15 One-Day Tours in South Africa That Justify the Drive

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

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 526 reviews · from $155Our pick

Review of Cape Town’s Big Five safari day trip, with Breede Valley scenery, Aquila game drive, lunch, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“So after being picked up from our hotel we got taken to the resort where we got to see the big four nice giraffes gazelle's elephant's it was well worth the money and we were well looked after in terms of refreshments I would recommend this tRead more”

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2.Jo’berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 524 reviews · 8 hours · from $142

Explore Soweto, the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, and Johannesburg in one guided day with transport, entry fees, and WiFi included.

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3.Cape Peninsula & Table Mountain Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 206 reviews · 10 hours · from $210

Review of Cape Town’s private Peninsula and Table Mountain tour, covering penguins, Cape Point, scenic drives, guides, price, and practical tips.

“We came to South Africa for the first time from Korea for our honeymoon. Our guide, Chrismank, was incredibly kind and friendly! 😊 We were also very lucky with the weather, and his explanations were so clear and engaging that we learned a lot about South Africa that we didn’t know before. The trip felt very safe, and we had such a great time that the day just flew by. Huge thanks to our guide for making it such an enjoyable experience! ☺️”

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4.Table Mountain and Cape Town City Half-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 191 reviews · from $46

Review of Cape Town’s Table Mountain and city half-day tour, covering cableway costs, Bo-Kaap, the Castle, guides, timing, and value.

“The driver/guide was attentive, engaging, considerate, and full of information during this afternoon tour. A general tour of the city areas with a stroll around Bo-Kaap & then on to Table Mountain. Taking the option for the inclusive cable car ticket made the process simple when we arrived, although on our day the queues were not bad the previous day had been over an hour.”

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5.Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl Winelands Full Day Trip from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 115 reviews · from $101

Compare three Cape Winelands regions on a full-day tour from Cape Town, with tastings, historic towns, scenic drives, and hotel pickup.

“What a great way to explore the areas outside of Capetown. I highly recommend this tour. The countryside is beautiful and the wineries were really good. Nice day!”

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6.Sani Pass day trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 63 reviews · from $127

Review of the Sani Pass day trip from Underberg to Lesotho, with 4x4 mountain views, a Basotho village, border tips, and value advice.

“At the outset I’d like to commend Yolande for ensuring our late booking went well.”

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7.1 Day: Bus & Soweto Combo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 47 reviews · from $38

Review of Johannesburg’s Bus and Soweto Combo, with apartheid history, Mandela sites, practical costs, timing, and booking advice.

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8.Sani Pass, Lesotho and Basotho Village Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 43 reviews · 13 hours · from $191

Review of the Durban to Lesotho Sani Pass tour, with 4x4 mountain roads, Basotho culture, village bread, costs, and practical tips.

“Amazing experience! The day was packed with great memories! The guide and driver were exceptional. Loved this experience!”

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9.One day Safari including a 5 Hour Open Safari Vehicle Drive

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · from $221

Review of a one-day Pilanesberg safari from Johannesburg, with hotel pickup, a five-hour open vehicle drive, lunch, pricing, and practical tips.

“Put this on your bucket list! Even though every tour will be different and you may not see the same wildlife I did (ex: we didn't see any cats), it is awesome. Our guide / ranger was so knowledgable, answered our countless questions, and made it very interesting. If you only have a day and want to include a safari on your trip, this is the place to be.”

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10.Hermanus Whale Watching Day Trip from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 29 reviews · from $101

Review of Hermanus whale watching from Cape Town, with shore sightings, optional boat trip, wine tasting, scenic drives, costs, and practical tips.

“we had perfect weather and the guide found several places to veiw whales, with a calf learning to flip its tail too.beautiful place to visit and stay,.”

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11.Big 5 Safari One Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $227

See South Africa’s Big Five on a Cape Town day trip with hotel pickup, mountain views, meals, and a small-group safari at Aquila.

“Our driver Martin was very personable and courteous. He made the trip to the safari park a pleasurable experience. The incredible knowledge of the safari guide was greatly appreciated. We are here for an Ubuntu conference, and feel that we’ve learned so much more about South Africa. Thank you so much!!!”

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12.Pilanesberg Game Reserve Safari and Sun City Day Trip from Johannesburg

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 26 reviews · from $296

Review of the Pilanesberg safari and Sun City day trip from Johannesburg, including wildlife, timing, costs, guides, and practical booking advice.

“The tour guide spoke to me only when he felt like it and I was on a private tour. I had to pay double the price because they didn't find a group to add me too which was rediculous. The guide in the park was great and I saw a number of animals including a black rhino, one elephant, giraphs, kudu, wart hogs and many birds. The bad part of the trip was sun city. I am not a gambler and so I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do for the second half of the day. I decided to pay an extra 100 Rand to go into the…”

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13.Pretoria Sightseeing Day Trip from Johannesburg

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 25 reviews · from $176

Review of Pretoria’s top sights from Johannesburg, including Church Square, Kruger House, Union Buildings, and the Voortrekker Monument.

“The guide was very nice and interesting. Unfortunately, since I was the only visitor to have booked the tour, I had to pay double to do the visit (as the visit runs from 2 visitors). That made it far too expensive for what it is. Otherwise, great experience, and very confortable to be picked up at the hotel.”

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14.West Coast Day Trip from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $121

Explore the West Coast from Cape Town with dunes, San heritage, tea, lunch, Langebaan Lagoon, and a small group of 13 or fewer.

“Se hizo larga la explicación y la comuda y estuvimos poco tiempo y ya con poca luz en las dunas, lo demás todo perfecto, felicidades”

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15.From Richards Bay: Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 15 reviews · 6 hours · from $242

Review of the six-hour Hluhluwe Imfolozi safari from Richards Bay, with Big Five wildlife, transport details, costs, weather advice, and booking tips.

“Ne pas admettre des clients de différentes langues ensemble.”

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