South Africa on a Budget

Following on last week’s blog where we are running a South Africa Month and Specials, we thought we would write about doing South Africa on a budget in 12 to 14 Days and including some key areas.

Over the years one of the most common requests we get on South Africa is doing a big 5 safari, spending time in Cape Town and seeing the Garden route.

I must point out Cape Town is beautiful and certainly one of the hot spots in Southern Africa to visit but it is not Safari area. To do a Proper big 5 Safari you would have to visit one of our national parks, we would always suggest going to Kruger or Pilanesberg. These parks are more easily accessible from Johannesburg.

So considering the distance between Johannesburg and Cape Town what is the best way to include, Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route?

We have a little video at the bottom of the blog which is worth watching but here is the answer in a nutshell.

Step One: Look for international flights into Johannesburg, it is our busiest airport and you will more than likely find better deals to Johannesburg than Cape Town.

Step two: Do a 3 or 4 Day Kruger safari that starts and ends in Johannesburg, we have focused 4 Day Camping safaris that stay in the Kruger National park and offer wonderful experiences that will maximise your chance of seeing the big 5. The great thing is our Kruger Safaris have daily departures so we can generally fit them in on any day. If you don’t want to stay in permanent tents and are prepared to pay a bit more then our lodge safaris are worth considering.

Link: 3 Day Kruger Park Camping Safari

Link: 4 day Kruger Park Budget Camping

Step Three: When you finish your Kruger Safari get dropped off directly at Johannesburg airport where there are budget flights directly to Cape Town. We are lucky to have 3 budget airlines that fly this route daily and are very competitive in prices. In a lot of cases a flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town is cheaper than a bus so maximise your time and catch the flight, it will give you more time to do activities in Cape Town. Our consultants will be happy to send you links for the airlines in question and help plan the times with you to make sure the Itinerary works.

Step four: Spend 2 to 3 days in Cape Town. Cape Town is a wonderful city to explore independently, our advice is to book a centrally located hotel, hostel or AirBNB.  From there most of the points of interest like Table Mountain, Robin Island, Lions Head, museums and markets will be accessible. If you want to do go to Cape Point or the winelands there are daytrips going daily from most central based hotels. We will be happy to advise on the key ones to do or just point you in the right direction how to do it yourself.

Step Five : After your time in Cape Town book a 5 or 6 Day Garden Route tour, our Garden Route tours include all the key highlights of the Garden Route as well as time in Addo Elephant park, the Garden Route is certainly one of the most beautiful parts of south Africa and a great way to finish off your time here.  You can either finish your tour in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) or back in Cape Town from where you can connect via one of the budget airlines mentioned earlier back to Johannesburg or directly home.

Link: 5 Day Garden route - Cape Town to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

Link: 6 Day Garden route and Addo Elephant Park Tour

Easy and wonderful, fly into Johannesburg, do a 4 Day Kruger Safari, budget flight to Cape Town for 3 Days, Garden Route for 5 or 6 Days, Finished. 12 to 14 Days of Safari, beaches, culture, forests and whole lot of fun.

For the Kruger safari and the Garden Route tours mentioned in the above steps, check out the links. If you want more ideas on how to make this work or what to do in South Africa we are always happy to help plan and do have a look at the little video below

Rob K