4-Week Itinerary in South Africa

Hello, We’re a group of four seventy-something retirees and we’re planning a 4-week trip to South Africa. We’re seasoned "adventurers" used to multi-week stays (we’ve been to India seven times, Mexico, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Australia, etc.).

For South Africa, we’re thinking of covering most of the trip in a private vehicle and taking flights for inter-state transfers. We’re interested in meeting people, learning about the country’s evolution, exploring major cities, visiting traditional villages, and seeing wildlife.

Here’s the itinerary we’re considering: Johannesburg – 2 days (we’ll pass through again later) Pretoria – 2 days Blyde River Canyon and Graskop – 1 day Acornhoek – 1 day Letaba – 2 days Lobamba – 2 days Johannesburg – 1 day

Flight to Cape Town

Cape Town – 3 days Cape of Good Hope – 1 day Stellenbosch – 1 day Hermanus – 1 day Mossel Bay – 2 days Oudtshoorn Wilderness – 2 days Knysna Port Elizabeth – 2 days Addo Elephant Park

Flight back to Johannesburg

Johannesburg – 1 day

Return to Paris

Could you share your thoughts on this itinerary? We’ll be renting a vehicle to explore both regions. We can easily add 4–5 more days to the trip if needed.

We’re looking at traveling either between April and May 2026 or in October/November 2026.

I’ll follow up later to discuss the best safari options and get a rough budget estimate.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this and share their thoughts!

Hi there,

First off, South Africa is a pretty modern country. Don’t expect to find "traditional" villages like you might in Mali.

Johannesburg and Pretoria aren’t the usual highlights of the country—in fact, in 15 trips there, I’ve only spent an afternoon in them while waiting for my return flight...

You could visit the Apartheid Museum and Soweto, then an active mine and Pretoria’s city center, but dedicating 4 nights to it seems like a lot, especially since your current plan misses a region where you’ll find what you’re looking for: the village vibe and local people—KwaZulu-Natal.

Also, there’s no point in going to Addo (the worst park in the country, in my opinion) after visiting Kruger.

Here’s a suggested itinerary:

Pick up your vehicle and drive toward Blyde—1 night, depending on your flight’s arrival time. Blyde Canyon: 1 night Kruger: 3 nights (village-style camps like Olifant or Satara, or more intimate ones like Talamati or Biyamiti) Pass through a dictatorship: 1 night in Eswatini (Swaziland). 2 nights in St. Lucia (iSimangaliso: wildlife + landscapes) Crossing KwaZulu-Natal (very "typical")—2 nights in Ithala (wildlife and scenery) Drive west, 2 nights in the Drakensberg (landscapes and daily life) Return the vehicle in Durban, then fly to Cape Town.

Cape Town: 3–4 nights, including a day at the Cape of Good Hope Paternoster and West Coast National Park: 2 nights Cederberg: 2 nights Wine Route: 2 nights Prince Albert: 1 night Garden Route via Swartberg Pass: 4 nights Return the vehicle at Cape Town Airport and fly to Joburg

Joburg + Pretoria: 2 or 3 nights, depending on your flight’s departure time

Good evening,

Thanks so much for your tips—I’ll work on them and will probably reach out again to fine-tune my trip.

Best regards

Good evening, Currently in South Africa for a month, And 25 trips since 2000. I agree with Ms. Attila’s remarks. If you're still undecided, I can help out in early November. Also, the travel journals section on VF is really informative.

Thanks, I’ll be happy to read your comments.

Best regards

Hello, I’m sharing some suggestions on Ms. Attila’s post for simplicity’s sake. Personally, I save days by skipping Joburg and Pretoria. Since I don’t know Ithala, I head to Hluhluwe at Nselweni instead. I find the time in Kruger too short, so I’d say 3 nights in the same spot, like the south—Berg en Dal, for example. Hlane as a stop in Eswatini for walking rhino encounters. St Lucia is a must for me. I found the Drakensberg too short. WCNP and Cederberg—yes! Cedar Mountain in the Cederberg. Just a first take. I’ll share the pros and cons of Marakel and Mapungubwe West side later. 🐵)Thanks for the photos! For now, it’s heat, heat, and more heat. Amazing drives. Rhinos, lions. Charged by an elephant… a first for me! See you later,

Thanks for the real-time info. A quick practical question: do we need an international driver’s license, or is the French one enough? Thanks

Normally, the license should be accompanied by an English translation.

In practice, I’ve always just shown my pink European license.

Thanks for your reply

Hi, Visit the Blog: msiafricaroadtrip.com I think you’ll find what you’re looking for there. Best,

JP M

Hi there, It’s a good question. My answer is a bit complicated. Normally, a rental company should ask for it. Between the times they didn’t and this year when I was told (even though I had it for once) that it only mattered to the police and it was ignored, between the times (at least one police check per trip) when the officers didn’t even ask for it, and the one time a cop did ask, I didn’t have it, and nothing happened… I’ll admit, if I remember, I’ll ask for it—otherwise, oh well.

Hi Michel

The issue might come up in case of an accident... does the insurance still cover you if you're not fully compliant and don't have an international driver's permit (or a certified translation)? 🤪

Good question! I don’t have the answer

After all, it doesn’t cost anything to ask for an international permit.

It’s tedious, and you have to redo the process every two and a half years given the delays (I wonder how it’ll go in 2033 when we’re all forced to replace our old licenses...), but at least you won’t have to worry about it anymore!

In Mozambique, the police only accepted the pink European licenses (meaning those issued with a cover that says "driver’s license" in several languages). But I wonder if that’s just a way to pad their paychecks at the end of the month...

Hi, Thanks for the info. I checked out the Msafrica blog—it’s excellent.

Thanks again

Hello Muriel,

The issue might come up in case of an accident... does the insurance still cover you if you're not fully compliant and don't have an international driver's permit (or a certified translation)?

The so-called "international permit" has no legal value. It's the national license that holds legal weight. So it's unlikely an insurer would ignore it, and at worst, you could always submit it as part of the file. @Royerjm: Attila is a reliable (and free) travel planner. 😉

As of now, with the new permits, the international driver’s license doesn’t carry the same weight. But I’d still recommend having one if you get stopped by the police—whether for a routine check or a traffic violation. In case of an accident, your license is what counts.

Best,

JP M

Hi there,

I’ve revised the itinerary:

Flight Paris - Johannesburg Johannesburg - Soweto 1 day Blyde River Canyon - Graskop 1 day Ababalule 2 days Letaba 2 days Lobamba Halne Rhino 2 days Isimangaliso Park St Lucia 3 days Durban 1 day

Flight ==> Cape Town Cape Town 3 days Paternoster 2 days Cederberg 2 days Wine route ==> Hermanus 2 days Mossel Bay 2 days Oudtshoorn 2 days Wilderness Knysna 2 days Port Elizabeth 1 day

Flight ==> Johannesburg Flight ==> Paris

I’ve estimated the budget for two people by looking at accommodations on Booking.com for each stop:

Food: 15 €/day per person = 900 € Car rental: 400 € Gas: 180 € Accommodations: 770 € (average) Miscellaneous (parks, safaris, museums, boats, etc.): 400 € Domestic flights: 170 € Round-trip flights Paris: 670 € * 2 = 1340 €

Thanks for your feedback!

Good evening,

Ababalule 2 d

What’s Abababule?

Lobamba 2 d + Mbabane half-day rhino 2 d

Why this fixation on Eswatini (Swaziland), which isn’t the most fun country in the region?

You’d be better off spending 4 days on a side trip to Lesotho.

I estimated the budget for 2 by looking for accommodations on Booking for each stop

For national parks, bookings are made on the Sanparks website. There are options for all budgets.

Your estimate seems low to me—Michel would be better placed to answer budget questions since he’s traveled in the area recently.

Thanks for your reply. I think it’s not "abalule"—it’s probably Balule.

For accommodations, the average is around 30 € per day (I checked prices on Booking place by place). For food, I’m not sure, but from what I’ve seen in different blogs, the average cost for meals (mid-range) is between 8 and 15 €. That said, when we can, we book full accommodations, so we make our own dinners. For vehicle rental, I went on a rental site and booked a small car. I budgeted for gas at around 1 and 1.2 € per liter. For domestic flights, I looked on Kayak for the planned dates. For miscellaneous expenses, I just estimated.

Important note: we’re planning this trip in the low season—April/May or October.

I’ll work on the route to avoid Swaziland...

Thanks again

Good evening, Same opinion as Attila: Swaziland really isn’t worth much compared to Lesotho.

Thanks, I’m working on a version without Swaziland, but does Lesotho make the trip too long?

Best regards

Hi there, Personally, I count in nights spent on-site, so I’m a bit confused. Two nights = I arrive on-site, I spend one full day there, I leave the next day. Example: Coming from Joburg, I arrive in Graskop, I spend a day there and leave the next day. Or should it be read as: I arrive in Graskop, spend one night, and leave the next day? April isn’t a quiet month. Check the dates of South African school holidays—they overcrowd places. I see Balule, so that’s a private reserve. Why not… it wouldn’t be my choice of reserve, though. Lobamba??? Hlane, for me, is a one-night stop with a rhino drive in the morning, possibly getting out of the vehicle and approaching rhinos on foot. Two other options, in my opinion: Milwane—more of a nature reserve than GR, but a bit of walking is nice. GR is quite unique—Mkhaya… St Lucia for three nights. No stop in Durban for me, other than the airport. Probably one of the least safe cities (my opinion). Cederberg: 3 nights at Mount Cedar. Paternoster is great, but you’re skipping the West Coast NP, which I love. So Langebaan for three nights is a good mix: WCNP then Cederberg. In May, Hermanus is worth a midday stop at the waterfront restaurant. I’m skipping Mossel Bay—just staying at the Point Hotel. Near Oudtshoorn: three nights. Three nights in Knysna, three nights in Tsitsikamma / Storms River. PE is just for the flight, nothing more. Avoid the Motherwell route. There you go—I’ve shared my thoughts. For the budget, you can choose your spots. (Knysna = Undermilkwood) Car: Check out aroundaboutcars. Never skimp on the vehicle. If there are four of you, you’ll need space for luggage, food, a grill, BBQ charcoal, wood, etc. High ground clearance, safety features. A 4x4 isn’t mandatory, but something like a Hilux with a canopy would be ideal. Take a look, and if you have questions, plenty of people—including me—will chime in with answers. I’ll still be here for 15 days… I really know all these spots. Graskop again tomorrow (Thaba Tsweni), then South Kruger, Hlane, Isimangaliso, St Lucia… And finally, around Cape Town, etc.

Balule, the camp in Kruger Park? (There’s also a private reserve with the same name.) I love this old-school camp.

For accommodation, the average is around 30 € per day (I checked prices on Booking place by place)

Prices seem to be dropping.

Watch out for the location of the accommodations.

a small vehicle.

With four people, luggage, groceries, and firewood, it’s better to go bigger. A SUV would be ideal.

For miscellaneous, I just winged it.

Current rates for the different parks are listed on Sanparks and KznWildlife. Check if buying a Wild Card Duo might be cost-effective based on your final itinerary.

For Lesotho, I think you can enter via Qacha's Nek with a regular vehicle.

You could do: Joburg – Blyde – Kruger – one overnight stop in Eswatini – St. Lucia – toward Durban – enter Lesotho via Qacha's Nek, exit via Maseru – Bloemfontein.

Flight from Bloemfontein to Cape Town, then continue with the rest of your plans.

You might find some ideas in these travel journals:

South Africa’s eastern classics

The Karoo

Lesotho

We’ll have to choose between Mme Attila’s version, Which is very consistent, And the umkhulu version. Lesotho has a lot of charm…

For Lesotho, I think you can enter via Qacha's Nek with a standard vehicle.

You could then do Joburg-Blyde-Kruger-one night transit in Swaziland-Santa Lucia-towards Durban-enter Lesotho via Qacha's Nek-exit via Maseru-Bloemfontein.

Flight from Bloemfontein to Cape Town and then continue with the rest of your program.

Smart move going through Qacha's Nek (though I’ll defer to Djalma on that 😎). And yes, it’s doable with a ‘flat’ car.

It’s a route through the heart of Lesotho with some of its highlights (Semonkong) and nice possible stops (Semonkong, Ramabanta Trading Post).

Once you reach Bloemfontein, I’d skip the flight (you’ll be happy 😉) since Karoo National Park is only a few hours away (and Royerjm can extend the stay if needed). It’d be a more interesting addition to Kruger than Addo. Plus, along the way, a bunch of charming small towns beckon (Colesberg, Richmond).

From there, you can continue with your planned route, starting with either the Atlantic or Indian Ocean.

I didn't dare suggest an all-driving version...😉

Why not go all out? Mountain zebra Valley of Desolation? Graaff-Reinet Karoo NP 🙂

Thanks for this amazing blog

hi there, I’m refining my route based on your tips, but I can’t find any accommodation near Ithala.

If you know of any, please let me know!

Smart move going through Qacha'Nek (but I'm deferring to Djalma on that 😎). Yeah, it's doable with a 'bakkie'.

It's even possible to leave the country via the Sani Pass since I did it, but I don’t recommend it🙁

Accommodations are inside the park. For the KwaZulu-Natal parks, the official site is here.

Hi Agnes, I’m still fine-tuning my trip (which I’ve mentioned in another thread here) in just over a month now, and I’ve taken your comments about Lesotho into account. However, to enter the country—as well as Eswatini—I’ve read everywhere that you need a permit requested well in advance. How should I proceed, given that rental sites don’t mention it at all and you can’t reach anyone? It seems complicated. Thanks, Didier

Personally, when I rented the vehicle in Joburg, I specified that I wanted to enter Eswatini and Lesotho. They had me fill out a form and I paid around 50 € for the authorization—nothing more.

Hey Didier

Regarding the permit, it’s usually requested at the same time as the booking, but you can ask for it later (just a quick email). For Lesotho and Swaziland, it’s super simple for the rental company—just a form to fill out. For countries like Zambia or Zimbabwe, you’ll need additional documents, so the rental company must have enough time.

Normally, all the details are in the rental company’s terms and conditions—both on their website and on comparison sites.

The most important thing is to check whether the rental company you’ve chosen allows the vehicle you’ve selected to cross South Africa’s borders (this can vary depending on the model and the company).

For example, with First Car Rental, everything is explained here.

Which rental company did you go with? Europcar has the advantage of having branches pretty much everywhere, even in Lesotho.

Personally... I’ve used aroundaboutcars three times now, and all three times I’ve been happy... just as good as other rental companies, but cheaper except in rare cases...

Which rental company did you choose? Europcar has the advantage of having agencies pretty much everywhere, even in Lesotho.

Hi there, I can’t remember the name of the rental company. I went through the rentalcars.com platform and rented a Toyota—I don’t remember the model. I don’t have any recommendations on this topic. I’d follow the advice of regulars in South Africa.

Thanks Michel. I just checked that agency, but no availability. So for now I’ve got Europcar (very present in South Africa), Avis, and Sunnys (but 300 € to go to Lesotho and Eswatini).

300 euros is insane! 🤪