ebb & Flow Rest Camp just before nightfall. Absolute calm, almost no one around.

Good evening Despite my many visits to this area, Storms River and Robberg are still on my "Not Done" list. Lovely discovery!

Hi Laurence,

I don’t know the southern part of South Africa at all—it’s a trip I keep putting off (in favor of regions/countries that are more "wildlife-focused"), but your photos really make me want to go! 😉

Hi there, The Western Cape is stunning! Fewer animals for sure, but way more landscapes. Still, you can find: Mountain Zebra Karoo NP On top of Addo.

Hi Muriel,

It's a beautiful region. Addo Elephant NP is definitely worth a detour in this area.

Day 6 & 7: With clouds clinging to the hills and rain forecast all day, we change our plans. We’d originally planned to take our time driving through Oudtshoorn and its surroundings to reach Swellendam, but we figured that mountain passes and viewpoints in fog or rain wouldn’t be great. So, we decide to head to Woodville Big Tree instead. It’s an easy walk through the forest to a tree over 800 years old—nothing special, pretty ordinary. We take the N2 in the rain to Swellendam, a road with no charm. Since we arrive much earlier than planned and the rain has stopped, we decide to visit Bonteboks NP. Well, it’s more of the same for the day: meh. The roads are quite rough (high clearance essential). We spot a few bonteboks (spoiler: we’ll see way more the next day) and some steenboks. Okay, one positive point: we see our first mountain zebras. Maybe we should’ve stayed overnight (the chalets seem nice) and explored the trails to really appreciate the park.

We stop for 2 nights at a farm in the middle of nowhere. Gorgeous. The day’s mood shoots right back up!

The next day is dedicated to visiting The Hoop Nature Reserve. Ostriches, mountain zebras, baboons, and bonteboks. A walk on the dunes—we’re alone, and it’s stunning. A large marine animal shows its back now and then. We couldn’t identify it, but it was too close to shore to be a whale, in our opinion. Second walk toward the reception along Hoopvlei—it’s beautiful and peaceful. This park is one of our favorites too. It’s truly beautiful, relaxing, with a variety of landscapes, wildlife, and hardly any visitors. We really felt alone in nature during our walks. The roads to access the park and within it are unpaved and in pretty rough shape (high clearance essential).

Hi there! It’s true that Bontebok isn’t an awe-inspiring park. It’s true that the chalets are gorgeous. Since there aren’t any big animals, you can also take two or three nice hikes and go fishing. I’d considered this place as a cheap stopover and a break. De Hoop It’s pretty cool, right? The beach, the view… That little restaurant up on the beach? And bonteboks, ostriches, and zebras everywhere! Lovely spot. Did you have a chalet? It was very likely a whale 🐋 Mountain Zebra – you nailed it! The stripes don’t go all the way down. Muzzle with an orange tint. Ears are bigger and striped on both sides. Slight “goiter.” 😄

Hi there,

It was from that little restaurant above the beach that we spotted the whale or something. We didn’t sleep in the park but at a farm in the surrounding countryside. Absolute peace and quiet. Really lovely.

Day 8: We set off for Hermanus with high hopes to see the whales. We stopped at Cape Agulhas to see the southernmost point of the African continent. Well, apart from telling ourselves we’d been there, there wasn’t much to see. The lighthouse is pretty ordinary, and we didn’t go up.

Then we arrived in Hermanus for the whales... which weren’t there. The coastal path was still nice to walk, but it was a bit of a letdown not to see a single one. Only some bold and curious rock hyraxes came up to us. We tried our luck again the next morning. We spotted a few splashes in the water in the distance—a whale, but only visible with binoculars. We didn’t exactly win, but we made the best of it! !

They really don’t seem shy at all, those dassies :) 😏

Hermanus and its whales really didn’t go our way this time 🐋

Indeed, Agulhas is iconic. The photo. Still, the park offers gorgeous bungalows for cheap. It could be a one-night stop.

Hi there,

We’ve seen them everywhere except in Hermanus! Quite ironic ;). But nature isn’t on demand, and that’s a good thing.

Day 9: Stop at Stony Point Nature Reserve (Betty’s Bay) to see the penguin colony. A short walk on a wooden boardwalk to avoid disturbing them. Lovely setting facing the ocean, unlike the coast with its large houses. The R44 road is pleasant with some stunning viewpoints. We arrived in Cape Town in the early afternoon and decided to start with Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, which was on our way to our accommodation in Hout Bay. Bad call, but we didn’t know it yet! It’s not the best time to visit the botanical garden, but it’s still nice. A little suspension bridge. Some lovely views from the top of the park.

Hi there, Just a quick note for fellow travelers. According to my sources, you need to be extra careful and stay alert around the Kirstenbosch Gardens area—roads, entrance, and nearby accommodations. Paranoia or reality? I’m not sure. Did any of you notice anything?

Penguins? Aren’t we getting close to Boulder’s Beach and its “secret passage,” which has been talked about a lot on this forum? 😉

Hi Michel,

We didn’t notice anything special. The road leading there is pretty, winding a lot, and very busy. We took it several times. We’d go to the local Spar to do our shopping since we were staying in a house 15 minutes from the gardens and near Imizamo Yethu. No issues, but it felt strange having a garden surrounded by electrified barbed wire and a remote with an "emergency" button.

Hi there,

Boulder's Beach will be our next stop. But, without giving too much away, no "secret passage" for us—I missed that info 😅.

Safety in this area isn’t unnecessary. For Boulders, our mountain-loving friend is referring to: There are two entrances: The Main one The other They’re connected by a wooden walkway. The smaller one, further south, is less crowded. And when you enter from that side, you can reach a small beach. Much less crowded. Generally, groups arrive at the Main entrance and stay in that area. On the wooden path overlooking it, at the small beach, you’re on the beach— the penguins too!

Photo

And M Montagnard teases me Because it took me several trips to discover it

As for safety?

Kirstenbosch seems a bit sketchy

Ah OK. So it’s not *that* secret after all, since there were still quite a few people on this beach where we were 😄. Way fewer than on the other side—groups seemed to stick to that side—but still more humans than penguins (about ten). True, just us already makes 6 people!

Hi there,

Days 10, 11 & 12: We set off under a cloudy sky to see the penguins at Boulder's Beach. Quite a few people on the walkways, but the beach is quieter. We continue to Cape Point National Park. The sky clears up. We stop at a picnic area that’s deserted except for a few ostriches. We’d barely settled in when we spot a baboon running toward us from a distance on the beach. We do the same but head straight for the car. It circles the car before striking a photogenic pose in front of the sea. We’ll have our picnic further away.

We head up to the lighthouse. Lots of people. Lovely 360° view. Everyone’s eyes are fixed on the same spot: a whale appears now and then. We walk to the Cape of Good Hope. An easy stroll along platforms with beautiful viewpoints where we don’t run into anyone except some Cape elands.

We return via Chapman’s Peak Drive. A stunning (toll) road along the cliff. Several spots where you can stop to admire the views.

The next day, Table Mountain is shrouded in mist—no luck today. We were supposed to go to Robben Island, but the site is closed for renovations. Instead, we take a boat trip from Hout Bay to see the seal colony on Duiker Island. The sea is pretty rough. Lots of seals lounging on the rocks. We head to Cape Town via the coastal road. We visit the Waterfront (super touristy) and Bo-Kaap with its colorful houses.

For our last day in Cape Town, we finally see Table Mountain, but the cableway is closed due to wind! It’s a bummer—we won’t be able to go up. Unless we hike, but apart from my boys, no one’s really up for it. Big disappointment, even though we knew it wasn’t a sure thing given the unpredictable weather at this time of year. The real letdown is that we *could* have gone up on the first day and saved the gardens for later. Bad call on our part. Oh well, it happens 🤪. We settle for another visit to the Waterfront to finish up what we missed yesterday and do some shopping at the big mall before heading to the airport in the mid-afternoon.

No Table Mountain, no Robben Island... looks like we’ll have to come back to visit Cape Town again !

And Mr. Montagnard teases me Because it took me several trips to discover it

😄

Ugh No Table Mountain and they didn’t even go up Lion’s Head! Damn

It’s clear there are more Europeans than South Africans at the Waterfront. Too bad about Lions Head… A must-do in Cape Town! In my opinion. As for the baboons, they’re a real nuisance there. They try to manage them, but the critters have figured out how to open car doors, shove people to get into vehicles, and that there’s food in bags, etc. Lots of incidents… In the park and at every car stop in that area.

Arrgh No Table Mountain and they didn’t even go to Lions Head! Damned

I knew you’d say that!! 😉 Can’t throw stones—we didn’t make it up Table Mountain either. Lions Head, the forgotten gem of Cape Town… 😕

I'm talking about Lions Head Because it’s a climb that’s neither too complicated nor risky Still, you do need to be able to walk a bit You circle the hill, which gives you a 360-degree view of the area Table Mountain, Apostles, Cape Town, the ocean, and Robben Island Since it’s lower, the cloud wave that clings to Table Mountain is less of an issue, and the wind doesn’t complicate things Plus, you can turn back anytime The climb up Table Mountain is more complicated and apparently less safe Cape Town has also become less safe…

Another completely safe viewpoint Signal Hill, where even locals come to watch the sunset… with a glass of white wine Sundowners are a big deal here… I’m saying this for those who’ll read your travel journal…

Hi,

You’re right to mention those places—we got so focused on Table Mountain that we "forgot" everything else. And it’s not like we hadn’t read and reread trip reports. Just poor planning on our part. It’s gonna make me regret it even more! But it’s also another reason to go back 😄.

That’s the difference between us and Michel; South Africa is his second home. 😕

This amazing park was our first love at first sight. Beautiful landscapes, lots of animals, hardly any people—pure bliss!

Guess traveler tastes and preferences really do vary!

Hi,

Glad to hear that! 😉

A few photos of Hout Bay and Cape Town.

Lion's Head is really nice, actually—I was there recently. Here are a few photos to motivate you to go back even more!

Hi Laurence, Thanks for bringing back such great memories of South Africa... it makes me really want to go back! 😊

Hi there, How much did this trip cost you, please?

Hi there,

Days 13 & 14: The second part of our trip. After a peaceful drive to Blyde River Canyon via Dullstroom—reminding us of some small American towns—and the Long Tom Pass, we arrived in the Sabie area for 2 nights. The scenery between Dullstroom and Sabie is stunning. The road has been redone, so it’s smooth with no potholes. We stopped at the Long Tom Cannon to see the cannon and the view, then ended the day at Mac Mac Falls, a pretty waterfall accessible after a short walk.

The next day, our first stop was Lisbon Falls. The guy at the entrance told us his card machine wasn’t working due to no signal, so cash only. Since we didn’t have the exact amount, we said we’d leave. And—oh, miracle—the signal came back! We left anyway. The same trick happened at Bourkes' Luck Potholes, but since we really wanted to visit, we insisted on trying the card machine. And—just like magic—it worked when we inserted our card. We must have a magic card . So, we stopped at Berlin Falls, another pretty waterfall. Then Bourkes' Luck Potholes—well-maintained with a nice walk. We spent quite a while there. A vervet monkey approached while we were having lunch at the picnic area but stayed in the tree, pretty skittish. A little further on, a noisy group of vervets climbed into the back of parked pick-ups, probably looking for food. The parking lot signs warned to keep windows and doors closed, and luckily, they didn’t come near us. We continued to Lowveld View, a beautiful free viewpoint. With the sky looking stormy, we didn’t go further. Stopped at Wonder View, also free, with a nice view of the valley despite the overcast sky. We skipped God’s Window and stopped a bit further down at a small parking spot in a recess. After a short walk, another lovely view of the valley.

Well, all that sounds amazing!

Hi Laurence,

I was absorbed in reading the older travel journals and just discovered yours. We’re starting to think about our 2026 vacation, and a return to South Africa is on our shortlist! Since we usually travel in July and the planned trip would be a Cape Town/Kruger combo, your journal really caught my interest. For now, I’m jotting down everything that might be useful—we’ll make decisions later.

I’ve already added Robberg Nature Reserve to our list of places to visit. I’d never heard of it before, so thanks for the discovery!

As for Kirstenbosch Gardens, is it really not worth it in July? I read in Rouquine’s journal that it’s not much better in December/January either. I guess the ideal time is between September and November, in spring. Still, Marati seemed to enjoy their visit in July… I’m having a hard time making up my mind now.

I’m also wondering if the penguins are around in large numbers all year or if there’s a season when they’re less common.

I know the rest of your itinerary, but I can’t wait to read your impressions and encounters in Kruger! 🙂

Hi there,

So glad this travel journal helped you discover new places! There’s just so much to see—it’s always tough to choose. Robberg Nature Reserve is absolutely stunning; I highly recommend it +++. Kirstenbosch Gardens must be gorgeous in full bloom, but July isn’t the best season. It’s still nice, but in my opinion, it’s not a must-see. Now, onto Kruger 🙂.

Day 16: Kruger, the long-awaited park. It was love at first sight—just incredible, both the wildlife and the landscapes. We didn’t sleep inside the park due to budget reasons (4 nights just outside cost the same as one night inside at a similar comfort level), but staying overnight must be amazing, especially in the smaller camps. We had a picnic in Skukuza, and honestly, it wasn’t great—way too crowded. We entered through Phabeni Gate, just 7 minutes from our hotel. The S1, a beautiful route teeming with wildlife (impalas, hippos, buffaloes, antelopes, eagles), took us to Skukuza, then we looped H1-1/S64/S4/S3. More amazing sightings there: giraffes, elephants, hyenas (including a mom with her newborns), zebras, and monkeys. A fantastic first day!

Kruger Park… First self-drive trip of my life as a traveler… You never forget it…

Kruger Park… First self-drive trip of my life as a traveler… You never forget it…

Yeah, me too… so many amazing memories 🥰

Hi Laurence

We didn’t sleep in the park for budget reasons

Did you have to wait long to get into the park each morning?

And to think I still haven’t been there 🤪 ... Gotta seriously look into it! 😎