Golf and safari South Africa: how to combine a golf week with a Big Five reserve
South Africa By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 13 June 2026 At a glance Can you combine golf and safari in South Africa? Yes, and it is one of the few long-haul trips where you can do both well in a single tour. The usual shape is a […]
South Africa
By The Golf Planet Holidays Team· Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 13 June 2026
A golf and safari South Africa tour does two things in one trip: a proper golf week on some of the country’s best courses, then a couple of nights tracking the Big Five from an open vehicle. It is long-haul, so it pays to give it room. Most people pair a seven-night golf stay in Cape Town and the Winelands, or along the Garden Route, with a two-night safari extension at Gondwana Game Reserve. Below are the priced golf stays we sell, the courses that go with them, and an honest read on how long you really need.
The seven-night golf week is the heart of the trip
Start with the golf, because the golf week is what fixes your dates and your region. We sell two natural bases. The Garden Route is the relaxed one: seven nights at African Oceans Manor, Mossel Bay from £825 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,555) (≈ NZ$1,895) (≈ CHF 875) pp puts you within an easy drive of the best concentration of golf in the country. Cape Town is the city option, with more to do off the course. Seven nights at The Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town from £1,045 (≈ €1,195) (≈ $1,375) (≈ CA$1,955) (≈ AU$1,965) (≈ NZ$2,405) (≈ CHF 1,115) pp, at The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay from £1,155 (≈ €1,325) (≈ $1,525) (≈ CA$2,155) (≈ AU$2,175) (≈ NZ$2,655) (≈ CHF 1,225) pp, or at The Commodore Hotel from £1,495 (≈ €1,715) (≈ $1,975) (≈ CA$2,795) (≈ AU$2,815) (≈ NZ$3,445) (≈ CHF 1,595) pp, give you three price points in the same area. If you want to play more golf for less, seven nights at Cape St. Francis Resort in the Eastern Cape comes in from just £330 (≈ €375) (≈ $435) (≈ CA$615) (≈ AU$615) (≈ NZ$755) (≈ CHF 345) pp. All prices are ground-only and per person. A five-night stay works if your leave is tight, and a three-night break is a long weekend rather than a golf week, so treat that as the short option, not the default.
The standout golf: Fancourt and the Garden Route courses
If we had to name one, Fancourt is the country’s premier golf resort, full stop. Fancourt (Outeniqua, Montagu and The Links) gives you three championship courses on one estate, and The Links has hosted the Presidents Cup. A short stay at Fancourt runs from £825 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,555) (≈ NZ$1,895) (≈ CHF 875) pp for three nights if you want the resort as a centrepiece rather than a base for the whole week. Around it, the Garden Route stacks up well: clifftop golf at Pinnacle Point Golf Club, Mossel Bay, Oubaai Golf Club, Herolds Bay, and two strong Knysna courses in Simola Golf Club and Pezula Golf Club. That is a full week of varied, scenic golf without long transfers between rounds.
Base yourself in Cape Town and you are inside an easy radius of some genuinely good clubs. Royal Cape Golf Club is the oldest in the country and an easy walk. Steenberg Golf Club, Tokai sits on a wine estate, as does De Zalze Golf Club, Stellenbosch, so you can fold a tasting into a round. Out towards the mountains, Erinvale Golf Club, Somerset West has hosted the World Cup, and Pearl Valley Golf Club, Paarl is a Jack Nicklaus design in the Winelands. This is the combination most golfers want: serious courses in the morning, wine country in the afternoon. In the Eastern Cape, St Francis Links pairs naturally with a stay at Cape St. Francis Resort for a quieter, links-flavoured week.
Adding the Big Five safari extension
Once the golf week is set, the safari slots on at the end. Two nights at Gondwana Game Reserve from £875 (≈ €1,005) (≈ $1,155) (≈ CA$1,635) (≈ AU$1,645) (≈ NZ$2,015) (≈ CHF 925) pp gives you a Big Five private reserve within reach of the Garden Route, so you do not have to fly across the country to find lions and elephant. Two nights is the sensible minimum: it buys you a late-afternoon drive on arrival and an early-morning drive the next day, which is when the animals are most active. Game drives are not a guarantee, and that is the honest caveat. You are watching wild animals on their schedule, not a zoo, so good sightings come down to time on the vehicle and a bit of luck, which is exactly why we never sell a single night.
How long a golf and safari tour really takes
A golf and safari tour usually runs nine to twelve nights to do both halves justice. The maths is simple: a seven-night golf week plus a two-night safari is nine nights of stays, and you also need to account for two long-haul flights and at least one full day in transit at each end. South Africa is long-haul. You fly to get there, and when we book the flights the trip becomes ATOL protected, with your money safe until you travel. Could you cram golf and a safari into a week? Just about, but you would spend half of it in transit and the other half rushing, which defeats the point. Give it ten or eleven nights and the pace feels right.
What it costs and how we price it
As a guide, a ground-only golf and safari tour starts from roughly £1,700 (≈ €1,955) (≈ $2,245) (≈ CA$3,175) (≈ AU$3,205) (≈ NZ$3,915) (≈ CHF 1,805) pp: a seven-night Garden Route golf stay from £825 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,555) (≈ NZ$1,895) (≈ CHF 875) pp plus the two-night Gondwana safari from £875 (≈ €1,005) (≈ $1,155) (≈ CA$1,635) (≈ AU$1,645) (≈ NZ$2,015) (≈ CHF 925) pp. Build the same trip around Cape Town and you are nearer £1,920 (≈ €2,205) (≈ $2,535) (≈ CA$3,585) (≈ AU$3,615) (≈ NZ$4,415) (≈ CHF 2,045) to £2,370 (≈ €2,725) (≈ $3,125) (≈ CA$4,435) (≈ AU$4,465) (≈ NZ$5,455) (≈ CHF 2,525) pp on the room and safari before golf rounds and transfers. Everything here is per person, ground-only and tailor-made, so green fees, transfers and the running order are all built around you. Flights are an ATOL-protected add-on we arrange on top, never baked into the headline price, so you always see the land cost cleanly.
just returned from great golf trip to South Africa thanks Nigel highly recommend.
We have just returned from a fantastic 31/2 week holiday in South Africa organised by Golf Plant Holidays. Nigel was amazing sorting the itinerary for our group of 8 to include all the …
My husband Philip and I had a wonderful golf trip to South Africa in March with Golf Planet holidays. It was our first time to South Africa and it didn't disappoint us. …
Frequently asked questions
What do golf and safari tours in South Africa typically include?
Our golf and safari tours south africa are tailor-made and ground-only: your hotel stays, green fees on the courses you choose, transfers and a two-night stay at a Big Five reserve such as Gondwana Game Reserve. Flights are arranged separately as an ATOL-protected add-on, so your money is safe until you travel.
Is there a golf and safari resort in South Africa, or do you split the two?
Most trips split them, because the best golf and the best Big Five reserves are not on the same estate. The natural setup is a golf week at a resort such as Fancourt or a Garden Route hotel, then a short safari extension at Gondwana Game Reserve. Splitting them gives you better golf and a better safari than trying to find one site that does both.
How much does a golf and safari holiday in South Africa cost?
As a ground-only guide, a seven-night Garden Route golf stay starts from £825 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,555) (≈ NZ$1,895) (≈ CHF 875) pp and the two-night Gondwana safari from £875 (≈ €1,005) (≈ $1,155) (≈ CA$1,635) (≈ AU$1,645) (≈ NZ$2,015) (≈ CHF 925) pp, so the combination begins around £1,700 (≈ €1,955) (≈ $2,245) (≈ CA$3,175) (≈ AU$3,205) (≈ NZ$3,915) (≈ CHF 1,805) pp before flights and green fees. A Cape Town base sits higher, from £1,045 (≈ €1,195) (≈ $1,375) (≈ CA$1,955) (≈ AU$1,965) (≈ NZ$2,405) (≈ CHF 1,115) to £1,495 (≈ €1,715) (≈ $1,975) (≈ CA$2,795) (≈ AU$2,815) (≈ NZ$3,445) (≈ CHF 1,595) pp for the week. Everything is per person and tailor-made, with flights added as an ATOL-protected extra.
When is the best time of year to go?
For the Cape and the Garden Route, March to May and September to November give the most reliable golf weather and good game viewing. Cooler, drier months draw animals to water and keep the courses playable, while midsummer brings heat and coastal crowds.
Will I see the Big Five on the safari?
Gondwana Game Reserve is a genuine Big Five private reserve, so all five are present. Sightings are never guaranteed because these are wild animals, which is why we always include at least two nights: that buys you a sunset and a sunrise drive, when wildlife is most active and your chances are best.
Which is the standout course?
Fancourt is the country’s premier golf resort, with three championship courses on one estate and a Links course that has hosted the Presidents Cup. If you want one place to anchor the golf week, it is the obvious choice, with the wider Garden Route and Cape Town clubs filling out the rest of the schedule.
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