ITINERARY
Note: Below is my actual trip itinerary - I always suggest any recommended adjustments in the "Things I Would Do Differently" section at the bottom of this post.
Total days off work: Six (only five for us since we went the week of New Year's)
Time of year: January (Summer in South Africa)
Day 1 - Evening flight to Cape Town
Day 2 - Travel day with long layover (stayed a "night" at a Frankfurt airport terminal hotel)
Day 3 - Drive to Stellenbosch, South Africa
Day 4 - Drive to Western Cape safari
Day 5 - Safari
Day 6 - Drive to second safari location
Day 7 - Drive to Cape Town, South Africa
Day 8 - Cape Town, South Africa
Day 9 - Cape Town, South Africa
Day 10 - Evening flight home (stayed a "night" at a Frankfurt airport terminal hotel)
Day 11 - Travel day
STAY
Lanzerac Wine Estate (Stellenbosch, South Africa) - So much old-world charm, but with modernized décor and amenities. The rooms were very large and were equipped with luxurious bathrooms and patios. The deck off the spa has especially beautiful views of the winery and is a great place to drink some wine and watch the sunset.
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Sanbona Wildlife Reserve (Western Cape, South Africa) - Sanbona is a large private reserve about 3.5 hours (driving) from Cape Town. It was slightly shorter to get there for us since we were starting in Stellenbosch. The end of the drive is on dirt roads - definitely worth noting if you get car sick. Once you arrive at the welcome lodge, you may have up to another hour of driving to get to the lodges. We hired transportation through the lodge, and were very happy we did since the lodge was so remote and we didn't have cell phone service for quite some time. We stayed at the Gondwana Family Lodge since the Dwyka Tented Lodge was fully booked. The rooms were nice and had large patios overlooking a watering hole. Overall, this lodge was definitely better suited for families and I think we would have definitely enjoyed the private accommodations at Dwyka more. The game drives at Sanbona were my favorite of the trip - they do not over-stuff the vehicles, the guides were very knowledgeable, and we had a great safari experience overall. We knew that the density of wildlife was lower in this region, but we still had some great sightings and the expansive reserve had some very scenic spots to stop for sundowners.
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Gondwana Game Reserve (Western Cape, South Africa) - From Sanbona, the drive to Gondwana was over 3 hours. We really enjoyed the accommodations at Gonwanda - private huts with amazing views complete with a fireplace for chilly nights. Definitely check out the open-air spa (first picture below), which was so quiet and relaxing. This region was much greener than Sanbona, so it was nice to have game drives at both places with different landscapes and vegetation. The vehicles for game drives here were packed full, and we also saw more vehicles on our drives here. We had some great wildlife sightings though! The scenic drive back to Cape Town was around 4 hours, but mostly on paved roads.
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Cape Grace (Cape Town, South Africa) - Definitely the most luxurious hotel we stayed at on this trip - the service is over the top, and you cannot beat the location, which is in the heart of the V&A Waterfront. Our private patio overlooked the marina and was the perfect place for a nightcap. So many restaurants, shops, museums, and farmers markets are in close walking distance. Brunch at the Cape Grace was incredible.
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MyCloud Transit Hotel (Frankfurt Airport, Germany) - Not exactly glamourous, but if you have a long layover in Frankfurt, this hotel is inside the terminal, and is a clean and modern (although very small) place to take a nap and a shower. Usually, we go to airport lounges during layovers, which have showers, food, etc. But - this layover was especially long (10 hours), so we really enjoyed having the private room.
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EAT
Mzansi (Cape Town, South Africa) - Hands down, my #1 recommendation in Cape Town. Book in advance, as dinner as a group starts all at once and is served family style. The family that owns the restaurant will introduce themselves and the restaurant's story, and they were so incredibly welcoming and kind. Not to mention it was the best meal we had in South Africa. So amazing. Dinner is followed by upbeat live music, and the entire experience was so fun and heartfelt. A must do! Mzansi is located in Langa Township, and our hotel booked us transportation to and from, which I would definitely recommend as we were told taxis aren't always the best option when visiting townships.
Pot Luck Club (Cape Town, South Africa) - Located in The Old Biscuit Mill in the trendy Woodstock neighborhood, Pot Luck Club has great food and views from its top floor location. Pot Luck Club is a sister restaurant to The Test Kitchen, which is an award-winning restaurant (and also a very hard place to get a reservation)! This was a great alternative.
V&A Food Market (Cape Town, South Africa) - Many options to choose from in this modern indoor food hall.
Jason's Bakery Greenpoint (Cape Town, South Africa) - The pastries here are insane! A great place to stop for coffee.
ADVENTURE
Wine Tasting (Stellenbosch, South Africa) - We didn't have much time in wine country, but there are so many wineries to choose from. We stopped at Delaire Graff Estate, which had the most amazing scenery (pictured below). Make sure to sample some Pinotage, which is what the region is known for.
Western Cape safari (South Africa) - A chance to see the big 5 without flying to Kruger National Park! As with any safari, be prepared for long, bumpy drives - definitely bring meds if you get car sick. The drives are early in the morning and late in the afternoon/evening. In the morning, bring layers as it can be pretty chilly. A raincoat is also great to have - we got rained on for two hours on one of our drives! I would also recommend bug spray and close-toed shoes. I only travel with an iPhone, but this is one time where I would have liked to have a nice camera.
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Hike to the Top of Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa) - The lines to take the cable car to the top can take hours...why not just hike to the top instead?? We made it to the top of Table Mountain via the Platteklip Gorge trail in ~1.5 hours. The trail is steep but not overly difficult and is highly trafficked. Spend some time taking photos at the top and catch the cable car on the way down (there was no line for us on the way down!) The cable car spins slowly on the descent, and is definitely a fun experience. Worth noting - The cable car will stop operating if it becomes too windy, so it is possible you will have to wait or just hike back down.
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Day trip to Cape Point and Boulder's Beach to see the penguins (Cape Town, South Africa) - Because the natural beauty doesn't seem to end in this country, here is another incredibly scenic day trip to take! We drove along the coast through Camps Bay and Hout Bay, and it took ~1 hour 45 minutes to get to the Cape of Good Hope. There are a lot of hiking options and we really enjoyed the short viewpoint walk at Cape Point. I loved seeing the penguins at Boulder's Beach, but it was definitely the most crowded stop of the day, and there are fairly long lines to get in.
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Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens (Cape Town, South Africa) - If you have a few free hours, this is a great place to take a relaxing walk. The tree canopy walkway was worth the trip alone, and there were very few people there when we visited. Concerts are also held in the gardens in the summer.
Visit Bo-Kaap Neighborhood (Cape Town, South Africa) - Learn about the history of this beautiful neighborhood and walk the colorful streets.
Zeitz MOCAA (Cape Town, South Africa) - Located in the V&A Waterfront area, the building that houses the Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which is a transformed grain silo, is just as amazing as the art inside. Wear comfortable shoes - there are a lot of floors to walk!
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Watershed Market + V&A Waterfront (Cape Town, South Africa) - When visiting the V&A Waterfront, definitely stop at the Watershed Market. I love finding great artisan markets when I travel, and this was a one-stop-shop. It is HUGE, and had so many amazing finds from local artists and businesses.
Camps Bay (Cape Town, South Africa) - A trendy place to spend the day at the beach, which is lined with bars and restaurants. If we didn't end up staying in the V&A Waterfront area, we would have opted for a hotel here. Don't forget that the water here is cold and can have strong currents!
PACK
What I packed for carry-on only (carry-on roller suitcase plus a small duffel - see my packing tips and luggage recommendations here):
What I wore on the plane: Flat booties, black jeans, breathable / athletic long sleeve shirt, lightweight down jacket (perfect for cold safari mornings!), scarf, straw hat
What I packed:
2 pairs skinny jean-style pants (olive and tan colors were perfect for safari!)
1 pair of leggings
4 tank tops in neutral colors
2 t-shirts in neutral colors
2 summer blouses
1 lightweight cardigan sweater
1 maxi skirt
2 casual sundresses
1 black dress than can be dressed up or down
1 swimsuit
1 pair of athletic shoes
1 pair of casual flat shoes
1 pair of leather flip flops
1 pair of dressy flat sandals
1 lightweight cotton jacket (olive green color was great for safari!)
Baseball cap
Sports bra - highly recommended for safari drives
OTHER NOTES
Getting around - We used Uber to get around Cape Town and it worked great. Our hotel was in the V&A Waterfront so we could walk to restaurants there, and felt safe walking in that area, even at night. To get to wine country and the wildlife reserves, we booked private transportation through our hotels. Our drivers were incredibly friendly and professional. Driving yourself around the Western Cape is completely doable, however, one of our safari locations (Sanbona) was very remote (on dirt roads, no cell phone service), so we were really happy to have a driver that knew the area.
THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
Safari - There are some great smaller wildlife reserves in the Western Cape, although you will not get the same experience as, say, Kruger National Park. We have plans to do a week-long safari someday, so decided to go for just a few nights in the Western Cape. We went for 3 nights at 2 different locations. I would instead go for 2 nights and just pick one location, mainly because the drives between them and from Cape Town were so long - it was just too much packed into a small amount of time. Two nights would be plenty to get some nice wildlife sightings - just don't expect the same experience as you would get at a bigger reserve with a larger wildlife density and you will have a great time!! One plus of some of the more remote private reserves - you do not get traffic jams of safari vehicles and it is a really quiet, peaceful experience.
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