SAFARIS
South Africa safari itineraries: 33 trips compared by length and price
Go2Africa's 33 South Africa itineraries, cheapest first: the Cape Town, Kruger and Victoria Falls combinations at the bottom, the island honeymoons at the top, and what changes between the Cape and the bush.
The six cheapest South Africa safaris in Go2Africa's feed are the same trip in different wrappings. Each one pairs Cape Town with Kruger and Victoria Falls over 10 to 12 days, and they start at $3,700 to $5,300 per person. At the feed's price, that's $370 a day for the cheapest. Above them, the 33 trips spread out into private reserves, island honeymoons, Kenya add-ons and two long train rides.
Where the money goes
Good-value Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria Falls is the cheapest of all: $3,700 for 10 days in the feed, downloaded November 5, 2026. Go2Africa's own page for it showed more on November 7: $6,170 to $7,170 per person sharing, with rates listed for 2027 travel dates. The sixth on the list adds a Botswana stop, Chobe, and runs 12 days for $5,300. Twelve of the 33 trips start under $10,000. Fifteen start above $15,000.
Thirteen trips add Mauritius, the Seychelles or Mozambique, from the 10-day Family Mauritius & Kruger at $7,500 to Romantic Kruger & Mauritius, 14 days for $34,000, or about $2,430 a day. If a beach week isn't the point, the Cape Town, Kruger and Falls trips cover more ground for much less.
Two trips are mostly trains. Rovos Rail Africa's Cape to Dar runs 15 days for $19,800, while Cape Town to Tanzania by Rail & Zanzibar takes 22 days and starts lower, at $18,000. Four trips add Kenya, the longest being The Ultimate Safari Sojourn at 23 days and $39,000. Its route also passes through Kigali, and the State Department has had Rwanda at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel", since an advisory issued June 4, 2026 that says not to travel within 10 kilometers of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
| Itinerary | Length | From, per person |
|---|---|---|
| Good-value Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zambia | 10 days | $3,700 |
| Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria Falls SafariSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zimbabwe | 11 days | $4,200 |
| 10-Day Best-Priced Cape Town, Kruger & Vic FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zambia | 10 days | $4,500 |
| Affordable Cape Town, Kruger & Vic FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zimbabwe | 12 days | $4,660 |
| 11-Day Cape Town, Kruger & Vic FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zambia | 11 days | $5,300 |
| Best-Priced Cape Town, Kruger, Vic Falls & ChobeSouth Africa · Cape Town · Botswana · Chobe National Park · Botswana | 12 days | $5,300 |
| Honeymoon Victoria Falls & KrugerSouth Africa · Sabi Sands Game Reserve · Zambia · Victoria Falls | 7 days | $6,300 |
| Family Kruger & Victoria FallsSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Zimbabwe | 7 days | $7,000 |
| Family Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park | 10 days | $7,500 |
| Family Mauritius & KrugerSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Mauritius | 10 days | $7,500 |
| Kruger & Seychelles' IslandsSouth Africa · Johannesburg · South Africa · Kruger National Park · South Africa | 12 days | $8,600 |
| Romantic Cape, Victoria Falls & DeltaSouth Africa · Cape Town · Botswana · Chobe National Park · Botswana | 13 days | $9,400 |
| Cape, Kruger & Seychelles' Mahe IslandSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Seychelles · Mahe Island | 14 days | $10,300 |
| Romantic Cape Town, Kruger & MozambiqueSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Mozambique | 12 days | $11,000 |
| South Africa's Kruger Park & Mauritius safariSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Mauritius | 12 days | $13,500 |
| Kruger & Quirimbas Private IslandSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Mozambique · Quirimbas Archipelago | 12 days | $14,500 |
| Romantic Cape, Kruger & Victoria FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Cape Winelands · South Africa | 13 days | $14,500 |
| Africa's Masai Mara, Vic Falls & Cape TownSouth Africa · Cape Town · Kenya · Masai Mara · Zambia | 14 days | $14,500 |
| Cape Town, Kruger & Mozambique JourneySouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Mozambique | 12 days | $15,900 |
| Honeymoon Kruger & Seychelles' MaheSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Seychelles · Mahe Island | 9 days | $16,500 |
| Romantic Cape, Kruger, Falls & ZambeziSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Zambia | 10 days | $17,000 |
| Africa's Masai Mara, Vic Falls, Kruger & Cape TownSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Kenya | 14 days | $17,000 |
| Ultra Lux Cape Town, Kruger & Vic FallsSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Franschhoek · South Africa | 12 days | $17,700 |
| Cape Town to Tanzania by Rail & ZanzibarSouth Africa · Cape Town · Tanzania · Dar es Salaam · South Africa | 22 days | $18,000 |
| Honeymoon Cape, Kruger & SeychellesSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Seychelles | 14 days | $19,000 |
| Honeymoon Cape Town, Kruger & SeychellesSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Kruger National Park · Seychelles | 15 days | $19,000 |
| Honeymoon Vic Falls, Kruger & SeychellesSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Seychelles · Zambia · Victoria Falls | 13 days | $19,540 |
| Rovos Rail Africa's Cape to DarSouth Africa · Tanzania · Zambia | 15 days | $19,800 |
| Romantic Kruger & ZimbabweSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Zimbabwe | 9 days | $19,860 |
| Historian's Cape Town, Victoria Falls & KenyaSouth Africa · Cape Town · South Africa · Johannesburg · Kenya | 17 days | $21,300 |
| Honeymoon Cape Town, Kruger & MauritiusSouth Africa · Cape Town Coast · South Africa · Kruger Private Reserves | 14 days | $21,700 |
| Romantic Kruger & MauritiusSouth Africa · Kruger National Park · Mauritius | 14 days | $34,000 |
| The Ultimate Safari Sojourn: Southern & East AfricaSouth Africa · Cape Town · Rwanda · Kigali · Kenya | 23 days | $39,000 |
Kruger, or the private reserve next door
Kruger's own entry fee went up on November 1, 2026. ATTA reported that SANParks raised the daily conservation fee for international adults from R602 to R692 that day, and that the new rate stays until October 31, 2027. The same report has the Cape of Good Hope section of the Cape Peninsula going from R515 to R592.
Several trips stay in private reserves instead. Sabi Sand, the one named in the 7-day Honeymoon Victoria Falls & Kruger trip ($6,300), sits on Kruger's south-western boundary. South African Tourism notes that the 50 km fence that once separated them is gone, so the Big Five move freely between the two.
Malaria: Kruger yes, Cape Town no
Every trip here that pairs the two goes from a city that isn't on the CDC's malaria list to a park that is. The CDC's South Africa page lists malaria in Kruger National Park and the districts around it, including Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga and Mopani and Vhembe in Limpopo, and recommends tablets there. Cape Town and the rest of the Western Cape aren't on the list. The tablets it names for those areas are atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine, and some must be started days before you arrive, so book the clinic visit when you book the trip.
Yellow fever is a separate rule on the same CDC page. South Africa doesn't require the vaccine if you fly in directly from the US, but it does if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, even after a layover of more than 12 hours there. The CDC's Kenya page recommends the vaccine for most of that country, so it's worth raising for the four Kenya trips if they bring you back through Johannesburg.
When to go and how to get there
South African Tourism says many visitors to the Kruger area come in the dry winter months, April to September, when animals are easier to spot, and calls mid-summer, November to February, very hot. The Kruger side is reached by flying into Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport or by road from Johannesburg.
US passport holders don't need a visa for stays of up to 90 days, according to the Department of Home Affairs exemption list as it stood in November 2026. The passport rules that do turn people away, and fares from US cities to Johannesburg and Cape Town, are on our flights to South Africa page.
Comparing countries? See all 149 African safari itineraries.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a South Africa safari cost?
The 33 trips in Go2Africa's feed, downloaded November 5, 2026, range from $3,700 to $39,000 per person. Twelve start under $10,000. The cheapest is a 10-day Cape Town, Kruger and Victoria Falls trip.
What does it cost to enter Kruger National Park?
From November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027, SANParks charges international adults R692 a day, up from R602, according to ATTA's report of the new rates.
Do I need malaria tablets for South Africa?
For Kruger, the CDC recommends them: the park and the surrounding Ehlanzeni District are on its malaria list. Cape Town and the rest of the Western Cape are not.
When is the best time for a Kruger safari?
South African Tourism says many visitors choose the dry winter months, April to September, when animals are easier to spot, and calls mid-summer, November to February, very hot.
Do Americans need a visa for South Africa?
No. US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa, according to the Department of Home Affairs. Our flights to South Africa guide covers the passport checks at the border.
FinalAirfare may earn a commission if you book through the Go2Africa links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices are Go2Africa's per-person starting prices from its affiliate feed, which we downloaded on November 5, 2026 and which Go2Africa last updated in May 2026. They change, so open a trip for today's price and dates.
