Quick answer
Nine days in South Africa fits four nights in Cape Town for Table Mountain, Cape Point and the Winelands, a flight to Kruger for two nights of game drives, a night on the Panorama Route and a final night in Johannesburg for Soweto before flying home. Mid-range land costs start at about ₹1,35,000 per person.
The route
- Cape Town
- Cape Peninsula
- Winelands
- Kruger
- Panorama Route
- Johannesburg
Day-by-day plan
- 1
Day 1
Arrive in Cape Town
Morning: Land at Cape Town International after a one-stop flight from India, usually via Dubai, Doha, Addis Ababa or Nairobi.
Afternoon: Check in and walk the V&A Waterfront, with Table Mountain as the backdrop.
Evening: Sunset from Signal Hill, then dinner at the Waterfront.
Stay: V&A Waterfront or Sea Point, Cape Town
- 2
Day 2
Table Mountain and the city
Morning: Table Mountain cableway on the first clear morning; allow two hours at the top.
Afternoon: Walk the colourful Bo-Kaap, then Kirstenbosch botanical garden and its treetop walkway.
Evening: Sundowners and dinner at Camps Bay.
Stay: V&A Waterfront or Sea Point, Cape Town
Wind closes the cableway often. If today is windy, swap with Day 3 or 4.
- 3
Day 3
Cape Peninsula
Morning: Drive Chapman's Peak, stopping at Hout Bay, then on to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.
Afternoon: Boulders Beach penguins near Simon's Town, then the coast road back past Muizenberg's beach huts.
Evening: Seafood or Cape Malay dinner back in town.
Stay: V&A Waterfront or Sea Point, Cape Town
Keep food out of sight at Cape Point; baboons open car doors and bags.
- 4
Day 4
Winelands or Hermanus
Morning: Drive an hour to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. From July to November, choose Hermanus for whales instead.
Afternoon: Franschhoek wine tram, or grape-juice and chocolate pairings for non-drinkers.
Evening: Pack and rest; tomorrow starts early.
Stay: V&A Waterfront or Sea Point, Cape Town
- 5
Day 5
Fly to Kruger
Morning: Fly about 2–2.5 hours from Cape Town to the Kruger area (Nelspruit, Hoedspruit or Skukuza).
Afternoon: Transfer to your lodge, then an afternoon game drive until sunset.
Evening: Dinner around a fire in an open-air boma.
Stay: Sabi Sand private reserve or a Kruger rest camp
- 6
Day 6
Full day of game drives
Morning: Dawn game drive at about 5.30 am, with coffee in the bush.
Afternoon: Rest by the pool during the midday heat, then the afternoon drive.
Evening: Night drive with a spotlight in private reserves, looking for leopard and hyena.
Stay: Sabi Sand private reserve or a Kruger rest camp
Private reserves allow off-road tracking, which gives much better leopard odds than public roads.
- 7
Day 7
Panorama Route
Morning: Final dawn drive and breakfast, then check out.
Afternoon: God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels above the Blyde River Canyon.
Evening: Pancakes and an early night in Graskop.
Stay: Graskop or Hazyview
Mist often rolls in by afternoon; if the viewpoints are clouded, try again early next morning.
- 8
Day 8
Drive to Johannesburg
Morning: Drive about 4.5–5 hours to Johannesburg on good highways.
Afternoon: Visit Satyagraha House, where Gandhi lived in 1908–09, or rest at the hotel.
Evening: Indian dinner in Fordsburg or a Sandton restaurant.
Stay: Sandton or Rosebank, Johannesburg
- 9
Day 9
Soweto and departure
Morning: Apartheid Museum, then a guided Soweto tour including Mandela House on Vilakazi Street.
Afternoon: Transfer to O.R. Tambo International Airport for your flight home.
Evening: Overnight flight to India via a Gulf or African hub.
Is 9 days enough for South Africa?
Nine days covers the two things most Indian travellers come for, Cape Town and a Big Five safari, with a scenic drive and Johannesburg's history in between. It does not include the Garden Route. If you want that coastal road trip, add four or five days between Cape Town and the safari and fly from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) to the Kruger area.
How this route works
The country is large, so the key is one domestic flight from Cape Town to the Kruger area, about 2–2.5 hours. From there, driving to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route turns a transfer into a sightseeing day and saves a second domestic flight. Most flights home leave Johannesburg in the evening, so Day 9 still has a full morning.
Cape Town days are ordered by weather. Keep the cableway for the first calm, clear day and shuffle the others around it.
What this itinerary costs
Mid-range land costs start at about ₹1,35,000 per person, twin sharing, for eight nights, including a Kruger-area lodge with game drives, the domestic flight, a car or driver, entry fees and most meals. International flights are extra. See the South Africa trip cost for all tiers.
Kruger is a malaria area. Ask your doctor about prophylaxis, particularly for October to April trips.
Before you book
Check the current entry rules on our South Africa visa guide, choose a base from where to stay in Cape Town, and see the best time to visit and things to do in South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Should I self-drive this South Africa itinerary?
Can I add the Garden Route to this trip?
Is a private game reserve worth it over a Kruger rest camp?
How we checked this page
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Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
