South Africa is our favourite family holiday destination in Africa. There. I’ve said it.
It has everything you could want from amazing wildlife to beautiful scenery and from stunning beaches to incredible food and drink.
Is 2 weeks enough in South Africa? Hmmm…well, spending a bit more time there in our opinion is better, but this 2 week South Africa itinerary with kids will show you the very best of South Africa.
It is a route that has been tried and tested by many families and has proved the most popular route by far. It incorporates Cape Town, the Winelands, the Garden Route and a safari.
But just in case you don’t want a cookie cutter itinerary, we have included some variations because we understand that planning a South Africa family itinerary is not a case of one size fits all.
This 2 week South African itinerary is for families so everything we did is family-friendly including our safaris. And if you love the idea of a safari, see here for our recommendations on the best places to go on safari in Africa with kids.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book or buy something, we may earn a small commission but this is at no extra cost to you.
To start with, we recommend grabbing one of these guide books so that you can cross reference our suggestions and read more about them.
- South Africa Lonely Planet (apparently the updated 2024 edition is not as good!)
- South Africa Rough Guide
If, after reading this guide, you feel like you need someone to help you book the perfect South African family vacation, we cannot recommend Go2Africa enough! They are the best at what they do – as proven by their multiple travel industry awards.
Our 2 week South Africa itinerary with kids
Just a couple of notes on our 2 week South Africa itinerary for families:
- We have been to South Africa many times because we have family there and have done many variations of this 2 week South Africa itinerary for families.
- This family-friendly South African itinerary assumes you will fly into and out of Cape Town. It is a self-drive South Africa itinerary, hiring the car in Cape Town and dropping it off in Port Elizabeth and flying back to Cape Town.
- We have included accommodation and restaurant recommendations. These are all places that we have stayed in or eaten at and loved.
Day 1 – Arrive into Cape Town
On arrival at Cape Town airport, pick your rental car up. We always hire our car through Rentalcars as we find the best deals there.
If you had a long haul flight or an overnight flight, you may not feel like doing too much. Two easy options for your first day to get used to the city are:
- Take a Hop On / Hop Off Bus tour: Taking a bus tour is a great way to get around the main sights of the city with kids.
- Take a stroll around the V&A Waterfront: This is the main tourist centre of Cape Town with shops and restaurants, play areas and street entertainment. There is so much going on with great views of Table Mountain.
- Take a short scenic boat trip – take in the V&A harbour and seals on this cheap 30-minute boat trip.
Check out the Cape Town City Pass. Over 80 Cape Town tours and attractions are included and it may save you money over booking individual tickets.
Make sure you read our huge guide to visiting Cape Town with kids for much more family-friendly advice and tips.
Day 1 accommodation – 401 Dovenby (2 bed self-catering apartment right on the canals) and a 10 minute walk to the V&A Waterfront. Includes parking.
Alternative Cape Town accommodation suggestions:
If you want to be in a hotel and be more central, The One & Only is great for families and includes free parking. See also the Victoria and Alfred with free parking.
Day 2 – Cape Town
Many visitors to Cape Town like to visit Cape Point. Please note that this is almost a full day out.
The drive down to Cape Point will take around 90 minutes without stops. On the way, however, you will pass popular tourist attraction Boulders Beach which really is worth stopping for. Parking is limited so we find it best to visit early on the way to Cape Point rather than on the way back.
There is a fee to enter Cape Point Nature Reserve. Once through the entrance, the drive down to the Point is very scenic and you’ll see lots of small wildlife. You may even see zebra.
This 2 week South Africa itinerary with kids includes a real safari though so don’t worry if you don’t see too much.
There is a restaurant at Cape Point – Two Oceans and we would recommend making a reservation if you want to have lunch there.
Alternatively bring snacks and head to Cape to Cuba in Kalk Bay on the way back to Cape Town. We had a table with a sea view and the food was excellent. Also Live Bait in Kalk Bay is excellent for seafood.
Also if you have time, you could check out Muizenberg Beach on the way back. Muizenberg has the warmest water of the Cape Town beaches. We called in at the Muizenberg Water Slides. They have seen better days but the kids loved it.
If you don’t want to drive down to Cape Point, you should check out this full day tour to Cape Point and Boulders Beach or this one which includes Boulders Beach, Cape Point and Table Mountain.
Day 2 accommodation – See above.
Day 3 – Cape Town
Just so that you can tailor your days in Cape Town, we’ve given a few options of must-sees / must-dos in Cape Town with kids.
Some of the highlights of Cape Town that really shouldn’t be missed are:
- Table Mountain: the most iconic landmark in South Africa. Take the Cable Car up for incredible views of Cape Town.
- Kirstenbosch: the Botanical Gardens are beautiful as are the views from the Treetop Walkway.
- Bo-Kaap: view the colourful houses in Bo-Kaap.
- Robben Island: Learn all about it on this Robben Island tour.
- Marine animal tour: Take this marine animal watching tour which gives a fantastic view of Table Mountain from the sea.
- Two Oceans Aquarium – really a great educational morning out for kids at the V&A Waterfront.
- Visit a market: Old Biscuit Mill or Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay are great for foodies and you can also check out lots of local crafts.
- Take a beach day: Head to Camps Bay for a large stretch of beach with lots of restaurants or Clifton for a more secluded beach.
Cape Town restaurants
There are so many places to eat in Cape Town with kids. We can’t list everywhere we’ve been but some of the highlights are:
- Tigers Milk in Camps Bay. Informal and good for lunch. Also one on Kloof Street.
- Nelson’s Eye – claims to be best steak restaurant in Cape Town and we’d probably agree.
- Carne Kloof – great for steak.
- Cattle Baron – good for steak. Discounted meals on Tuesdays.
- Grand Africa Café & Bar – gives Ibiza vibes. The pizzas there were huge!
- Strolla – at Sea Point with a kids area for under 10s.
- The Lawns – Relaxed cafe nestled high up in the hills. Check stunning views of Camps Bay on way down Kloof Road!
- The Silo Rooftop bar – great for sundowners before you head to dinner.
Day 3 accommodation – see above.
Day 4 – Cape Winelands
We always recommend visiting the Cape Winelands when people ask what to include in their South African family-friendly itinerary.
Visiting wine estates may not seem like a particularly family-friendly thing to do but trust us. You don’t want to miss visiting one of the most scenic places in South Africa.
And actually, many wine estates in South Africa are very family-friendly and some offer kid-friendly wine tasting.
And if you’re visiting a wine estate, it would be rude not to have a family-friendly wine estate picnic! These picnics are great for families because they are really informal. The settings are just beautiful and the food is delicious.
By the way, if you really want to see whales in South Africa, Hermanus is the best place to visit AND it also has wine estates so you could make a little detour there on your way to the Garden Route. See what to do with kids in Hermanus.
Our favourite South African wine estates for families in and around Franschhoek area are:
- Boschendal – for their picnic and all-round family-friendliness with kids play area.
- Babylonstoren – for the all-round sense of wellbeing you will feel visiting this beautiful place.
- Haute Cabriere – for the views and delicious cheese boards.
- Pigcasso – for the comedy value rather than the wine. A definite one for the kids.
If you don’t have a designated driver to take you on a tour of the wine estates, you can take a tuk tuk tour or the Franschhoek Wine Tram. Either option is a fun way to get around and makes it more exciting for the kids.
We recommend staying in Franschhoek. It is a beautiful little town around 45 minutes from Cape Town with great accommodation and restaurants and there is lots going on to keep kids entertained.
Day 4 accommodation – Boschendal is one of the best places to stay with kids in the Cape Winelands. They have fantastic accommodation and a great kids’ club. It’s a little way out of Franschhoek. For something central, Cook’s Cottage is exceptional.
If you stay in Franschhoek and want somewhere low key to eat there is a great pizza restaurant in town called Col’Cacchio. Otherwise, there are some lovely high end restaurants (La Ferme, La Petite Colombe and Mont Rochelle).
See here for more things to do in the Cape Winelands with kids.
Day 5 – Cape Winelands
Although you can stay in Cape Town and visit the winelands on a day trip, we recommend staying at least one night to give you 2 days there.
These are some of the things we have done in the winelands besides wine tasting that you could include in your family-friendly 2 week South Africa itinerary:
- You could visit Le Bonheur Reptiles.
- Tokara Delicatessen has a fabulous playground and the food is incredible.
- Allée Bleue has a large open picnic area with a great playground.
- Rickety Bridge has a lovely playground for kids with a boules pitch.
- Fairview Wine Farm – go and see the climbing goats and try their cheese and wine pairings.
- Warwick Wine Estate – for the playground and water feature.
Day 5 accommodation – Boschendal (see above).
Day 6 – Garden Route
Leaving the Cape Winelands you can either set off for the famous Garden Route (giving you more time in and around Knysna / Tsitsikamma) or take a little detour to Hermanus.
Most people head to Hermanus to see whales. If you are not visiting South Africa during whale season (July to December), then it is still a lovely place to visit.
If you have never been whale watching with kids, just be mindful that these trips might not be suitable, especially if the sea is particularly rough that day.
This popular 2 hour whale and dolphin tour is around the right length for kids.
There are other things to do in Hermanus besides whale watching.
If you decided to stay longer in Cape Town and didn’t manage to visit the winelands near Cape Town then you could visit some wineries in Hermanus. This is the lesser known Hemel en Aarde wine region.
We would recommend staying 2 nights in Hermanus, especially if you are doing a whale watching trip but we know it is hard trying to cram all this into a 2 week South Africa trip.
Day 6 accommodation – Geheim Luxury Seafront Villa.
We stayed a little way out of Hermanus but a short walk from Onrus River beach which is fantastic for families. Milk on the Beach serves great food with even better views!
An alternative in Hermanus as is Bamboo @ Le Paradis – a 2 bed apartment right in the centre of Hermanus with sea views.
We have also stayed at Birkenhead House (pre kids) which is a luxury hotel owned by the same chain that owns The Silo in Cape Town. It is an all-inclusive property but only accepts children over 10. We were lucky enough to spot whales from the pool!
Day 7 – Garden Route
If you’re feeling energetic in the morning, head to the Fernkloof Nature Reserve. There are some easy hiking trails for families to do and some of them have beautiful views of the coastline.
After our hike we were starving so we grabbed lunch at Bientang’s Cave back in Hermanus. They have tables right on the rocks. You can’t beat it for a meal with a sea view!
From here, head up to the N2 and on towards your next stop Knysna. The drive from Hermanus to Knysna will take around 3 – 3.5 hours.
Knysna is a great place to base yourself because there is so much to do in the area so you will need at least 2 nights here, particularly if you are arriving late in the day from Hermanus.
At this point if you want more beach time, you could limit your time in Knysna / Storms River to 1 day and head to Plettenberg Bay.
You are officially on the Garden Route now so see here for our favourite places to visit on the Garden Route with kids.
Day 7 accommodation – Under Milkwood Resort in Knysna – treehouse like chalets on the shores of Knysna Lagoon.
For food, check out East Head Café right by the Under Milkwood Resort and a bit of a local institution for something simple but delicious.
Day 8 – Garden Route
Here are some things to do in and around Knysna.
- Head to the Knysna Heads for views
- Take a 75 minute Knysna Lagoon cruise.
- We loved our tour around Birds of Eden and Monkeyland. They are next door to each other and only 50km from Knysna or 16km from Plettenburg Bay. Here you will find free roaming / flying monkeys and birds under a huge canopy.
- Also nearby here is Jukani – a big cat sanctuary.
- Try some hiking in amongst the huge Yellowwoods in Tsitsikamma National Park.
- Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour (for kids age 5+).
If you are going to be doing more of the activities in Tsitsikamma, you might be better off staying in Storms River Village rather than Knysna.
Day 8 accommodation – Under Milkwood Resort in Knysna or Tsitsikamma Village Inn.
Day 9 – Garden Route
We decided to do a morning hike in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The Waterfall Trail is a 6km loop that takes you along the coast and takes around 3 hours (with a waterfall at the half way point). It isn’t an easy hike as there is a lot of scrambling over large rocks so we would say it would be suitable for kids age 6+. The views are stunning though!
See here for our complete guide to the Tsitsikamma waterfall hike.
At the end of the hike we had lunch at Cattle Baron and then did some more walking (2km loop) to the Stormsriver Suspension Bridge.
Because we had paid the Tsitsikamma National Park entrance fee that was valid for 24 hours, we also visited the Big Tree (500m trail on a boardwalk to the Big Tree with the option of a further 2.5km trail if you have time).
We ate at Tsitrus Cafe which has a little play area.
This was a lot to pack into one day so we were in need of some beach time the following day.
Day 9 accommodation – Tsitsikamma Village Inn.
Day 10 – Garden Route
Leaving Stormsriver in the morning we headed up to Jeffreys Bay. Jeffereys Bay is a small beach town town popular with surfers. The ideal place to take a surf lesson!
It is a fun surf town to hang out in and spend a day at the beach. There are lots of surf outlet shops here like Billabong and Quicksilver. There are also a bunch of restaurants.
If that’s not your thing, head for the calmer vibes of St Francis Bay. We took a boat tour around the canals lined with stunning Cape Dutch white thatched houses. We had a gorgeous meal at Nevermind in Cape St Francis.
Day 10 accommodation – 17 The Dune – a lovely 3-bed apartment with sea views in Jeffreys Bay or this gorgeous house on the Cape St Francis canals.
Day 11 – Safari
We set off after breakfast from Cape St Francis and reached Kariega Game Reserve within an hour.
At this point in your itinerary, you might want to consider whether you want to visit the Kruger National Park for your safari. You could drop your car at Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) airport and fly up to Johannesburg.
This option obviously involves more logistical planning AND you need to consider whether you want to visit a malarial area (Kruger).
See here for game reserves next to the Kruger that are great for families and our Thornbush Game Lodge review for families.
If you do want to do this, consider booking your international flight INTO Cape Town and OUT OF Johannesburg.
If you know you don’t have time or you can save the Kruger for another visit, you can still have an amazing safari in the Eastern Cape. The benefit of a safari in the Eastern Cape is that it offers malaria free safaris.
There are quite a few options for a family-friendly South African safari in the Eastern Cape.
Budget – head to Addo Elephant National Park for a self-drive safari. You can book accommodation inside the park through SanParks or there are lots of choices just outside of the park. See here for our tips for self-drive safaris as well as a helpful animal spotting guide for safari.
Mid to high end – head to Kariega Game Reserve or Amakhala Game Reserve (Hlosi Game Lodge). You can read more about some of these safari lodges in South Africa for families here.
Luxury – Shamwari Game Reserve. Great kids play area and educational safari activities available.
Day 11 accommodation – We stayed at Kariega Game Reserve. This is a fantastic midrange option for families (staying in Main Lodge) and offers sightings of the Big 5. Read our review of Kariega.
By the way – you can also do a safari on the Garden Route. See here for our guide to Garden Route safaris with kids. And if you don’t want to do the full safari experience, you can do day visits at some of them.
Day 12 – Safari
You will probably want to take a morning game drive. And when we say morning – we mean before sunrise!
The guide will pick you up between 05.30 and 6.00. You will most likely be in a shared jeep with another family.
Game drives last around 3 hours with a break for tea and coffee and a snack. You’re back in time for breakfast.
Our lodge had a private pool so we used that during the day but there is a main pool near the dining area if you don’t have one.
Meals are buffet style with lots of choices. We love this because it means the kids can get food straight away. They are usually very hungry after a long game drive.
Afternoon game drives are from around 4 until 7. Every few nights there is entertainment in the form of a meal around the boma with dancing and singing from local children.
Day 12 accommodation – Kariega Game Reserve.
Day 13 – Safari
This looks much the same as Day 12 with 2 more game drives or you can substitute one of the game drives for a river cruise which we did.
Honestly, we’ve never spent more than 3 days on safari with the kids. If you consider the early morning starts and fairly late evenings and 2 x 3 hours game drives – they are exhausted after 3 days.
If they love this safari experience, you can check out our other itineraries for more family-friendly safari trips:
See also our guide to safari clothing for kids and what to pack for a family safari. Or you can also head to our family safari section for more safari inspiration.
Day 13 accommodation – Kariega Game Reserve.
Day 14 – Fly to Cape Town
Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) airport is around 90 minutes from Kariega so, depending on the time of your flight, you may have time for one last game drive before you head off.
Although two weeks in South Africa is the perfect amount of time to explore with kids, this 2 week South Africa itinerary can easily be tailored to 10 days or 17 days depending on how long you have.
We hope you have enjoyed our itinerary for 2 weeks in South Africa with kids. If you have any questions, please drop us a line. We’re happy to try to help.
