South Africa vacations 2024 & 2025

South Africa is a large and varied country with lots to see and do, including a safari in Kruger National Park to spot the Big Five and more. You could also explore Cape Town’s history, culture, and food on privately guided tours, hike or ride a cable car to the top of Table Mountain, and visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

Elsewhere, you can go wine tasting in the Cape Winelands with a wine master, or see ancient San rock art in the Cederberg Mountains. You could also enjoy a road trip along the Garden Route to see African penguins and whales off the coast. Our specialists have explored South Africa thoroughly and can mix and match the aspects of the country you’d most like to experience. Read our South Africa highlights guide for more ideas.

Kruger National Park is South Africa’s best safari destination, home to all of the Big Five species and much more — we recommend staying in a private reserve within the Greater Kruger area, like Sabi Sands, where you’ll enjoy a more intimate experience.

Cape Town sits between the coast and Table Mountain and offers plenty to see and do for a wide range of interests, or you could visit Johannesburg to experience a different side to South African city life and learn about its apartheid history. You can hop between vineyards in the Cape Winelands, sampling wines as you go. And, along the Garden Route, you can visit small coastal towns like Plettenberg Bay and Knysna.

Our specialists will draw on their own travels to plan a trip that includes the best places to go in South Africa matched to the experiences you want to have.

There are a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, camps, and lodges across South Africa, so where you stay depends on your preferences and budget. You’ll find luxurious hotels in the cities, intimate, locally owned guesthouses in coastal towns and more rural areas, and, in safari areas, a mix of tented camps and solid-structure lodges, often with pools and private decks. Our specialists visit each option to hand-pick the very best on offer, and can help you choose which is right for you from our collection.

Yes, South Africa is a fantastic safari destination, particularly Kruger National Park and the private reserves that border it. Here, on game drives, you’re likely to see a wide variety of wildlife, including at least some of the Big Five species (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo), cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, hyena, zebra, and many bird species. Your experienced guides can also take you out on walking safaris, where you might track rhino on foot and learn to identify smaller, lesser-known species. You can find out more by reading our guide to experiencing a South Africa safari.

It takes around 20 hours to fly directly from New York to Cape Town. Flights from the west coast to South Africa take between 22 and 39 hours, including a layover.

South Africa’s time zone is UTC+2.

South Africa is best explored by road. There are also several luxurious, scenic train journeys that we can build into your route. Internal flights are also an easy way to visit remote areas or combine South Africa with another destination. If you choose to travel by road, we’ll make the arrangements for you to drive yourself or travel with a private driver-guide. Our specialists have tried and tested routes across South Africa to find out the best ways to get around and can plan all the logistics of your trip.

You don’t need a visa to enter South Africa if you’re a US citizen staying for less than 90 days. Nationalities of other countries should check their visa requirements here.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you depart South Africa and have at least one blank double page. It must also be machine readable.

We suggest asking your doctor for up-to-date vaccination advice for South Africa, and it’s a good idea to be up to date with the recommended vaccinations for your home country. Another place to check the recommended vaccinations is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.