tours

essence of south africa

4.2

73 Reviews

Essence of South Africa

10-Day South Africa Tour from Cape Town to Johannesburg

Save up to £362

Essence of South Africa Guided Tour
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When do you want to travel?

Travel & Accommodation

10 days, 1 country and 6 cities

9 nights accommodation

Meals

9 Breakfasts, 1 Be My Guest, 3 Lunches, 5 Dinners

Activity Level

Balanced

Itinerary

View day-by-day trip itinerary

South Africa in brief: Cape Town to Johannesburg

South Africa reveals itself here through game drives in Kruger, a visit to a Swazi Chief’s village, the Garden Route, Knysna and Cape Town’s Table Mountain, coast and cosmopolitan energy, all wrapped into one trip.

Extend Your Tour

Choose to end your tour in Johannesburg or add a three-night extension to explore Victoria Falls.

View:

Experience South Africa

Experience South Africa

10-Day South Africa Tour from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Deals available

Save up to £362

From

£3200

Was

£3495

With Victoria Falls

With Victoria Falls

This tour version travels to Victoria Falls for an additional three-night stay.

Deals available

Save up to £551

From

£5153

Was

£5625

Experience South Africa

Experience South Africa

10-Day South Africa Tour from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Deals available

Save up to £362

From

£3200

Was

£3495

With Victoria Falls

With Victoria Falls

This tour version travels to Victoria Falls for an additional three-night stay.

Deals available

Save up to £551

From

£5153

Was

£5625

Trip map

Essence South Africa Guided Tour Map

Day By Day Itinerary

10-day itinerary from Cape Town to Johannesburg visiting 1 Country and 6 Cities.

Choose your dates

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Showing 10 of 30 results

About this trip

Sightseeing highlights

Explore Cape Town and Johannesburg

Visit Table Mountain by cable car (weather permitting) and Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Franschhoek, Hermanus, the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, the Constitutional Hill, Mandela House Museum and the Regina Mundi Church in Johannesburg

View Boulders Beach Penguin Colony and Soweto's Mandela House

What's included?

View Airport Transfer Information

All transport and transfers shown

An expert Travel Director and professional Driver

Cherry-picked hotels and safari lodges, all tried and trusted

All porterage and restaurant gratuities

All hotel tips, charges and local taxes

Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals

Air-conditioned coach or Quantum bus

Must-see sightseeing

Optional Experiences and free time

On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.

Frequently asked questions

A departure is shown as 'Definite Departure' once it has reached a minimum number of guests. That particular departure will definitely run, barring any extraordinary circumstances.

We update these regularly, and you can book any departure. While it is highly unlikely a departure doesn't meet the minimum number of guests, you will be offered the best alternative dates or a full refund of any payment made if this is the case.

If there are ever any changes to your departure, we will contact you.

You can add extra hotel nights directly through Trafalgar, so that everything is taken care of, leaving you to relax and enjoy your tour.

If you're booking online, once you've selected your travel dates and room type, you'll be offered an option to add extra hotel nights.

Alternatively, you call us to book and one of our travel experts can advise on your options.

On most of our departures, you can secure your trip today with a low deposit from just £100.

Each Trafalgar tour has a carefully-selected range of included experiences to help immerse yourself in a destination. But did you know that every tour also has a Be My Guest and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience?

Be My Guest Experiences are the original local travel experience, letting you step into the lives of hosts who will share stories about their families and communities.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are conscious travel experiences that give back to the local communities, which support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Our tours also include a selection of Optional Experiences which are available for an additional cost, allowing you to make your trip your own.

A guided tour is the perfect way to solo travel. You'll meet like-minded people travelling with Trafalgar, and you'll relax knowing you can travel with ease, forming genuine connections as you go.

To find out more solo room types and pricing select your preferred departure date and continue to the next page.

Once you've selected your preferred departure date, on the next step add the number of guests to review the available room options and find the one that suits you best.

It's great to have you back on board - the loyalty of our guests means everything to us.

To access your Global Tour Rewards discount, please confirm the name and date of your past trip once you've added your passenger details. The discount will be applied before you book.

Live, unedited & independent traveller reviews

Essence of South Africa trip reviews

Essence of South Africa trip reviews

Overall Trip Rating

4.1/

5

67 reviews

independently verified reviews

78% of reviewers would recommend to a friend.

"Fantastic tour"

Trusted Customer

5/5

Reviewed on 02/16/2026 11:36:45

Very organized tour company, and the tour guide made it even better, We were looked after by the

...

Gary Dorman

5/5

Reviewed on 02/10/2026 11:58:13

The whole trip from start to finish was excellent. The quality of accommodations in were

...

Trusted Customer

4.5/5

Reviewed on 01/12/2026 06:54:03

We all enjoyed the trip

"Waka Waka this time for South Africa!"

Trusted Customer

5/5

Reviewed on 12/11/2025 05:32:28

Excellent, we were well taken care of. Keep up the great work, it was my first time travelling with

...

"My South Africa Tour"

Marilynn West

5/5

Reviewed on 12/03/2025 11:52:44

Trafalgar's service was pleasant and available to answer any questions leading to my travel date,

...

"Essence of South Africa"

Justin Knowles

5/5

Reviewed on 12/02/2025 08:16:30

Trafalgar’s service felt consistently warm, organized, and genuinely thoughtful. Every part of the

...

"Vacations. Prefer seeing the sights instead of shopping and free time."

Janice Taylor

4/5

Reviewed on 11/25/2025 09:10:08

Guide personnel inconsistent. Too much shopping. Too much personal feelings of current conditions in

...

Trusted Customer

5/5

Reviewed on 11/06/2025 08:19:23

Thank you. Thank you.

"Great value and service"

Thomas Brown

5/5

Reviewed on 11/05/2025 12:19:35

Professional service and great value. Exceptional tour guides, hotels, food, and excursion

...

"2 Seniors."

Trusted Customer

4.5/5

Reviewed on 10/28/2025 13:41:06

Excellent hotels. Good guides for the most part who are very knowledgeable about the tour. Tours

...

You'll make a positive impact to people, planet and wildlife on this tour

Three Giraffes Under Acacia Tree

Feel good (and do good) travel

It feels good to do good. These sustainable travel experiences help you meet inspiring people, support local communities, and make amazing memories that last a lifetime.​

Beautiful scene of Farmers Walking On Rice Fields Terraces at dawn

Sustainable development

Our sustainable experiences help advance 11 of the United Nations SDGs and make the world that little bit better.

Two Women In Traditional Costume Walking In The Mountains Near Moray Peru

Unique to TTC

Under our sustainability strategy, we've committed to have at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on every single one of our tours by 2024.

#TTSouthAfrica

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