I grew up in Johannesburg, and I have been designing African journeys for most of my career. This past February I travelled back to South Africa for my mother’s tombstone consecration.
It was a deeply personal reason to return home, one filled with memories and emotion, and a chance to reconnect with the people and the place that will always hold a very special part of my heart.
So this was not a familiarization trip, and it was not a holiday either. It was personal leave, which then became something more. As is often the case when Africa calls, I could not resist extending the journey into a thirteen day South Africa itinerary: the city where I was raised, the bush I keep returning to, and then Cape Town.
Because of that, it turned out to be one of the most useful journeys I have taken in years, both as a traveller and as an advisor. Here is how the trip was built, what I would keep, and what I would do differently.
The short version
- Thirteen days covers Johannesburg, a Sabi Sand safari and Cape Town, though the safari portion deserves more time.
- Johannesburg is usually treated as an arrival airport. Two to three days there add real depth to a South Africa trip.
- Three nights is the minimum I recommend at any safari lodge. I managed two, and felt it.
- My ideal version of this route would be city, bush and beach, finishing in Mozambique.
Is Johannesburg worth more than a layover?
Yes, and I would argue that two to three days there change the shape of the whole trip.
Johannesburg is often treated as simply a place to arrive and depart before heading off on safari. I have always felt it deserves more than that.
For me it is more than a destination. I grew up there, and returning brings back a mixture of memories, familiar places and the happiness of being surrounded by family and old friends.
This particular visit was not about sightseeing. It was about coming home, spending time with the people I love, and being present for a deeply meaningful family occasion. But even for a first time visitor, the city rewards the time you give it.
What should you see in Johannesburg and Soweto?
Start with Soweto. A visit to Vilakazi Street, Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial gives you a much deeper understanding of South Africa’s journey than any book will.
The Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill offer equally important and moving insights into the country’s past and its transition to democracy. If you are going to spend two weeks in South Africa, understanding where the country has come from changes how you see everything that follows.
Where do you go for food, art and neighbourhoods?
Johannesburg has excellent restaurants, galleries, design and neighbourhoods worth walking. Rosebank is the easiest place to start, good for shopping, dining and simply enjoying the energy of the city.
Maboneng offers a more creative and contemporary side of Johannesburg. This is the part of the city most itineraries skip entirely, and it is the part that surprises people most.
How many nights should you spend on safari?
Three, at minimum. As a travel advisor, that is what I recommend to every client, and I hold to it.
You need time to settle into the rhythm of the bush, to enjoy the property itself, and above all to have enough game drives to genuinely experience the area. Wildlife does not perform on schedule. More drives mean more chances.
This time my own schedule allowed only two nights at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. Advisors are always rushing. I noticed the shortfall, and it is the single thing I would change about the trip.
I could spend a week in the bush and never tire of it. It is the air, the sounds, the ambience and, perhaps most of all, the stillness.
There is something about being in the bush that lets you disconnect completely. You wake with the sunrise, spend your days watching nature unfold, and fall asleep to sounds you cannot replicate anywhere else.
Two nights, and the Sabi Sand still delivered leopard, lion and rhino
What makes Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge different?
Earth Lodge feels less like a traditional safari lodge and more like a piece of contemporary art carved into the earth. Each suite is completely individual, with dramatic organic design and real attention to detail.
It is luxurious without being conventional, and the connection between the lodge and its surroundings is what makes it memorable.
Why slow down in Cape Town?
Because after the intensity of safari, the Cape is the right transition, and rushing it wastes it.
This is where I would encourage travellers to drop the pace deliberately. I stayed first at The Claremont Boutique Hotel, a new property in one of Cape Town’s most desirable areas. It is part of the Sabi Sabi Collection, so having come straight from Earth Lodge, I stayed with the same people in the bush and in the city, and the standard carried through. It is also a good base for the Constantia Valley and its wine estates while keeping the city within easy reach.
What is worth doing in the Constantia Valley?
Give it a full day. Explore the Constantia wine route, have a long lunch overlooking the vineyards, and let the afternoon go.
After the exhilaration of the bush, this is the perfect entry into the food, wine and scenery of the Western Cape. It is not a filler day. For many travellers it becomes a favourite one.
How does Cape Grace compare?
Cape Grace has an entirely different personality, and staying at both gives you two versions of Cape Town. Where The Claremont is quiet and residential, Cape Grace puts you at the centre of things.
Set on the V&A Waterfront, it combines old world elegance with the warmth that makes Cape Town what it is. Restaurants, galleries, shops and the harbour are on your doorstep, with Table Mountain behind it all, a backdrop that never quite looks real no matter how many times you see it.
What order should you travel South Africa in?
There is a real argument on both sides, and this is where I changed my own mind.
My trip ran Johannesburg, then the bush, then Cape Town. Having done it, I would reverse it. I would begin in Cape Town, giving myself time to explore and relax first, then head into the bush, then stop in Johannesburg for a few days.
The counterargument is fair. If you arrive in Cape Town relaxed, the early mornings and pace of safari can feel like a jolt. Both routes work. What matters is deciding deliberately rather than letting flights decide for you.
What would I change next time?
I would give myself more time on safari, and I would add the coast.
My ideal version of this journey ends with a few unhurried days in Mozambique. City, bush and beach. The energy and culture of Johannesburg and Cape Town, the raw beauty and stillness of the bush, and finally the turquoise water and quiet of the Mozambican coast.
It is hard for me to imagine a better way to experience the many different faces of Africa in one journey.
What I loved about this trip was the contrast. Johannesburg let me reconnect with my past, family and friends. The bush brought me back to the Africa I have always loved. Cape Town offered culture, food, wine and a completely different rhythm.
See the full itinerary
The complete journey, day by day, with every hotel and lodge I stayed in and how the whole route fits together. This is the itinerary I designed and travelled myself, which is why I am happy to share it. Treat it as inspiration rather than a fixed route. Every part of it can be reshaped around your own dates, your pace and the things you actually care about.
Questions I get asked
How many days do you need in South Africa?
Thirteen worked, but I would push for sixteen to eighteen if you can. That gives you the extra safari nights I missed and a few days on the coast at the end. If thirteen is what you have, it is still a very good trip.
Is two nights enough on safari?
It is possible, and I did it, but it is not what I recommend to my own clients. Two nights gives you about three game drives. Three lets you settle in, enjoy the lodge properly, and give the wildlife time to cooperate.
Is Johannesburg safe for visitors?
I grew up there, and I treat it the way I would treat any large city. Private transfers, a good guide for Soweto and the museums, and the usual common sense. Handled properly, it is not something that should keep you away.
Can you fly straight from Johannesburg to the Kruger area?
Yes, and it is easy. I flew Johannesburg to Skukuza in about an hour, then took a short road transfer to the lodge. It is the most efficient way to get from the city into the bush.
When is the best time of year for this trip?
I travelled in February, which is green season in the bush and summer in the Cape, and Cape Town was at its best. If wildlife is your priority, the drier months from May to October concentrate the animals around water.
Can this itinerary be tailored?
It should be. This was my own journey, built around my own reasons for travelling. I am sharing it to show how the pieces fit together, not to hand you a fixed route.
Plan your South Africa journey with Cheryl
I have always believed the best trips are not about filling every moment of every day. Some of the most memorable moments in travel are the ones you never planned for. Give yourself permission to slow down, be curious, and let the destination unfold naturally. That, to me, is when travel really comes alive.
If you would like to build a South Africa journey of your own, whether it follows my itinerary closely, becomes city, bush and beach, or turns into something entirely different, I would be glad to help you plan it.
If it helps, you can also see more of our South Africa journeys, or read how we plan a trip before you write to me.
Private Travel Designer · Alluring Africa
Cheryl grew up in Johannesburg and has spent her career designing African journeys for travellers who want more than a checklist. She was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialists list for 2026. She can be reached at cheryl@alluringafrica.com.
