South Africa 12-Day Tours & Itineraries

Explore 10 trips designed by local kimkim specialists to get ideas for your trip to South Africa.

With 12 days in South Africa, travelers can explore the country’s many diverse regions while personalizing the itinerary for themselves. Wildlife enthusiasts should build an itinerary with more time in safari hotspots: see lions and giraffes on the savannahs of Kruger, spot hippos and elephants in Chobe, and swim with great white sharks off the Atlantic coast. If you love food and wine, focus your time in the Winelands, drive the Garden Route, and visit Johannesburg to get a taste for South Africa’s diverse flavors.

Of course, you can always roll everything into an immersive trip: fly open-jaw from Cape Town to Johannesburg, with plenty of time for a road trip in between. See more options below, or check out our 12-day trips in South Africa.

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Map of Classic South Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg, & Kruger Safari - 12 Days
Classic South Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg, & Kruger Safari - 12 Days

Try out some of the most popular experiences in South Africa with this 12-day trip plan. From atop Table Mountain, out amid the political history of Robben Island, or within the Winelands, you'll see the span of Cape Town before you continue to Johannesburg to learn about the city and its history from people who have lived it. Finish your trip in Kruger National Park with a classic safari and wildlife rehabilitation experience.

Check out the towns on the Garden Route
Map of Cape Town & Garden Route Adventure - 12 Days
Cape Town & Garden Route Adventure - 12 Days

Combine a city break and a classic road trip with this 12-day itinerary. Stroll through Cape Town's many attractions, whether on sandy Bloubergstrand Beach or the shops of the V&A Waterfront, before you duck under the vines of the Winelands' vineyards. Then get in your car for a drive filled with whale-watching, wildlife, and more.

Great White Watching
Map of Explore South Africa: Cape Town, Winelands, Johannesburg, Safari, & Beach - 12 Days
Explore South Africa: Cape Town, Winelands, Johannesburg, Safari, & Beach - 12 Days

Wind your way through South Africa with this 12-day trip plan. Your start in Cape Town will walk you through the city views and varietals with wine tastings and scenic tours. Head up to the Winelands to sample their winning wines, then keep going through Johannesburg and all the way to Kruger National Park for a walk on the wild side. Wind down amid the waves on the west coast at Tonga Beach Lodge.

Elephant at the Pools
Map of South Africa and Zimbabwe Safari: Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Mana Pools National Park, & More - 12 Days
South Africa and Zimbabwe Safari: Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Mana Pools National Park, & More - 12 Days

Painted dogs may look pettable, but they're actually one of the most efficient hunters of any large predator. You'll visit a painted dog conservation center along with two national parks and a game reserve on this 12-day trip, with some Cape Town city time in the mix, to see how many potential four-legged fuzzballs southern Africa has to offer. Just keep your hands to yourself.

Red-billed hornbill
Map of Southern Africa Safari: Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, & More - 12 Days
Southern Africa Safari: Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, & More - 12 Days

Spend twelve days touring some of southern Africa's wildlife hotspots with this itinerary. You'll begin with three nights in Cape Town to take in the city's wine and cheese samples along with its surrounding natural landscapes, then move to Sabi Sands Reserve for a safari. Continue to Zimbabwe feel the rush of Victoria Falls before you cruise into the end of your journey on a second safari onboard a houseboat.

Cape foxes in the Kalahari
Map of Discover South Africa: Cape Town, Winelands, & Tswalu Kalahari - 12 Days
Discover South Africa: Cape Town, Winelands, & Tswalu Kalahari - 12 Days

Take 12 days to saunter through South Africa with this itinerary. You'll start in Cape Town, driving the scenic route out to the Cape of Good Hope and penguins of Boulders Beach, before you get in the water on a great white cage dive and sunrise sea kayak (separately, of course). From there you'll continue to Franschhoek for some time among the grape vines, followed by a safari through the Kalahari reserve before you return home.

Kite surfers in Table Bay
Map of South Africa Adventure: Cape Town, Winelands, & Eastern Cape Safari - 12 Days
South Africa Adventure: Cape Town, Winelands, & Eastern Cape Safari - 12 Days

Take 12 days to travel through Cape Town and some of its nearby standouts with this itinerary. Whether you're atop Table Mountain, underwater next to great white sharks, or paragliding through the sky, you'll get a good look at the city. Leave Cape Town for its neighboring scenic Winelands, followed by a safari in the Eastern Cape to wrap up your adventure.

Cape Asparagus
Map of South Africa Food & Wine Tour: Cape Town, Garden Route, & Johannesburg - 12 Days
South Africa Food & Wine Tour: Cape Town, Garden Route, & Johannesburg - 12 Days

Taste 12 days of South African traditions on this tour that combines education and eateries. Whether you're making your way through the streets of Cape Town to relevant restaurants in the city's history, sipping wine and shucking oysters along the Garden Route, or trading tales around the barbecue in Johannesburg's Soweto township, you'll stimulate both your taste buds and your brain.

Rock Formations in Cederberg National Reserve
Map of South Africa's Hidden Gems: Cape Town, Langebaan, Cederberg & Kruger National Park - 12 Days
South Africa's Hidden Gems: Cape Town, Langebaan, Cederberg & Kruger National Park - 12 Days

Go off the beaten path in South Africa on this diverse trip which explores the southern tip of the country and its plentiful wildlife. Start in Cape Town and learn its living history, then visit West Coast National Park to discover aquatic life along with rock formations, wildflowers, and prehistoric cave art. Take a series of big game drives in search of the "Big Five" at Kruger National Park, and finish up your journey marveling at the sumptuous vistas of Blyde River Canyon.

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