Eastern Cape SafarisSafaris in the Greater Kruger ParkSafaris in KwaZulu-NatalSafaris in Madikwe and PilanesbergThe Waterberg

Eastern Cape Safaris

The safari lodges of South Africas Eastern Cape offer a malaria-free safari experience close to Cape Town and the popular Garden Route.

Safaris in the Greater Kruger Park

Home to the Big 5 of the African bush - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo - the Kruger Park is definitely one of the world's great wildlife destinations.

Safaris in KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal offers a wide range of safari options from self-drive to the luxurious safari lodges.

Safaris in Madikwe and Pilanesberg

Choose one of the private lodges in Madikwe, or a self-drive safari in Pilanesberg, for a wonderful safari trip.

The Waterberg

The malaria-free Waterberg covers more than 150,000 hectares, and is just a 3 hour drive from Johannesburg.

Safari Options for Visitors to Cape Town

Ways you can combine Cape Town with a memorable safari

The Drakensberg mountains KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields The Wild Coast Whale Watching Cape Town The Cape Winelands The Garden Route Port Elizabeth Safari lodges and self-drive safaris in the Eastern Cape Durban The Drakensberg mountains KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields Safari lodges and self-drive safaris in KwaZulu-Natal Safari lodges and self-drive safaris in Kruger & Sabi Sands Unfortunately it is not possible to go on an African safari near Cape Town, and in order to combine Southern Africa's most popular city with the thrill of a safari, visitors will either need to drive or fly to the Eastern Cape or take a flight up to one of the other safari areas further north such as the famous Kruger National Park, or the safari reserves of KwaZulu-Natal near Durban, the Waterberg or the North West Province.

There are a number of European or North American style safari parks nearer Cape Town, but these tend to be very sterile and tame, and overseas visitors may find them rather disappointing.

If you have the opportunity it is well worth making the effort to visit one of the National Parks or private game reserves elsewhere in South Africa or the neighbouring countries.

a safari in the eastern cape

Probably the most popular Cape Town Safari route is to drive along the beautiful southern coast of South Africa between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and go on safari in one of the malaria-free game reserves of the Eastern Cape.

The total distance by road from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth is about 750 km, and the reserves are then between an hour to 2 hours drive further from Port Elizabeth, so we certainly don't recommend trying to drive this in a day.

Most visitors take a couple of days to drive along the Garden Route - the Garden Route is beautiful, and it is definitely a worthwhile addition to any holiday itinerary.  If time is precious, however, you can fly between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, which takes just over an hour. When you land at Port Elizabeth Airport, you can then either hire a car from the airport and drive yourself to your chosen reserve, or else a transfer can be arranged. 

a safari in the kruger national park

The magnificent Kruger National Park in the north-east of South Africa is as far away from Cape Town as you can go without leaving the country.

Despite this, it is still by far the most popular safari destination for locals and overseas visitors alike, and huge numbers of people fly between Cape Town and Kruger to combine the country's 2 leading destinations.

By road, the journey would take an exhausting 3 days (2 days to get to Johannesburg, and a further 5 hours or so to the Park itself), and as a result, most people decide to fly to one of the airports in or near the Park. These flights are either direct or route via Johannesburg.

Once in the area, the choice of safari on offer is outstanding. There are numerous lodges, including those in the world-famous Sabi Sand Reserve, or in any of the other private reserves such as Timbavati, Thornybush, Klaserie, Kapama or Balule, and if you want to get within a couple of metres of lions or leopards in the wild, then these are the places to stay!

For people who prefer to self-drive in the Park, there is an excellent infrastructure of roads and rest camps in the Park, which are ideal especially if you are on a bit of a tight budget.

a safari near durban

Combining Cape Town and a safari in KwaZulu-Natal in your South African trip adds more than just a safari to your holiday.

In addition to some of the best safari lodges and most famous game reserves in Southern Africa, KwaZulu-Natal also has the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains, the St Lucia Wetland Park, and a fascinating and dramatic history in the moving and eerie Battlefields.

Add to this mix the sub-tropical city of Durban, a still vibrant Zulu culture, snorkelling and scuba diving, and near endless beaches, KwaZulu-Natal probably boasts a wider range of world-class attractions within its borders than any other part of the country.

Given all these attractions, why don't more visitors combine these 2 areas? Well, the most likely reason is the distance between them - it would take at least 3 days of non-stop motoring to drive from Cape Town to Durban, and large parts of the journey are on smaller roads through remote parts of the Eastern Cape. It is around 1,000 km between Durban and Port Elizabeth, and apart from East London and the Wild Coast (which is around 90 minutes drive off the main road!) there is very limited accommodation en-route.

Unless you have around 4 weeks or so to spend and can afford the time to drive, then flying to Durban and then making your way from there to the game reserves of KZN would definately be our recommendation.

a safari in the north west province or waterberg

The malaria-free reserves of the North West Province and The Waterberg are located within a couple of hours drive of Johannesburg Airport, and with numerous flights each day between Cape Town and Jo'burg these could be an attractive alternative for many visitors looking to include a safari after their trip to Cape Town.

Cape Town Safari Ideas