Cape Town Safaris — the 15 We Would Book

1.2-Day Safari at Garden Route Game Lodge

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 928 reviews · 2 days · from $533Our pick

Spend two full days traveling from Cape Town to Garden Route Game Lodge with an English-speaking guide and up to 12 people. Stop in Hermanus, Betty’s Bay, and Cape Agulhas, then take sunset and morning safari drives, sleep in a 4-star chalet, and enjoy dinner and breakfast. Guides such as Chris, Vaughan, Benjamin, and Frank are praised for their local insight and careful driving.

“The drive was nice. The stops for Cape Agulhas, Hermanus, and Betty’s Bay were wonderful! The Game Lodge was very nice and the stay was lovely. Abie the safari guide was amazing! Vaughn was knowledgeable and ready a quip at all times. We really enjoyed the trip!”

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2.Big Five Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 576 reviews · from $184

Ride from central Cape Town to Aquila Game Reserve in an air-conditioned coach, then join an English-speaking ranger for a three-hour open-vehicle drive through the malaria-free Karoo. Look for lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, and more than 170 bird species. Lunch, a welcome drink, and hotel transfers are included.

“Fun tour! Get to see all the big 5 although there are very few of each animal. It is a big zoo so don’t expect it to be like a proper safari but still a great experience. A lot of it actually done in travelling too and from the game reserve so be prepared to be on a coach for a while”

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3.Big Five Safari and Breede River Valley Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 526 reviews · from $155Top rated

Travel from Cape Town through Du Toitskloof and the Breede River Valley to Aquila Safari Reserve. A professional guide such as Mike, Werner, or Jamie handles the long drive, while your reserve fee covers lunch, champagne, and a two to three hour game drive. Private safari vehicles cost extra.

“Werner my tour guide and driver was super! Fun, courteous, knowledgeable about the area and country. The winery was lovely and a good tasting. Aquila was great. I lucked out and had Jana as my guide. She is the conservationist for the reseRead more”

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4.South African Wildlife and Safari 2-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 411 reviews · 2 days · from $322

Travel from Cape Town or Stellenbosch to Oudtshoorn with guides such as Neville, Maudi, Ulrich, and Denver. Take a 4x4 safari at Botlierskop, a smaller-wildlife bush drive at Buffelsdrift, and optionally observe three rescued elephants. Expect long drives, scenic mountain roads, shared safari vehicles, and a choice of backpacker, guesthouse, lodge, or farmstay accommodation.

“The two day safari was really great! Uriel our guide was amazing and made the trip even better. He was so easy to talk to, informative and always able to support our requests. He made the journeys very funny with his great sense of humour. The safari was really good and we were able to see a range of different animals: elephants, zebras, giraffes and we were lucky enough to see cheetahs. We would definitely recommend this tour and 100% recommend Uriel as a tour guide.”

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5.2 Day Safari Experience from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 326 reviews · from $447

Leave Cape Town at 6am for Cape Agulhas and Garden Route Game Lodge, where sunset and early morning drives seek the Big Five. Guides such as Chris, Benjamin, Vaughan, and Frank are praised for informative, caring service. Return via Hermanus and Betty’s Bay, with lodging, dinner, breakfast, transfers, and two drives included.

“I, honestly, don't know where to start... Chris was not only our driver, but an awesome guide. He took us to so many great spots on the way to our final destination with really good food!! Once we got to the game lodge, we were welcomed by the friendly staff and went to Read more”

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6.5 Day Garden Route and Addo Safari – Best of South Africa Small Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 291 reviews · from $575

Travel from Cape Town through Route 62, Oudtshoorn, Addo, Jeffreys Bay, Tsitsikamma, Knysna, and Wilderness. You will ride with an English-speaking guide, stay in three accommodation levels, visit an ostrich farm and Cango Caves, and take a two-hour Addo game drive. Guides such as Isaac, Maudi, Neville, and Uriel are known for careful organization and local insight.

“Maudi was a great tour guide! The tour and sites were amazing. Maudi was very engaging, kept the tour on track and made us all feel like a family. Highly recommended tour!”

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7.Marine Big 5 Ocean Safari from V&A Waterfront

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 278 reviews · 1h 30m · from $68

Meet at Quay 5 in the V&A Waterfront for a 90-minute English-language cruise on a luxury catamaran. Your crew searches for dolphins, Cape fur seals, penguins, whales, and sunfish while sharing facts about the Atlantic coast. Muffins, hot chocolate, water, and binoculars are included, but wildlife sightings depend on season and sea conditions.

“Nice team, very polite Really good Trip and we saw wales 😀”

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8.2 Day South African Wildlife Tour with 4×4 Safari from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 251 reviews · from $279

Travel from Cape Town to Botlierskop and Buffelsdrift on a packed two-day safari with open 4x4 drives, an optional rescued-elephant walk, and one night in Oudtshoorn. Guides such as Neville, TK, Denver, and Uriel have earned praise for their care and local stories. Expect about 900 kilometers of driving, early starts, and a useful wildlife introduction for a short visit.

“Well organized and friendly guide (his nickname: gentle giant GG)! Love the elephant walk and the endless landscape from the safari drive!”

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9.Cape Town Ocean Safari: Speed Boat Adventure in Table Bay

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 242 reviews · 1 hour · from $31Best value

Set out from Quay 5 on a small speedboat for a one-hour search through Table Bay. Expect a fast, bumpy ride, slow wildlife checks, and views of Table Mountain, Robben Island, Signal Hill, and the Atlantic beaches. Skippers including Ricardo, Yousef, and Michaela have led recent trips. Bring warm clothes, sunscreen, and a willingness to get wet.

“Great experience, we were also very lucky on what we saw. We got to see seals penguins, humpback whales and dolphins. Both Michaela and Yousef were excellent speedboat pilots, the right balance of care safety and a thrill!”

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10.3 Day Garden Route’s Best Highlights with Safari from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 189 reviews · from $366

Travel from Cape Town along Route 62 to Oudtshoorn, Cango Caves, Wilderness, Bloukrans Bridge, and Botlierskop Private Game Reserve. You get two nights’ accommodation, breakfasts, canoeing, and a shared 4x4 safari. Guides such as Neville, Moudi, JP, and GG are known for keeping the long drives lively. Bungee jumping and elephant observation cost extra.

“The tour has been very interesting, and a great experience. The guide Nico was very helping and fiendly. On average the hotels were OK, but the last one was below average (no soap and towels in the room). The adventure visit to the Cango Cave was an impressive and possibly physically very demanding experience: moving into extremely small tunnels was a suprise. In Europe this dangerous visit would have been not allowed for security reasons. We were not informed about the riskiness of being stuck into the "cymney": I would revommend that visitors, before chosing the "adventure tour" are fully informed about its features. In my case, being seventy years…”

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11.Aquila Game Reserve Safari Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 183 reviews · 8 hours · from $342

Travel from Cape Town to Aquila Game Reserve by hotel pickup, enjoy a welcome drink and buffet lunch, then join a 3-hour open-vehicle game drive. You may see lions, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo. Leopards are not present in the reserve, so this is a convenient Big Five-style outing rather than a wild, remote safari.

“Great day out, saw all the animals. Tour guard was very knowledgeable and friendly”

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12.3 Day Garden Route Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 177 reviews · from $445

Travel from Cape Town along the Garden Route in a small group of no more than 13. You will take two 4x4 safari drives, hike near Nature’s Valley, kayak toward a waterfall, and spend two nights in shared backpacker rooms. Guides may include Asanda, Didi, King, or Sbu. Bungy jumping and ziplining cost extra.

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13.Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park 6-Day Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 175 reviews · 6 days · from $852

Travel in a small group of up to 12 from Cape Town with an English-speaking guide such as Gareth, Christine, or Mark. You will visit Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, Oudtshoorn, Wilderness, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and Mossel Bay, with five nights of lodging, most breakfasts and dinners, canoeing, hikes, wine tasting, and a safari included.

“What an amazing week! Christine was an excellent guide, so full of energy and enthusiasm, making sure that everyone had what they needed and taking us safely from one beautiful place to the other. The places we visited were all so nice, I kept wanting to stay longer in each of them, saying “Next time..”. Yes, we did spend quite a lot of time in the bus to get between them, but that is after all unavoidable if wanting to visit them all. Shorter stops to stretch legs etc in between the main stops made the journeys feel shorter. The program was a good combination of beautiful nature and views,…”

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14.Marine Big 5 Safari with transport from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 158 reviews · from $181

Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai, then head by boat toward Dyer Island in search of Africa’s Marine Big 5. A marine biologist and experienced crew explain the animals and conservation work. Tea, muffins, soup, equipment, hotel transport, and a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary are included.

“This was easily the highlight of my trip to Cape Town. We have a baby Southern Right Whale swim right up to the boat.. once in a lifetime experience. We saw a total of 6 whales, penguins, seals and sharks. 10/10”

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15.3-Day Garden Route Highlights and 4×4 Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 136 reviews · 3 days · from $417

You’ll cover about 1,200 km in three lively days, with Route 62, Cango Caves, Wilderness canoeing, and a two-hour Botlierskop 4x4 safari. Guides such as Denver, Paul, TK, and Uriel are praised for warm hosting and useful local insight. Expect long drives, simple timing, and optional bungee jumping or elephant observation.

“We had a great time on this tour! Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly, we saw so much more of South Africa than we would have done alone. We had some great experiences and had lovely accommodation . It’s a busy and full on tour, so you’ll be tired but in a good way.”

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