Cape to Kruger Adventure — Self-Launched

Land at Cape Town International and take the MyCiTi bus (routes run from the airport to the Civic Centre interchange, around £5) or a shared shuttle (£8-10) into the city. Check into a backpackers in Gardens or Green Point. Spend the afternoon walking the V&A Waterfront and Bo-Kaap, then buy groceries for self-catering breakfasts. Book your Baz Bus pass or intercity coach ticket tonight for the days ahead.

🚌MyCiTi airport bus ~£5

🛏Backpackers dorm, Gardens/Green Point (£12-18)

• →V&A Waterfront walk
• →Bo-Kaap photo stroll
• →Groceries and transport booking

Hike up Table Mountain via Platteklip Gorge (free, 2-3 hrs) and take the cable car down (about £18 one way, book a slot online to skip queues). In the afternoon take the metro train to Simon's Town and walk to Boulders Beach to see the African penguins (SANParks entry ~£7). Eat dinner back in the city; a Cape Malay curry at a Long Street café is £8-10.

🚌Metro train + MyCiTi ~£5

🛏Backpackers dorm (£12-18)

• →Platteklip Gorge hike
• →Table Mountain cable car (optional)
• →Boulders Beach penguins

Take an early intercity coach or the Baz Bus towards Oudtshoorn (via Swellendam/Barrydale), around £22-28 and 5-6 hrs. Route 62 winds through the Klein Karoo vineyards and passes wine estates you can stop at independently if you hire a car share or join a small day tour. Settle into a backpackers in Oudtshoorn; ostrich country, so expect a braai-friendly garden.

🚌Intercity coach ~£25

🛏Backpackers dorm, Oudtshoorn (£12-16)

• →Route 62 scenic drive
• →Klein Karoo wine tasting stop

Morning tour of the Cango Caves (standard tour ~£8, adventure tour ~£12 — book directly at the caves) or an ostrich farm visit (~£10). Then continue on the coach through the Outeniqua Mountains to Stormsrivier via Plettenberg Bay, roughly £18. If you're brave, the Bloukrans Bridge bungee (216m, ~£55) is on the way — book online in advance. Overnight in the forest village backpackers.

🚌Intercity coach ~£18

🛏Backpackers dorm, Stormsrivier (£12-16)

• →Cango Caves tour
• →Ostrich farm visit (optional)
• →Bloukrans bungee jump (optional)

Get an early combi or arrange a lift to the Tsitsikamma section of Garden Route National Park (entry ~£10). Walk the Storms River Mouth boardwalk and suspension bridges, and if you have the legs, the first few hours of the Otter Trail (day-hike permits are limited and should be reserved through SANParks). Kayak or lilo up the Storms River gorge (~£25). Back to Stormsrivier for a hostel supper.

🚌Shared taxi / local shuttle ~£6

🛏Backpackers dorm (£12-16)

• →Tsitsikamma coastal trails
• →Storms River suspension bridges
• →Gorge kayaking (optional)

Take the coach up the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth (~£16, 3-4 hrs), then a shared taxi or local shuttle to Addo village (~£5). Book a SANParks sunset game drive in the main camp directly (around £20-25) or drive yourself in a hired car if you're sharing costs. Elephants here are famously relaxed — herds gather at Hapoor Dam. Night in a hostel just outside the park gate.

🚌Coach + shared taxi ~£21

🛏Backpackers/hostel, Addo (±£14)

• →Addo Elephant NP sunset game drive

Morning self-drive or guided game drive in Addo before taking an afternoon coach or shared minibus west into the semi-desert Karoo to Graaff-Reinet (~£15-18, 3 hrs). Overnight in a guesthouse or backpackers in this beautifully preserved Victorian town. Ask the lodge to arrange a lift to the Valley of Desolation for sunset (~£25 with a local guide, or drive yourself).

🚌Coach/shared minibus ~£16

🛏Guesthouse/backpackers, Graaff-Reinet (£15-20)

• →Morning Addo game drive
• →Valley of Desolation at sunset

Take a shared taxi/minibus to Aliwal North and the border crossing at Wepener/Mafeteng (or the Maseru bridge route), then on to Mafeteng and Malealea (~£20-25 total, most of the day). Malealea Lodge is a longstanding community-run base with dorm beds. Book your pony trek or guided hike for tomorrow on arrival; cash only, so draw rand before the border.

🚌Shared taxis/minibuses ~£22

🛏Malealea Lodge dorm (£12-15)

• →Lesotho highland village arrival
• →Sunset over the Maloti Mountains

A full day on foot or on a Lesotho pony. Pony trekking runs roughly £20-30 for a half day, the Pitseng Gorge hike about £5-8 with a local guide, and mountain bike hire around £10-15. Visit a village and a weaving project. This is one of the cheapest and most rewarding stops in the region — the Basotho highlands are best seen slowly.

🚌On foot

🛏Malealea Lodge dorm (£12-15)

• →Pony trekking
• →Pitseng Gorge guided hike
• →Village visit and weaving project

Back over the border at Maputsoe/Ficksburg (~£12) and by shared minibus up to Bergville or Winterton in the northern Drakensberg (~£12). Base yourself at a backpackers near Royal Natal National Park. Pick up supplies in Bergville; eateries near the park are limited and pricey.

🚌Shared minibuses ~£24

🛏Backpackers, Bergville/Winterton (£14-18)

• →Border crossing
• →Drakensberg foothills arrival

The trip's key hike: the Tugela Gorge trail from the Royal Natal park office (entry ~£9, trail free), around 14-16 km return along a spectacular amphitheatre-backed valley to the gorge. Hire a local guide from the backpackers if you want company (~£15). Start early — afternoon storms are common in summer. Combine with the shorter Cascades walk if legs allow.

🚌Local shuttle or hitching ~£5

🛏Backpackers (£14-18)

• →Tugela Gorge hike
• →Cascades walk

Coach or shared minibus from Bergville via Ladysmith and Richards Bay to St Lucia (~£25, 6-7 hrs). This UNESCO iSimangaliso wetland village is walkable and full of hippos after dark, so don't stroll at night. Book a sunset estuary boat cruise (~£13) and a Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game drive for tomorrow directly with a local operator or your hostel.

🚌Coach/shared minibus ~£25

🛏Backpackers, St Lucia (£14-18)

• →St Lucia estuary sunset boat cruise

Full-day game drive in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (~£45-55 including park fees, booked the day before with a St Lucia operator or the hostel). Good rhino and wild dog sightings. Alternatives: beach horse riding at Cape Vidal (~£35) or a self-guided wetland walk. Evening back in the village with a braai.

🚌Safari vehicle included in tour

🛏Backpackers, St Lucia (£14-18)

• →Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game drive
• →Cape Vidal beach (optional)

Travel via the Golela/Lavumisa border to Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the Ezulwini Valley (~£22-28 by shared minibus and taxi). Mlilwane is walkable and cyclable — hire a bike (~£8) or join a sunset game drive (~£18). The cultural village and traditional dance show is worth the small entry fee. Stay in a beehive hut or the sanctuary rest camp.

🚌Shared minibuses ~£25

🛏Mlilwane rest camp / beehive hut (£15-20)

• →Mlilwane walking trails
• →Sunset game drive
• →Traditional dance show

Long travel day: minibus from Mlilwane to Manzini/Mbabane, then on to the Jeppes Reef/Matsamo border and into the Lowveld to Kruger's southern gate (~£35-45 combined). Book a SANParks rest camp bungalow or safari tent in Skukuza, Lower Sabie or Berg-en-Dal several weeks ahead — this is the booking you cannot leave to chance. Evening sunset drive booked direct with SANParks (~£20).

🚌Shared minibus + taxi ~£40

🛏SANParks safari tent/bungalow, share basis (±£25)

• →SANParks sunset game drive

Early morning self-drive or guided game drive (an open-vehicle full day costs ~£55-70 with a local operator; a self-drive day is ~£25 plus vehicle hire). Look for lion, leopard and rhino in the Sabie/Lower Sabie river corridors. Late afternoon transfer to Nelspruit and the Intercape or City to City coach to Johannesburg (~£20-25, 5 hrs), arriving in the evening — or add a night at the Kruger gate and fly out next morning.

🚌Intercity coach to Johannesburg ~£22

🛏Hostel in Johannesburg or overnight at Kruger gate (£18-25)

• →Full-day Kruger game drive