Destinations / Africa
Put together personally by Yari Steennot
South Africa
Table Mountain, the Winelands, the Garden Route and the Big Five in a private reserve near Kruger
Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.
The classic South Africa round trip, fully arranged and entirely private: my recommended 18-day route. Start in Cape Town and on the Cape Peninsula, taste your way through the Cape Winelands, follow the Garden Route past whales, ostriches and coastal forests, then fly to Mpumalanga for the Panorama Route, Kruger National Park and three nights in a private reserve with open safari vehicles. You choose: a rental car waiting for you or a private driver.
Highlights
- Cable car up Table Mountain and the colourful Bo-Kaap
- The Cape Peninsula: Chapman's Peak, the Cape of Good Hope and the penguins of Boulders Beach
- Wine tastings in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
- Whale watching from the cliffs of Hermanus (July–November)
- Route 62, the Swartberg Pass and the Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn
- Knysna, Robberg and the coastal forest of Tsitsikamma
- The Panorama Route: God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon
- Kruger National Park and three nights of Big Five safari in a private reserve
Day by day in the brochure (PDF)
For information only, not an offer yet
What I will arrange for you after launch
You travel, I arrange everything. You travel privately: no group and no fixed guide tagging along.
- Airport pickup and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
- All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Budget, Comfort or Premium.
- Transport on the ground: a rental car waiting for you (self-drive) or a private driver and private transfers. Domestic flights and trains where that makes sense.
- The activities and entrance fees on the route. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
- Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
- A personal intake, at your home or by video.
- A WhatsApp line with me, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
- A call-back after your trip.
- Your international flight: after launch I will also book your flight for you. Prices on the site exclude the flight.
Travel whenever you like
Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 18 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.
This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.
Price by level and transport
You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.
Estimated prices per person, based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. Travelling solo, count on a supplement of roughly 56%. With four travellers the price per person drops by roughly 12%.
If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.
More about self-drive and the private driver on this route
Self-drive
South Africa is one of the most pleasant countries for a self-drive trip: good tarred roads, clear signposting and short stages along the Garden Route. You drive on the left and never after dark. On day 4 your rental car is delivered to your hotel in Cape Town; you return it at George airport. In Mpumalanga a second car is waiting, which you leave in Hoedspruit. Your rental car comes with zero-excess insurance and a road book with driving times, fuel stops and safe parking. Fuel, tolls and parking are paid locally (indicative ± €160 for the whole route).
Private driver
Rather not drive on the left? Then from Cape Town to George (days 4–12) you have one dedicated driver with a comfortable vehicle; he speaks English and Afrikaans, which Flemish speakers understand well. In Mpumalanga I use private transfers: from the airport to Hazyview, a day with a driver along the Panorama Route to the lodge, and finally to Hoedspruit airport. Safaris are with the park's and the lodge's rangers.
Flight & price
After launch I will also book your flight for you. The prices on this page exclude the international flight.
Flight Brussels–Cape Town, returning from Hoedspruit via Johannesburg, not included: allow about € 700–1,050 p.p. depending on the month (cheapest in March, most expensive in July and December). After launch I will find you the best flight with your proposal.
Indicative price (estimate) per person based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. This is not an offer: nothing is being sold yet. Indicative price (estimate), not an offer. In high season the price can be higher, in low season lower. All prices are indicative estimates, not an offer. Nothing is being sold yet; after launch you receive a no-obligation proposal with the price of that moment.
Travelling responsibly
In Cape Town I opt for a township walk with a guide who lives there and a lunch at a local initiative instead of drive-through 'township tourism'. I work with smaller, family-run guesthouses and a safari lodge that trains local people as rangers and trackers. The private reserve levies fees that support anti-poaching. You travel in one car for your own party and domestic flights are limited to a single routing.