Sabi Sand · Kruger · Madikwe · Cape Town · Winelands
Private reserves, malaria-free options and a Cape Town finish, planned from the Gold Coast and priced in US dollars.
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Big Five · Malaria-free options · Cape Town and the Winelands
South Africa is one of the easiest safari countries to say yes to. Delta and United fly non-stop from Atlanta and New York, and the same trip can end with a harbor city and wine country. The hard part is knowing where to start, because South Africa isn't one safari, it's several: Kruger National Park, public and enormous; the private reserves along its edge, like the Sabi Sand and Timbavati; Madikwe, a reserve described as malaria-free, a few hours from Johannesburg; and the Cape, which isn't a safari but belongs in most itineraries.
Sabi Sand leopardsMalaria-free MadikweCape TownThe WinelandsNon-stop from the USWho you're dealing with
We're an Australian company on the Gold Coast. We design the whole trip, book it, and look after you from first call to flight home, on one contract and one invoice from Kingse Safaris Pty Ltd (ABN 37 698 821 886). Your drives are led by each lodge's own rangers and trackers, who know their patch better than anyone.
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In a guest's words
Could not have imagined how it could have been better planned and delivered.
South Africa, Region by Region
Scroll, and the map follows you from region to region.
The gateway · First stop
Delta and United land non-stop at OR Tambo from Atlanta and Newark. If the flights line up you fly straight on to the reserve the same day; otherwise a quiet night near the airport, and the lodge's transfer meets you at the airstrip in the morning.
Best monthsAll yearFrom the USNon-stop, 15 to 16 hours from Atlanta or Newark
How you get here
The Lowveld · Second stop
Leopard country in the east. Private reserves with off-road tracking sit beside Kruger National Park, sharing an unfenced boundary so the same animals wander through. A malaria-risk area.
Best monthsMay to OctoberFrom JohannesburgAbout an hour by air, plus a road transfer
Kruger or a private reserve?
North West · Third stop
A Big Five reserve of about 75,000 hectares described as malaria-free, about an hour by air from Johannesburg. Wild dogs are the local speciality, and it's where many families with young children go.
Best monthsMay to OctoberFrom JohannesburgAround an hour by air, or 3.5 to 4 hours by road
More on the malaria-free areas
The Cape · The other half of the trip
A city under a mountain, wine country about an hour away, and the Garden Route running east. Not a safari, but it belongs in most itineraries, and it feels nothing like the bush.
Best monthsNovember to March; September and October suit both halvesFrom the reservesScheduled flights via Johannesburg or direct from the Kruger airports
More on the CapeMap tiles: Esri, National Geographic. Locations are indicative.
The Big Decision
Kruger National Park is close to 20,000 square kilometers and home to all of the Big Five. It's public, and you can drive yourself between rest camps. That makes it good value, but you stay on the roads, the camp gates close at dusk, and popular sightings can draw a crowd.
The private reserves on Kruger's western edge, including the Sabi Sand and Timbavati, share an unfenced boundary with the park, so the same animals wander through. The difference is how you see them. Your lodge's ranger and tracker can leave the road to follow a leopard, drives run after dark, and few vehicles share a sighting. Meals and drives are usually in one nightly rate.
For a first safari we usually suggest a private reserve for three or four nights. A few lodges also sit on private concessions inside Kruger itself, which gives you a bit of both.
Traveling with Kids
Kruger and the north-eastern lowveld are malaria-risk areas, so many families look elsewhere, especially with young children. Madikwe, in the North West province, is a Big Five reserve of about 75,000 hectares and is described as malaria-free. It's roughly 3.5 to 4 hours' drive from Johannesburg, or around an hour by air. At Impodimo, one of the Madikwe lodges we work with, children under six aren't permitted on the regular drives, though kids' safaris may be arranged.
The Waterberg, a couple of hours north of Johannesburg, is the other popular choice. The Mabula and Welgevonden reserves are sold as malaria-free, and that's how our lodge records describe them. Health agencies have noted occasional cases in the western Waterberg since 2017, so ask your doctor about the specific lodge. Tswalu in the Kalahari and the Eastern Cape around Addo are described as malaria-free too.
Malaria is a medical question, so it belongs with a doctor rather than with us. See a travel doctor before you book, and check the CDC's travelers' health page.
Pair It With
Most travelers pair a reserve with Cape Town, and it works because the two halves feel nothing alike. Cape Town has Table Mountain, the harbor and serious restaurants. The Winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are about an hour from the city, longer in peak traffic, so they fit as day trips or a night or two.
The Garden Route runs east along the coast, around 200 kilometers of beaches, forest and lagoons that starts roughly four hours' drive from Cape Town. Hermanus, east of the city, is where southern right whales come into the bay, usually from June to November.
Scheduled flights link Cape Town and Johannesburg with airports and airstrips near the Kruger reserves, so you skip the long drive. Most of the Cape Town photos on this page come from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses; credits and licenses are on our photo credits page.
How to Experience It
Two game drives a day shape the reserve half, led by your lodge's ranger and tracker. The Cape half is the mountain, the coast and the vines. These are the experiences we build in, depending on where you stay.
At a private reserve lodge your ranger and tracker can leave the road to follow a leopard, and few vehicles share a sighting. Early morning and late afternoon drives offer the best light and animal activity.
Ride the cableway or walk up for views over the bay, then follow Chapman's Peak Drive along the cliffs to the wild southern end of the peninsula, with fynbos, an old lighthouse and long ocean views.
African penguins live on the sheltered sand at Simon's Town, an easy stop on the way back from Cape Point.
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are about an hour from the city, longer in peak traffic, so they fit as a day trip or a night or two.
Southern right whales come into the bay at Hermanus, east of the city, usually from June to November.
How a South Africa Trip Comes Together
Seven nights is a workable minimum for Cape Town plus a reserve. Nine or ten is more comfortable. Allow at least three nights at a reserve, and a day each way for the flights. Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so these are starting points.
5 to 6 nights
Johannesburg + a private reserve
Three or four nights at one reserve, with a Johannesburg night at either end if the flights need it.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge rates
Day 1 · Land at JohannesburgLast day · Fly home from Johannesburg
9 to 10 nights · Sweet spot
Cape Town + Winelands + a reserve
Four nights across Cape Town and the Winelands, three or four at a reserve, flights between.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge rates
Day 1 · Land at JohannesburgLast day · Fly home
12 to 14 nights
Cape Town + Garden Route + a reserve
Cape Town, a few days on the Garden Route, then a reserve to finish.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge rates
Day 1 · Land at JohannesburgLast day · Fly home
12 to 14 nights
Cape Town · Kruger area · Chobe · Victoria Falls
Cape Town, a Kruger-side reserve, then Chobe and Victoria Falls, about three nights each.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge rates
Day 1 · Land at JohannesburgLast day · Fly home from Victoria Falls
No list prices: every trip is priced to order against current lodge rates. Private reserve lodges cost the most per night but usually include meals and drives, Kruger rest camps cost less, and Cape Town hotels sit between. See our guide to what an African safari costs and South Africa vs Tanzania.
What an African Safari CostsWhere You Could Stay
The 20 lodges and hotels we recommend in South Africa, grouped by region in the order you'd meet them on a trip. The final selection flexes around your dates, group size and availability. More on our Stays page.
Private reserve lodges on Kruger's western edge, sharing an unfenced boundary with the park. Your lodge's ranger and tracker can leave the road, drives run after dark, and few vehicles share a sighting.
Sabi Sand
Five-star tented luxury with strong leopard viewing
Ultra Luxury
5 lodges and hotels
Inside and beside the park: a few lodges sit on private concessions inside Kruger itself, which gives you a bit of both, and comfortable bases by the gates suit a Kruger self-drive.
Hoedspruit
Families and small groups wanting a comfortable, sociable Hoedspruit base with genuine safari access but a manor-house feel
Premium
Phalaborwa Gate
Clients doing a Kruger self-drive or gate-side stay who want a comfortable, well-run B&B base rather than a full safari camp
Premium5 lodges and hotels
Sold as malaria-free. Madikwe and Tswalu are described as malaria-free, and the Waterberg reserves are sold that way, though health agencies have noted occasional cases in the western Waterberg. Malaria is a medical question, so see a travel doctor before you book, and check the CDC's travelers' health page.
Madikwe
Couples and multi-generational families wanting a malaria-free Big Five lodge within a half-day drive of Johannesburg
Luxury
6 lodges and hotels
A night near OR Tambo when the flights need it, and a city base under Table Mountain for the other half of the trip.
Johannesburg, near OR Tambo
The arrival or departure night for clients flying through OR Tambo who want somewhere calm and personal instead of a chain airport hotel
Luxury
Cape Town
Cape Town city-base with boutique character, heritage charm and walkable location near Kloof Street
Luxury
4 lodges and hotels
20 lodges and hotels across four areas, with the same comfort levels as our Stays page. Names open each property's own website.
Plan Your Visit
The safari peak is the dry winter. Cape Town is best in summer. September and October suit both. Choose a month below to see what each half of the trip is doing.
What each half is doing
Green season
Hot and humid in the lowveld, with afternoon storms, green bush and newborn antelope. Game viewing is harder as the vegetation thickens. Cape Town is at its sunniest and busiest, so book early.
Whales come into the bay at Hermanus from about June to November.
Dry season
Thin bush · Animals at the water · Cold mornings
Little rain falls and the bush thins, so animals are easier to spot and gather at the water. Open-vehicle mornings are cold. Cape Town is cooler and wetter.
Best for a first safari and the Big Five
Green season
Hot · Afternoon storms · Newborns and birds
The bush turns green, many antelope give birth from around November, and migrant birds arrive. Game viewing gets harder as the vegetation thickens, and the lowveld is hot and humid, with afternoon storms. Cape Town is sunny and dry.
Best for birds, newborns and the Cape's summer
The Cape
Safari still dry · Cape Town opening into summer
Cape Town is best from November to March, while the safari peak is the dry winter, so the two halves of a trip pull in different directions. September and October suit both: the bush is still thin and the animals still at the water, and the Cape is warming into its summer.
Best for a combined safari and Cape Town trip
From the US
Straightforward safari flights from the US: Delta and United non-stop to Johannesburg, then a short hop to the reserves or down to Cape Town. Here's the shape of it.
Step one
Atlanta and New York (Newark) have non-stop flights to Johannesburg. From other US cities you connect, and we compare the routes for your dates.
Step two
Delta flies non-stop from Atlanta and United from Newark (New York) to Johannesburg. From other US cities you connect.
Step three
The hub for the whole trip. Scheduled flights run on to the Kruger airports, Madikwe and Cape Town from here.
About an hour by air to the Sabi Sand or MadikweFirst night
If the flights line up you fly on to the reserve the same day and the lodge's transfer meets you at the airstrip. Otherwise a quiet night near OR Tambo, and the safari starts in the morning.
UTC+2 all year · 6 to 7 hours ahead of New York| Via | Airline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, non-stop | Delta | About 15 to 16 hours to Johannesburg. Delta also flies Atlanta to Cape Town, and some of those flights stop in Johannesburg. |
| Newark (New York), non-stop | United | About 15 hours to Johannesburg. |
| Other cities | One or more connections | We compare the routes for your dates. |
We lock the lodges, then the flights. The small private reserve lodges hold only a handful of suites, so in the May to October dry season six to twelve months ahead is ideal, and Cape Town hotels fill over December. Once your deposit is in, we place your lodges, internal flights and transfers together, and that's the time to take out your travel insurance.
Delta flies non-stop from Atlanta and United from Newark (New York) to Johannesburg, about 15 to 16 hours in the air. From other US cities you connect. Schedules change, so we check them when we build your trip.
South Africa runs on UTC+2 all year, with no daylight saving. It is seven hours ahead of New York in winter and six in summer, and ten ahead of Los Angeles in winter and nine in summer. A rest on your first night helps.
The Practical Bits
The short version of what to sort before you fly. For visas and anything medical we point you to the official sources, starting with the State Department.
Kruger is the classic self-drive. At private reserve lodges, drives are guided only. For a first safari we'd go guided, and keep the self-drive for the Cape and the Garden Route.
Most of the trip happens in private lodges, with arranged transfers in the cities. Violent crime, including carjacking, is a real risk in South Africa, and it is higher at night, so we'd avoid driving after dark. Check the State Department's latest advice at travel.state.gov.
US passport holders can visit for up to 90 days without a visa. Your passport needs to be valid for 30 days after you leave and have two blank visa pages, and since 1 July 2026 every traveler completes an online traveler declaration before traveling. The rules change and checking them is your job, so read the State Department's South Africa page and the South African Department of Home Affairs at dha.gov.za, and check any rules for traveling with children.
Malaria is a medical question, so it belongs with a doctor rather than with us. Kruger and the north-eastern lowveld are malaria-risk areas; Madikwe, Tswalu and the Eastern Cape are described as malaria-free. See a travel doctor before you book, take your full itinerary, and make sure your travel insurance covers medical evacuation.
It depends mostly on where you sleep. Private reserve lodges cost the most per night but usually include meals and drives. We price every trip to order. Our guide to safari costs explains what moves the total.
Layers, because open-vehicle mornings are cold. Neutral clothes, a hat, sunscreen, binoculars, and an adaptor for South Africa's Type M three-pin sockets. Our packing list has the rest.
Go Further
South Africa is a natural gateway to the rest of Southern Africa. These are the three pairings we get asked about most.
Under two hours by air
Johannesburg to Victoria Falls is a flight of under two hours. A loop we like: Cape Town, a Kruger-side reserve, then Chobe and Victoria Falls, about three nights each. Our Victoria Falls page covers the falls, helicopter flights and Zambezi cruises.
The Delta and Chobe
There are scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Maun and Kasane for the Okavango Delta and Chobe. Our Botswana page covers the Delta, Chobe and the Kalahari.
The other first safari
Weighing up South Africa against Tanzania? South Africa has malaria-free reserves, Cape Town and non-stop flights from the US; Tanzania has the Serengeti's scale, Ngorongoro Crater and our own guides and vehicles. We've put the two side by side.
The Practical Questions
The questions Americans ask us most about a South Africa safari, grouped by topic.
Can't see your question? Ask us directly and a real person will answer.
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Go Deeper
Guides that help you decide before you commit.
Straight numbers help you decide before you commit. See what an African safari costs, South Africa vs Tanzania, real trips with the real prices and how booking works.
Keep Exploring
The same way of traveling, in other corners of Africa.
Start Planning
From a Sabi Sand leopard to a Cape Town sunset. Tell us your dates and who's traveling, and we design the rest, with real prices in US dollars.
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“The trip far exceeded my expectations.”
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Bookings & Client Care
Whether you're just kicking around ideas or already booked. Dates, lodges, costs, changes, payments, flights.
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Founder
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