Cost for 1 Week in South Africa
Our trip to South Africa took a lot of budgeting, saving, planning, & researching. All that said, it was the best trip I’ve ever been on & 10000% worth all the research! In this post, I’m going to break down the cost for 1 week in South Africa, according to what we did. Your prices could vary from ours based on how long you’re staying, and what you’re willing to splurge or save on. We typically travel in the budget to mid-range area, staying in affordable hotels or AIRBNBs, and splurging on activities. That being said, we splurged a lot more on this trip than normal. Each section below will have a brief number for the total we spent, as well as a more detailed breakdown of each category.
If you’re looking for an itinerary for 1 week in South Africa, check out my post linked below! 😊
Transportation Costs
Flights
- Total spent on flights (per person): $2938 ($5877 for 2 people)
This includes flights round trip from Dallas, Texas (USA) to Cape Town, Cape Town to Johannesburg, then to Arathusa Safari Lodge’s Private Airstrip (via FedAir Airlines), and back again to Dallas. Our flight from Johannesburg to Arathusa’s private airstrip was a small 8 seater plane. This is an area of the budget we could’ve done much cheaper had we not taken the small plane directly to the safari lodge airstrip. If you’re looking to save money, look into flying to HDS airport and getting a driver for the 2.5 hour drive to your lodge. I have more information about this in my 1 week in SA itinerary.
For all of these flights we flew economy with no extras purchased (WIFI, etc). We picked flights to and from Dallas with shorter layovers, which also made our prices more expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, you could get the flights slightly cheaper by enduring longer or multiple layovers.
Uber
- Total spent on Ubers for 3 days in Cape Town: $109
This total includes ubering from our hotel in Cape Town to Franschhoek, ubering to multiple wineries around Franschhoek, back to our hotel in Cape Town, as well as to dinner or various activities during our 3 days in Cape Town.
Transfers
This includes transfers from the airport to our hotel, as well as a transfer from our safari lodge to the airport.
- Total spend on transfers: $290 (total for 2 people)
Accomodation Costs
Cape Town Hotel (Labotessa)
- Total spent at Labotessa (3 nights): $1385
This is a boutique hotel in the waterfront area of Cape Town. We spent 3 nights here. This is another area we could’ve done cheaper, but decided to splurge. It is 10000% worth the splurge if you can swing it. To be fair the price per night is less than a generic hotel in the USA.
Our price included breakfast, mountain views from our room, and exceptional service. I can’t say enough great things about their hotel or the staff! Every question I had leading up to the trip they answered via email super quickly. And a member of the staff was always available 24/7 during our stay to help book day tours, meal reservations, or just answer our questions.
We had an elevator that opened directly into our suite, our breakfast every morning was served on an outdoor patio, and someone was waiting to greet us and answer questions 24/7. I also want to mention that the breakfast is not your average, American hotel breakfast. We had our choice from a large menu, which also included 2 espresso drinks for free. Like I said, this was worth the price to us and we would stay again.
Arathusa Safari Lodge
- Total spent for 3 nights: $3157 (total for 2 people)
This price includes 3 meals per day, multiple snacks per day, all drinks (including espresso & alcohol) for two people for the entire stay. The meals are multiple courses as well. This price also includes 2 game drives (safari drives) per day, pool use, and an optional bush walk with a guide. I know the price can be shocking, but when you take into account that this total is all you’ll need to spend during your stay at the lodge, it isn’t so bad. The property and the suites are very nice as well. For more information about our stay, check out my Arathusa Review!
Activity Costs
Cape Town Small Group Tour
- Total tour price for 2 people: $180
This tour included driving along Chapman’s Peak with stops at the overlooks for photos, the Cape of Good Hope, Simon’s Town to see the penguins, Bo-Kaap, & Muizenberg Beach. Our driver was fantastic and we really enjoyed this tour.
Wine Tastings
- Total spent at La Brie winery: $10 – wine & chocolate pairing with 3 wines
- Total spent at Babylonstoren: $10 entrance fee, $25 for HUGE charcuterie board & glass of wine
- Total spent at Haute Cabriere: $22 – wine & macaroon pairing with 4 wines, a second 4 wine tasting, biltong, & a plate of bread, butter, and cheese
These were our two main activities in Cape Town. After this, we spent 3 nights at a safari lodge where we did game drives twice a day (which are included in the safari lodge pricing).
Misc
Tipping
I don’t have an exact amount that we tipped as I didn’t keep a good record of this, but I still wanted to mention it so you don’t forget to include it in your budget. We did tip servers at restaurants, our tour guide in Cape Town, any of our drivers, and all of the staff at Arathusa. Typically the custom tipping amount in South Africa is lower than the US. The prices for most things are also lower in South Africa, meaning you don’t spend too much on tipping.
Spa
- Total spent at Arathusa Lodge Spa: $99 total for 2 people
We got an exclusive couple’s massage done. The price above included the full body couple’s massage, a soak in a milk bath with balt salts and candles, a glass of champagne and chocolates, and an exclusive dinner in front of the watering hole. The dinner was like something out of a rom-com! The table was encircled with lights and we were given more champagne and treated super lovely. Such a fun experience and WAY cheaper than anything comparable in the US.
