A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Serengeti National Park vs. Cape Town for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Serengeti National Park or Cape Town?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Serengeti National Park or Cape Town, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: Serengeti National Park or Cape Town?

Serengeti National Park

Sprawling across 5,700 square miles of northern Tanzania in East Africa, Serengeti National Park makes up one of the oldest ecosystems in the world-one whose climate, vegetation, and fauna has barely changed over the past million years.  Today the park is a major wildlife destination, especially during the Great Migration when over a million hoofed animals are on the move.

Cape Town

Picture your travel bucket list. Is Cape Town on it? Yes, most people dream of visiting the "Mother City" of South Africa. As one of the most iconic places in the world, Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city full of bustling nightlife, historical backdrops and a large gay community.

Cape Town is the most southern city in Africa with seasons turned upside down. In the southern hemisphere they experience the summer from December to February. During these months days can be hot and dry so be sure to gather in the shade and wear plenty of sunscreen. The winter from June to August is full of rainy days and cold nights.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in Tanzania, The Best Cultural Tours in Tanzania, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.


Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Serengeti National Park?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Serengeti National Park is $148, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $191. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Serengeti National Park and Cape Town in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Serengeti National Park $55
    Cape Town $89
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Serengeti National Park $110
    Cape Town $178
Compare Hotels in Serengeti National Park and Cape Town

Looking for a hotel in Serengeti National Park or Cape Town? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Serengeti National Park


Hotels in Cape Town


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Cape Town Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Serengeti National Park $20
    Cape Town $19

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town

Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • 1-4 Passenger Arrival & Departure Cape Town - Airport Transfers: $60
  • 1-4 Passenger Cape Town - Airport Transfer: $30
  • AIRPORT Transfer to and from Cape Town City: $16
  • Afternoon Tea at Mount Nellie with Transfer: $91
  • Airport Transfer: $61
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $20
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $48
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town): $61
  • Airport Transfer from Cape Town International: $37
  • Airport Transfer: Airport CPT to Cape Town by Luxury Car: $115
  • Airport Transfers Cape Town: $61
  • Airport Transfers to and from Cape Town International Airport: $37

Is it cheaper to fly into Serengeti National Park or Cape Town?

Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Serengeti National Park change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Serengeti National Park $65
    Cape Town $82

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cape Town

For Cape Town, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $60
  • Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $61
  • Cape Town Dinner Experience with local family: $66
  • Cape Town Cooking Class & Wine Pairing with Award-Winning Chef: $69
  • Private Indonesian & Cape Malay Cultural Cooking Class: $73
  • South African Cooking Class in Cape Town with a Local Family: $82
  • African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $83
  • Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $85
  • Sunset At Signal and Dinner Privat: $87
  • Cape Town African Taste-Safari & Live Entertainment Dinner Experience: $91
  • Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
  • Cape Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $99

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Serengeti National Park $51
    Cape Town $26

Tours and Activities in Cape Town

For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Cape Town Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt: $3.48
  • Skip the Line: District Six Museum Admission Ticket: $3.96
  • Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Up): $4.83
  • Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Down): $4.83
  • Kirstenbosch Gardens: An Audio Tour by Botany Expert: $5.00
  • Sea Point Promenade: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.13
  • Muizenberg to Kalk Bay: Amble along the amazing False Bay Coast on an audio tour: $5.20
  • The Village in the City: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Bo-Kaap: $5.34
  • Cape Town live guided Urban Safari: Inner City Tour: $5.57
  • Hop-On Hop-Off Cape Town Canal Cruise: $5.79
  • Cape Town 30-minute V&A Harbour Cruise: $5.79
  • Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Return Ticket: $5.87

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Serengeti National Park $15
    Cape Town $23

Sample the Local Flavors in Cape Town

Also in Cape Town, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Craft Gin Tasting Experience and Distillery Tour: $15
  • Urban Wine Tasting: $30
  • Cape Town Hop- On Hop -Off Tour and Groot Constantia Wine Tasting: $34
  • Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $37
  • Cape Point, Penguins & Wine Tasting In Constantia Full Day Tour: $46
  • Cape Town Wine Tour: 3 Wineries — Babylonstoren, Fairview & Spier: $47
  • Wine Tour at Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl: $48
  • Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $55
  • Uncork the Cape : Stellenboch Half Day Wine Tour: $55
  • From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $57
  • Stellenbosch Wine Tour half day from Cape Town: $70
  • Full Day shared Stellenbosch and Franschhoek Tram Wine Tasting: $72


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Serengeti National Park and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Serengeti National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Serengeti National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Serengeti National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Cape Town would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cape Town than you might in Serengeti National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Serengeti National Park Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.