African Safari Two Week Itinerary Planning
Travel to South Africa on a bucket list safari trip using this African Safari Two Week Itinerary Planner to visit three safari camps and Cape Town with a layover in London.
Most importantly, a two-week timetable allows you time to travel to three camps in the Kruger National Park area. Once there you will go on about six safari drives. In addition, this includes the time to transport between the camps.
Furthermore, visiting Cape Town is a nice add on to your safari time and is possible in an African safari two week itinerary. In addition, it is also convenient for flights returning to the United States.
Lastly, the London layover on the way to Africa ensures you do not have jet lag when arriving in South Africa from the United States for your once in a lifetime South African safari.
An African Safari 2 Week Itinerary
Two Week Safari in South Africa Itinerary
- Fly USA –> London
- London
- Fly London –> Johannesburg, South Africa
- Fly Johannesburg, South Africa –> Safari Camp 1
- Safari Camp 1
- Safari Camp 1
- Safari Camp 1 –> Safari Camp 2
- Safari Camp 2
- Safari Camp 2
- Safari Camp 2 –> Safari Camp 3
- Safari Camp 3
- Safari Camp 3
- Safari Camp 3 –> Fly to Cape Town
- Cape Town
- Cape Town –> Fly to United States
Travel Tip: Verify the restrictive baggage type and weight restrictions on flights to safari camps and between camps
An African Safari two week itinerary that includes small plane flights likely limits luggage to a total of 15kg, 33 pounds, combined between only a personal item and soft sided bag like a duffel bag.
Two Week Itinerary in South Africa: African Safari Camps
Kruger National Park
There are numerous safari camp options in South Africa. To start, travel from Johannesburg by small plane to reach most of the safari lodges in the Kruger National Park and surrounding wild life reserve areas.
Notably, safari camp and lodge options vary in price tremendously. Look for safari options in Kruger National Park especially for budget friendly accommodations.
Safari Camps Around Kruger National Park
The larger area surrounding Kruger National Park is home to many exclusive game reserves and lodges and also feature a large population of cats like cheetahs, lions, and leopards.
Wild Animals in Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park and the surrounding reserves are also home to elephants, Cape Buffalo, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceros, and a variety of other wild animals.
You may see Spotted Hyenas, the endangered African Wild Dogs, and common warthogs.
In addition, there are several types of horned animals such as Impala, Greater Kudu, waterbuck, Common Eland, Roan Antelope, and Blue Wildebeest.
When considering the per night fees of the camps also review what the quoted price includes. Many of the higher-end reserve lodges are all-inclusive dining and drinks with one or two safaris per day.
In particular, your per night safari camp lodging quote may also include a ride to the airstrip and flight to your next safari camp destination.
How Close are the Wild Animals on a South African Safari?
Most surprisingly, was how close we were to the wild animals in the game reserves outside Kruger National Park, South Africa. How close we were to the wild animals exceeded my expectations.
As a note, our safari guides informed us the animals perceive if another animal is a threat or a lunch opportunity by their silhouette.
After generations of safari tours the wild animals have realized the shape of the jeeps are non-threatening.
Big 5 Wild Animals on an African Safari
Most people want to see what are referred to as the Big 5 when taking a bucket list trip to Africa.
The term Big 5 originates from early big game hunters. Therefore, the Big 5 are the five wild animals in Africa that were the most challenging and dangerous to hunt on foot and include the lion, leopard, Cape Buffalo, and African Elephant.
All of the Big 5 are viewable in the Kruger National Park area of South Africa.
Fortunately, on our two-week South African safari we saw all of the Big 5 wild animals and more!
Taking Photos of the Big 5 Wild Animals on a South African Safari
Previously, I thought those amazing wild life images in Africa were obtained only by professional photographers sitting in game blinds for hours or days on end. There are amazing examples of those images in publications such as National Geographic.
Yet, all of the images on this blog were taken with a DSLR camera while riding in a open-stadium-seating Jeep while on safari at one of the safari camps where we stayed.
Noteworthy is flash photography was not allowed. So as the sun sets you have to capture those early evening images in your memories.
Also, using my iPhone video feature I captured wonderful live action shots of the animals. However, I was happy to have packed a DSLR camera with zoom lens for the still photography shots.
Travel Tip: Pack extra sim cards for your DSLR camera as your lodging may not have sufficient wifi upload speeds to upload your day’s images to the cloud in one night.
At What Time of Day do the Safaris Depart in South Africa
The mornings of our African Safari were cold and then the afternoons were brutally hot. Fortunately, the lodges where we stayed in Africa plan accordingly.
Conveniently, the three lodges where we stayed all offered blankets for the early morning and evening safari camp drives.
Morning African Safari Drives
Safaris at lodges are often scheduled twice daily. The first safari drive is very early in the morning at four o’clock.
Afternoon Break
After a four hour safari Jeep tour you return to your lodge for breakfast.
Following breakfast you have time to relax either by taking a dip in a plunge pool, reading, getting a massage or spa treatment, or taking a nap.
During the afternoon break time lunch is served as well. For us this was an open window time to drop in and select our lunch from a menu. Other camps may vary in their dining options.
Early Evening Safari
Once the afternoon of relaxing comes to a close a second safari for the day takes place.
For us, this was timed between four p.m. to eight p.m in the early evening.
Notably, scheduling the safaris early in the morning and evening allows you to avoid the intense heat of the day out on a safari drive.
Coincidentally, the wild animals are also avoiding the mid-day sun and napping.
Therefore, those early morning and early evening safari rides are the best time to see the animals in South Africa.
What Season to Travel to South Africa for a Safari
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, South Africa winters are May to August with summer months being December to March.
It is usually dry from April through October.
- May to October – cooler temperatures, excellent big game viewing as the vegetation is thinned out
- November to February – warm but rainy, best time to view wild birds
When to See Baby Wild Animals in South Africa
To see baby wild animals in South Africa consider traveling in South African Springtime.
To help you plan, Kruger National Park offers a guide to when different species bear their young.
We traveled to Kruger National Park area in mid-October and most of the animals we spotted had babies.
Of course, this included baby elephants, giraffes, zebras, and rhinoceros as well as African wild dogs and leopards.
What to Pack for a South African Safari
First, start with the Packing List for Travel that I use as a base for all my travel packing including the two week South African safari itinerary.
After packing the essentials for any travel then customize your packing list for your two week South African Safari Itinerary.
As the weather changes in the morning while you are out driving around viewing the lions, elephants, giraffes, and other African wildlife, you want to dress in layers for the safari trips.
Although it is cold in the morning the sun and heat are intense within the first few hours of the safari drive. This may vary based on the time of year you book your two-week South African safari trip.
- Pack a wide brim sun hat and consider getting one with a neck flap to protect yourself on the hours-long drives in the direct sun
- Most importantly on your African safari is a quality camera! I recommend splurging for a DSLR camera (digital camera with changeable lenses) for this trip. In addition, pack extra sim cards as the internet is likely too slow to upload to the cloud all of your day’s images and videos at night!
- Carry binoculars on the safari and for viewing while in your lodge
- Wear comfortable hiking pants that zip off into shorts as the temperature rises
- Wear hiking or fishing shirts that are wicking and breathable with SPF protection. In addition, these sport shirts pack well for traveling. Also, they dry quickly if you need to hand wash them on your trip.
- Pack hiking boots
- Bring a small daypack for the safaris to carry anything you might want for the day.
- Add sunscreen and SPF lip balm to your pack and buy a travel size bottle if you pack it in your carryon for your flight.
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Two Week South African Itinerary: Cape Town
With your time in Cape Town rent a car, hire a driver, or book a tour to drive you South around the Cape of Good Hope. During your trip enjoy the scenic beauty of the South African coastline and potentially ostriches.
Stop at the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of the African continent for travel bucket list photo opportunities. There is a restaurant with views for lunch.
Two Week South Africa Safari Itinerary: Boulder’s Beach African Penguins
On your way back from the Cape of Good Hope stop at Boulder’s Beach located in Table Mountain National Park and visit the African Penguins.
Driving from the Cape of Good Hope back to Cape Town you may even spot baboons on the side of the road.
Top Tourist Attractions to Do in Cape Town on a 2 Week African Itinerary
Depending on the time of your flights, for the final days of your two-week South African Itinerary you may have one or two half days in Cape Town.
What to do in Cape Town can include a visit to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, hike or take the cable car up Table Mountain for scenic overlooks.
You can also book a walking tour of Cape Town city center, dine on Cape Town’s waterfront, or spend an afternoon renting chairs and an umbrella or having lunch on a local Cape Town beach.
With more time, take the ferry to visit Robben Island for a historical tour of the prison that once housed Nelson Mandela. Robben Island also has African penguins, tortoises, and gunnets, as part of its considerable marine an bird wildlife.
Dream Big – Travel to your Bucket List Destinations 
It may have been your first trip to the zoo, a movie, or a travel image that sparked your interest. Yet, somewhere on most traveler’s lifetime bucket list is a trip to Africa or more specific an African safari.
An African safari was always high on my travel bucket list but it seemed unattainable. Perhaps a trip I would do in retirement as being able to travel all the way to Africa from the United States and go on a safari would take more time than I was able to be gone from work.
Then I met a friend who inspired me to dream bigger when it came to vacations and travel planning. For instance, she stated the obvious that I may never have a month or several months or a year to explore the world so I should optimize the time I had now.
Aha! Moment in Planning African Safari
Given that Aha! moment, I rethought where I truly wanted to travel to in life. If I prioritized my list then an African Safari was at the top. So I changed my way of thinking about how big or small the world was and what I could do with the time I did have available to travel now.
How to Take an African Safari within a Two-Week Itinerary
Of course, the issue to solve was how can I make this happen with about two weeks off of work? Well, my friend and I were able to plan that dream African safari trip on a two week itinerary.
We did decide to add one day to our trip. Ideally, then we would be dealing with any jet lag in London on a layover. Not on our precious South Africa safari days. At that time we were traveling from California to South Africa.
Finally, using the Two Week South Africa Travel Itinerary listed above we took our bucket list trip,
Initially, we flew to London. Spending two nights and one day in London we resolved our jet lag. From London, the flight is primarily South and we arrived refreshed and eager to begin our African Safari Dream.
Additional travel tips to Africa can be found in Lonely Planet’s South Africa guidebook.
