Timbavati, Greater Kruger · Cape Town
Safari & City Lights
Three nights at a four-suite camp in the Timbavati, then three on the Atlantic seaboard in Cape Town. The internal flight, the transfers and the game drives are all in the price — and the Cape Town half is deliberately left open, so it gets built around what you actually want to see.
Two halves, one week
A four-suite camp in the Timbavati, then the Atlantic seaboard
Most bush-and-city weeks put you in a large lodge. This one puts you in a camp with four tented suites.
Amaya sits in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger and unfenced with the national park — the animals move between the two. Four suites means the vehicle is not full, the guide learns what you want to see by the second drive, and nobody is queuing at a sighting.
The camp runs twice-daily game drives in open vehicles and walking safaris with an armed guide. Meals, house drinks and sundowners are looked after at the camp from your first full day.
Then the internal flight south. The President Hotel is in Bantry Bay, on the Atlantic seaboard rather than in the middle of town — ocean in front, Lion’s Head behind, and Camps Bay and the city both a short drive away.
Who it suits: first-time Africa travellers who want the bush and the city in one week without a long, complicated route, couples, and families with children of eight and up. If you want more time in the bush or a five-star Cape Town hotel, the ten- and twelve-day versions further down do exactly that.
Trusted African travel expertise
Watch — the bush half
Too Wild’s Virtual Safari
Too Wild are the wildlife-film team who run their filmmaking courses from Amaya — David Eastaugh has shot for the BBC, National Geographic and Disney+, and Lauren Eastaugh is a zoologist and presenter. This is an episode of their Virtual Safari series: summer rain, elephants in the water and the insect life that comes with it. It is a wildlife film rather than a tour of the camp, which is rather the point.
Watch on YouTubeThe company we keep
A wider world of safari stays
Ranger Buck works with leading camps and lodges across Southern Africa, giving your safari specialist more ways to shape the right journey around you.
A selection from Ranger Buck’s lodge network. Your final itinerary will list the specific properties included in your trip.
Your itinerary
Day by day
Seven days, six nights. Three in the Timbavati, three in Cape Town, the internal flight included.
Days 1–3Amaya, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve+
Arrive at Johannesburg and connect to the Greater Kruger, then transfer to Amaya — four tented suites in the Timbavati, unfenced with the Kruger National Park.
Twice-daily game drives in open vehicles across three full days, plus walking safaris with an armed guide. The Timbavati carries the Big Five; it is also the reserve most associated with the white lions of the Lowveld.
Lunch and dinner are included on your arrival day, and all meals on the two full days that follow, along with house drinks and sundowners at the camp.
Days 4–6Cape Town — The President Hotel+
A final morning drive and breakfast, then the transfer and internal flight to Cape Town, and on to The President Hotel in Bantry Bay on the Atlantic seaboard.
Three nights on a bed-and-breakfast basis. The days are yours: Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and Boulders Beach, Robben Island, the Winelands, or a private guide for the whole stay. All of it can be arranged and priced into your quote before you travel.
The hotel faces the ocean with Lion’s Head behind it, and there are pools, a spa and restaurants on site if you would rather not move much.
Day 7Departure+
Breakfast, then the transfer to Cape Town International for your onward or international flight.
Where you stay
Amaya & The President Hotel
Four tented suites in the bush, then an ocean-facing hotel on the Atlantic seaboard.
Amaya for three nights in the Timbavati — four tented suites with king beds, air conditioning, indoor and outdoor showers and private decks over the bushveld. Twice-daily game drives, walking safaris, house drinks and sundowners are part of a stay.
The President Hotel for three nights in Bantry Bay, facing the Atlantic with Lion’s Head behind. Pools, the Cove Wellness Spa and restaurants on site, and Camps Bay, Sea Point and the city all within a short drive.
Meals are specified rather than uniform across the week: the bush half is the inclusive one, and Cape Town is bed and breakfast. It is worth confirming exactly which meals at quotation.
Both halves move. Amaya can be swapped for a larger lodge or a more expensive one, and Cape Town runs from The President up to the Silo or a Constantia wine estate — which is what the longer versions below do.
Indicative package price
From US$5,258 per person sharing
7 days / 6 nights · Amaya and The President Hotel
Included
- Airport transfers throughout
- Internal air transfer between the Greater Kruger and Cape Town
- Three nights at Amaya, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
- Twice-daily game drives in open 4x4 vehicles
- Walking safaris with an armed guide
- Lunch and dinner on day 1, all meals on days 2 and 3
- House drinks and sundowners at the camp
- Three nights at The President Hotel, Cape Town
- Breakfast daily in Cape Town
Not included
- International and regional flights not listed above
- Cape Town tours and excursions — Table Mountain, the Peninsula, Robben Island, the Winelands
- Lunches and dinners in Cape Town
- Premium and imported spirits, champagne and cellar wines
- Spa treatments
- Gratuities
- Items of a personal nature
- Travel insurance — strongly recommended
Indicative rate — your final price is confirmed on quotation and varies with season, availability and group size. Per person sharing, 7 days / 6 nights. Updated August 2026.
Three ways to do it
Same idea, three lengths
7 days · This pageSafari & City LightsAmaya in the Timbavati, three nights, then The President Hotel. Minimum age 8.From US$5,258 pp sharing
10 days · Two safari campsSafari & Cape Town SplendourBateleur Safari Camp and RockFig in the Timbavati over five days, all meals on safari, then four nights at The President Hotel with the Peninsula and Table Mountain. Minimum age 6.From US$8,129 pp sharing
12 days · Five-starExclusive Safari & Cape SplendourMalaMala Camp, then The Silo in Cape Town and La Residence in Franschhoek. All ages.From US$13,879 pp sharingAll three are private tours with the internal flights and transfers included. Tell us the length and the budget and we will send the one that fits.
What guests said
From people Ranger Buck has sent to the Timbavati and Cape Town
“Talya from Ranger Buck Safaris helped us curate and plan our trip to the Timbavati and Klaserie Nature Reserves. Her choice of lodges — Misava and Amaya — were spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed the intimacy of each place and the sense of personal touch we gained from the staff at each.”
Maxine
January 2026 · Timbavati & Klaserie · South Africa
“Great value for money. We travelled on to Cape Town after our safari where we had the most beautiful little suite at the President Hotel and again were looked after superbly by our driver. She met us from the airport and stayed with us till we left South Africa. Amazing trip.”
Tracy
November 2025 · Timbavati & Cape Town · United Kingdom
“The whole trip from beginning to end was exquisitely planned. It was massively good value for the money and the location for the safari was fantastic. It was great to be able to customise the trip and add a trip to Cape Town, and the domestic flights were perfectly timed.”
Chris
June 2024 · Safari & Cape Town · Belgium
Make it yours
Most people change something
The week is the frame. What goes inside it is up to you.
- Add a night in the Timbavati — three nights is two full days of drives, and a fourth changes what you see
- Book the Cape Town days in advance: Table Mountain, the Peninsula and Boulders, Robben Island, or a private guide for all three days
- Add the Winelands or Franschhoek after Cape Town
- Move up a level in the bush, in the city, or both — the ten- and twelve-day versions above are the standard steps
- Travel as a private party with your own vehicle and guide at the camp
Good to know
Safari and Cape Town in one week — common questions
Clear answers to the questions travellers ask before choosing this experience.
How much does this trip cost?+
From US$5,258 per person sharing for seven days and six nights, including the internal flight between the Greater Kruger and Cape Town, three nights at Amaya with game drives and walking safaris, and three nights at The President Hotel on a bed-and-breakfast basis. Because every trip is tailored, your final quote may come in above or below that figure — the Cape Town hotel and the excursions you choose move it most.
Are the Cape Town tours included?+
No. The three Cape Town nights are bed and breakfast with transfers, and the days are left open on purpose. Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and Boulders Beach, Robben Island, the Winelands and a private driver-guide can all be added and priced into your quote before you travel. Most people book at least the Peninsula day.
Is three nights enough time on safari?+
Three nights gives you two full days of twice-daily drives plus a drive on the afternoon you arrive and one on the morning you leave — six drives in total. That is enough to see a great deal in a Big Five reserve, and Timbavati sightings are good. A fourth night is the single best upgrade if the budget allows, and Amaya often runs a stay-four-pay-three rate, so ask.
Where exactly is Amaya, and how big is it?+
In the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger and unfenced with the national park. It has four tented suites, so the camp takes eight guests at a time. Some listings file Amaya under Sabi Sand accommodation, which is wrong — the camp itself is clear that it sits in the Timbavati.
Can we bring children?+
The minimum age on this itinerary is eight. The ten-day version takes children from six, and the twelve-day version has no minimum age. If you are travelling with younger children, Madikwe is malaria-free with no minimum age and works well as a substitute for the bush half.
When is the best time to go?+
The two halves want opposite seasons. May to September is best for game viewing — drier, thinner bush, animals concentrated at water. November to March is Cape Town’s summer. April and October are the sensible compromise across both, and are also quieter and cheaper.
You might also consider
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