The 15 5-Day Experiences in South Africa That Earn Their Price

1.5 Day Garden Route and Addo Safari – Best of South Africa Small Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 291 reviews · from $575Our pick

Travel from Cape Town through Route 62, Oudtshoorn, Addo, Jeffreys Bay, Tsitsikamma, Knysna, and Wilderness with a local guide. Expect long drives, four breakfasts, shared accommodation options, an Addo game drive, wine tasting, Cango Caves, and optional bungy jumping, surfing, horse riding, and ziplining.

“Maudi was a great tour guide! The tour and sites were amazing. Maudi was very engaging, kept the tour on track and made us all feel like a family. Highly recommended tour!”

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2.5-Day Best of Garden Route and Addo Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 221 reviews · 5 days · from $675

Join a small group of up to 13 people for a fast-moving five-day trip from Cape Town along Route 62 and the Garden Route. You will visit the Cango Caves, Addo Elephant National Park, Tsitsikamma, Knysna, and Botlierskop Reserve, with guides such as Isaac, Uriel, Paul, or Denver leading the way.

“the tour was at a good pace. there was so much to see and do in a short time. thanks for a great adventure!”

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3.5-Day Garden Route & Addo Adventure from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 116 reviews · from $641

Travel from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in a small group of up to 12, with guides such as Wendy, Christine, Gareth, and Terri. Expect penguins at Stony Point, Route 62 wine, canoeing and hiking in Wilderness, Tsitsikamma, four dinners, and an Addo game drive.

“This is the best way to see South Africa, aside from the big game drives. We experienced penguins whale watching, bike ride along the Ocean, canoeing, hiking, national parks, beautiful accommodations, fantastic meals, and above all the most gracious host in Jaco. We would highly, highly recommend taking this tour with Earthstompers. It was an absolute highlight. 10 out of 10! Thank you.”

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4.5 Day Garden Route Tour and Addo Elephant National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · from $782

Travel from Cape Town to Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and Hermanus in a group of up to 13. You get four nights’ lodging, breakfasts, dinners, park visits, two game drives, and an air-conditioned vehicle, with guides such as Benjamin and Von leading the way.

“We had the most amazing 4 night trip away! Everything was amazing and our tour guide, Benji, was brilliant - he made our tour what it was! Such a cool, fun, kind, friendly and knowledgable gentleman - a real top guy! Thanks for making our trip so epic!!”

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5.5 Day Classic Kruger National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $1,153

Travel from Johannesburg in a small group of up to nine for sunset, night, sunrise, and full-day Kruger drives. You will also walk beside the Olifants River with armed rangers, visit Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, and see the Three Rondawels and Blyde River Canyon. Accommodation, meals, park fees, and transfers are included.

“Great Safari with Viva Safaris. Everything from pick-up to drop-off was very organised and there were no issues whatsoever. The program is fully packed, which is nice if you want to spend as much time as possible searching for wildlifRead more”

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6.5 Day Katekani Lodge Kruger National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · from $1,500

Spend five days exploring Kruger National Park and nearby reserves with Viva Safaris, including sunset and night drives, a guided bush walk, two full Kruger days, and Blyde River Canyon. Pickup from Johannesburg or O.R. Tambo Airport, four nights’ lodging, park fees, meals, and a maximum group of nine are included.

“Our stay at the Katekani Lodge was exceptional. The tented lodges are beautifully furnished and very spacious. Sean and his team were extremely accommodating and very welcoming. There was always a fire going at the boma to relaxed at with a drink after the safari. We had the best time there. We highly recommend the Katekani Lodge.”

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7.5 Day Cape to Addo Safari – Garden Route Small Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $611

Travel from Cape Town to Addo in a small group of up to 13, with a registered guide, four breakfasts, two dinners, transport, park entries, canoeing, a hike, and an Addo game drive. Optional bungee jumping, primate sanctuary visits, ostrich farms, and other activities let you set the pace.

“Went on the 6 day tour as a solo traveller, was a but worried at first but as it turned out I wasn't the only one in the group. Everyone was really friendly and our guide Lourens did a great job of helping us learn about SA and it's culture and also taRead more”

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8.Garden Route and Addo Elephant National Park: 5-Day Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 23 reviews · 5 days · from $793

Travel with an English-speaking guide such as Mark or Christine from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in a group of up to 12. Expect penguins, wine tasting, an ostrich farm, canoeing, hikes, Tsitsikamma National Park, and a 2 to 3-hour Addo safari, with optional whale watching and bungee jumping.

“Heel erg genoten van alle ingrediënten van deze reis. Christine was onze gids, een heel energieke en vriendelijke, gezellige dame! Veel afwisseling in de reis, en op elke plek goede tips. De hostels waren super, we hadden 1 persoonskamers, kan in Europa als hotelkamers doorgaan. Heerlijk gegeten ook in alle hostels. Fijne groep van 10 personen uit 4 continenten! Qua organisatie en communicatie vooraf ook dikke 10! De avond voor de tour startte onze gids een app groep. Daardoor was de communicatie bij het ophalen ook erg goed. Kortom: een aanrader!! Zou zo weer meegaan!!”

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9.5-Day Garden Route & Addo Elephant Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 22 reviews · 5 days · from $931

Travel from Cape Town to Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and a private game lodge in a small group of up to 11. Guides such as Chris, Vaughan, Mawande, and Ben have led the route. Expect long drives, shared or private rooms, two safari drives, and several optional extras.

“It really was an amazing experience. Everything was perfectly planned out, we saw a lot of things and had a lot of fun. The most amazing out of all the things we did in my vieuw was the adoo elephant park. We saw a wide variety of animals in the wild, bufallo's, a lot of different antilopes, baboons, ..., but also an enormous amount of elephants enjoying themselves in the mudpools. This was truly a sight never to forget. On top of this the other activities, the ostrich farm, the kangoo caves, the monkey reserve, the game lodge, where also in its way super nice ! The only location i…”

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10.5 Day Garden Route Tour – Port Elizabeth to Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $511Best value

Travel from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in a small group of up to 14, with guide Stafford named among the tour leaders. Expect four breakfasts, air-conditioned transport, overnight stays, and stops at Tsitsikamma, Cango Caves, Cape Agulhas, Betty’s Bay, and Hermanus.

“My friend and I joined this five-day Garden Route tour guided by Stafford, and we had the absolute best time! We didn't really know what to expect going in; my friend had been to South Africa only once prior as a child, and I had never been before. We arrived in Port ElizabetRead more”

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11.5 Day Lodge and Treehouse Kruger National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $1,032

Spend five days exploring Balule, Kruger, and Motlala reserves with at least four open-vehicle drives, a bushwalk, sunrise and night outings, and a Bush Braai dinner. Sleep in an air-conditioned chalet and a treehouse, then finish with Blyde River Canyon before returning to Gauteng.

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12.5 Day Kruger National Park tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $1,083

Spend five days in Greater Kruger with transport from Johannesburg, four nights at camp, sunset and full-day safaris, a nature walk, Blyde River Canyon, and Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Guides such as Lloyd, David, and Trista add personal care, camp meals, and useful wildlife insight.

“Experiencing the wonder of Kruger National Park was the best part of my trip. I am a 62 year old woman and people who run this camp were just amazing, always making sure I was comfortable and happy. We had delicious meals outside under the African sky. All of the guRead more”

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13.5-Day Kruger Park Safari & Panoramic Tour Combo including Breakfast and Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $1,536

Start at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport and travel to Mpumalanga for four nights near Kruger National Park. You’ll take night, full-day, and morning safaris in an open vehicle, plus a Blyde River Canyon day with waterfalls, Three Rondawels, and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Groups are capped at nine.

“Amazing trip on safari with Shinzelle! It’s a great company, super easy to work with. I booked my trip very late in the day but they managed to accommodate all of my wishes. Our guide, Nick, was awesome and gave us a great experience. We Read more”

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14.5-Day Classic Kruger National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews

Spend five days between Tremisana Game Lodge, Balule Big 5 Reserve, and Kruger National Park. You’ll join sunset and sunrise drives, a ranger-led bush walk, two full Kruger days, and a bush barbecue. Luke and Marc are among the guides praised for sharp animal spotting and clear explanations.

“Todo el personal de Viva Safaris y de Tremisana Lodge fueron excelentes. Hicieron todo lo posible para que viéramos todos los animales, incluidos los del Big Five, explicaron los horarios y actividades a la perfección y la comida fue exquisita.”

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15.5-Day Kruger National Park Safari including Breakfast and Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · from $1,521

Travel from Johannesburg to Gecko Lodge near Hazyview for three Kruger game drives, including morning, evening, and full-day outings. Open safari vehicles, professional guides such as Jeffrey and VJ, airport transfers, four breakfasts, four dinners, and nonalcoholic drinks are included.

“We had an amazing 5 days Kruger Safari with Shinzelle and especially with our ranger / guide Jeffrey. We could see not just the big 5 but ….. the 7 magnificents! Our guide made it so especial. He knew absolutely everything about animals’ behRead more”

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