8-Day Cape Town & Big Five Safari Holiday

This 8 day Cape Town and Big Five safari holiday does the city first and the bush last. You spend four nights in Cape Town, with Table Mountain, a day on the Cape Peninsula and a free day, then fly to a safari region for three nights of game drives. The order is practical: you begin at a relaxed city pace, and you reach the bush rested and settled, with the longest flights early in the day.

Cape Town works well as a start because it is easy: you land, check in, and the first days are about a harbour, a mountain and a coastline. Table Mountain is the landmark, and the cable car runs only when the wind allows, so we schedule it on day two and keep day four free as a backup. Day three is the Cape Peninsula, with coastal viewpoints and seaside stops, and day four is yours, with a Winelands visit or a cultural experience if you wish. See whether you can combine a Cape Town city tour with a safari for how the two parts fit.

The second half is the bush. You fly from Cape Town to a safari gateway and transfer to your lodge, where game drives follow the lodge schedule with a guide and a tracker. Compared with our 8-day South Africa Big Five safari and Cape Town, which starts in the bush and ends in the city, this route reverses the order. The city comes first so that the long flights and the early starts of the safari come when you are ready for them. Browse the Big Five safari page and the South Africa destination page.

Easy. Cape Town involves some walking and stairs, and Table Mountain is a cable car ride, not a hike. The safari days are from an open vehicle, and winter mornings can be cold. The domestic flights use light aircraft with baggage limits. Malaria is present in parts of the safari region, so please speak to a doctor or travel clinic before you travel.

Cape Town is at its best from about November to March, when the weather is warm and dry, while the bush is at its best in the dry winter months from about May to September. A good compromise is the shoulder months, such as April, May, October and November. Table Mountain can close in wind and cloud in any season.

This tour suits first-time visitors to South Africa, couples and families with older children who want a city and a safari in one trip. For a more intense safari, see the 5-day luxury Kruger and Sabi Sands Big Five safari. For a long, culture-focused route, see the 12-day South Africa wildlife safari and cultural experience.

Tell us your month and what you want from Cape Town, and we will set the order and the lodge style. We advise on visas free of charge and confirm hotels and the lodge once you book. Read the best park for the Big Five in South Africa and the best national parks in South Africa.

For a trip with community time, see our Signature Journey, the 6-day KwaZulu-Natal safari and Zulu cultural heritage tour.