I've returned from another month in South Africa and just wanted to update this thread based on my recent experiences. Right now, I think South Africa is one of the best countries in the world for Americans (and other Westerners) to visit. It's just incredibly affordable and enjoyable. South Africa is particularly good as a counter-seasonal destination during the dark/cold months in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're going to do a mega multi-week trip --- which you probably should given the distances involved in travelling to South Africa -- I would highly recommend a November visit. This is premised on the idea that -- at least for first timers -- the two parts of the country you should visit are the Western Cape and Kruger. You should start your trip in Kruger. You will have a better time in the Western Cape during the warmer months, and the extra daylight helps, too. The problem is that if you wait until Southern Hemisphere summer, Kruger can potentially be very hot and wet. We visited Kruger in December and saw temperatures up to 115 F, which was quite unusual, and also unpleasant (we had to move from un-airconditioned bushveld camps to AC at the big rest camps). You can take your chances with a mid-summer Kruger trip --- and if I couldn't go in "shoulder season" I would to be able to also visit the Western Cape -- but November is best.
The best way to visit Kruger is to simply fly into JNB and do the 4 1/2 drive to the Melalane gate. Any car is fine: you don't need to splurge on an SUV. Avoiding a hatchback is best for the dust. Stay at the Berg-en-Dal rest camp in the park for your first night. The drive is easy and safe. Price your car rental on Skyscanner.com. We usually stay a week, but 5 days is enough if you don't have lots of time.
Return to JNB and fly to CPT (price flights on Skyscanner). You should stay in Sea Point (by far the best place for tourists) for a night or two. Everyone seems to visit the V&A , but I think it's now mostly a very scenic shopping mall. You can also overpay the foreigner rate for the Table Mountain cable car (if the weather is good), Kirstenbosch Gardens and Robben Island if you like.
I would then rent a car (or just do it at the airport and easily park your car in Sea Point) and head down to Cape Point. It's a scenic (and famous) national park, and the coastal drive there is also nice. Everyone also likes the penguins at Boulders Beach. The problem is both those attractions are run by SanParks and they're charging foreigners more than 4x the cost. US$27 for Cape Point is stupid, and $12 more to see the penguins is even stupider. But lots of tourists don't mind, so consider it. I would stay in the Boulders Beach/Simons Town area that night.
From there the winelands beckon. Your best base to see the winelands is Stellenbosch. Franschhoek is worth a visit -- a bit too touristy to me -- but Stellenbosch is the better base. Try to stay on a wine farm or other "rural" accommodation. Booking.com and airbnb are your best bets (all over South Africa). Avoid the fancy hotels, which charge 4x for not much.
From the Stellenbosch area, you have a choice: go one way to Port Elizabeth and fly home (through either JNB or CPT) or do a scenic loop through the Karoo and Garden Route back to Cape Town. If you have the time, I think a 10+ day loop is best. Drive first through the Little Karoo through Robertson, Montagu and a night in Barrydale. Stop in Calitzdorp for a night if you can. Two nights in Oudtshoorn is good. Try to take the pass to Prince Albert and do a loop.
From Oudtshoorn, continue on in the Karoo to Graaf Reinet and Mountain Zebra National Park. Then stop in Addo (overrated, but on the way), as you head in the direction of Port Elizabeth (not a place to linger, but a transport hub). After leaving Addo, I'd spend the night in Jeffreys Bay before heading toward Plett, Knysna and Hermanus on the famous Garden Route.
If you don't have sufficient time, skip the big Karoo and, from Oudtshoorn, drop down to the Garden Route, visiting Knysna, Plett and Jeffreys Bay before flying out of Port Elizabeth.
BTW, if you're doing the full loop, you can immediately drive from the CPT airport to Stellenbosch and save the Cape Town area (and Hermanus) for the end of your trip. Or go in reverse (Garden Route to Little Karoo) and save Stellenbosch for the end of your trip before flying out of CPT.
This year on our visit we did not experience any of the infamous "load-shedding" -- where the power would be randomly switched off few a few hours every day. Somehow, after the election last year, they managed to solve this problem. It makes for a better experience.
So this means the only downside of South Africa is personal safety. Obviously, the cities can be unsafe -- including Cape Town -- but you are still unlikely to be a victim of crime as long as you don't do anything stupid. Stick to where the wealthier people are (they will be mostly white) and you are very likely to be safe. I do hear occasional horror stories -- somebody carjacked outside a township in Cape Town, or a person kidnapped for money at an empty shopping center in an unremarkable town. But in months of travelling around South Africa, I've never encountered any problems. You will see a lot of very poor people, and many of these will be young men who can look a little concerning. But stick to places where there are affluent people around and you should be fine. I would note Kruger National Park -- and, really, ALL national parks in South Africa -- are incredibly safe. There is basically zero crime in those places.
Last edited by iahphx; Jan 6, 2025 at 10:14 am