16 Day Spectacular South Africa Self-Drive Tour

Day 1: Day of arrival - Cape Town (Saturday)

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Townhouse Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Cape Town .

Welcome to South Africa! You will be met by a representative on arrival at the airport. He or she will check that all of your tour documentation are in order, will answer any questions you may have and will assist you to pick up your rental vehicle.

Transfer from the airport or elsewhere to The Townhouse Hotel in Cape Town. The city is regularly ranked amongst the top world cities to visit in leading international travel publications.

Your arrival time will determine the program for the day. You may decide to leave the day open to recuperate from your travels or you may elect one of the optional (half-) day tour options set out in ‘Day 2’ below. You may self-drive and navigate these tours or we'll gladly book a guided version thereof for you ahead of time.

Dinner is at your own leisure, either at the hotel or elsewhere in Cape Town (own account).

• Extending your Cape Town stay: Should you be scheduled to arrive a day or two before the tour commences, we’ll gladly assist you with all arrangements, if required - including accommodation, extended car rental and/or guided city touring.

Day 2: Day at leisure - Cape Town

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Townhouse Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Cape Town .

Explore some of greater Cape Town's attractions on an optional guided half- / full day tour (own account) or opt to spend a day of leisure on the beach, shopping or exploring the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. You may also opt to self-drive your way in-and-around Cape Town. We'll gladly provide advice and directions as required.

To view day tours on offer go to 'explore tours' at the top-left of this page, in 'duration' select ‘day tours’ and 'Cape Town' in 'starting destination'. You may opt for either scheduled (non-private) or private touring. We'll gladly arrange and pre-book whatever you decide on, or if need be recommend an option (own account).

You can't go wrong choosing either The Table Mountain & Cape Town City Half Day Tour or The Cape Peninsula Full Day Tour (you'll be heading to the Cape Winelands tomorrow).

Day 3: Cape Town to Stellenbosch via Cape Winelands (± 100Km)

Destination: Stellenbosch
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Stellenbosch
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Cape Winelands , Stellenbosch , Wine tastings at estates in South Africa , Paarl wine estates .

Travel north from Cape Town to the Cape Winelands. Your first destination is Paarl, a town situated at the foot of Paarl Mountain. Visit the Afrikaans Language Monument, which offers great views over the valley.

Spend time at one of the many excellent wine estates in the Paarl area where you may enjoy a guided wine tasting and lunch (both own account).

From Paarl you travel through vineyard country to historic Stellenbosch, the main town of the Winelands and the second oldest town in South Africa. It boasts a large number of historic Cape Dutch buildings alongside Oak-lined streets. Do a walking tour of Stellenbosch before checking in at your hotel. Enjoy dinner at one of the hotel's restaurants or opt for a street café in town (for own account).

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 4: Stellenbosch to Oudtshoorn via Route 62 (± 410 Km)

Destination: Oudtshoorn
Accomodation: De Zeekoe Guest Farm
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Oudtshoorn , Route 62 , Klipdrift Brandy Distillery .

After breakfast you depart for Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo (“Little Karoo”). The route takes you through the Huguenot Tunnel and then on to the scenic Route 62. The first part of the route passes through the picturesque Breede River Valley (“Wide River Valley”), which is a wine, fruit and olive producing region.

On reaching the town of Robertson you make a stop at the Klipdrift Brandy Distillery (or similar) for an enjoyable tasting experience. From there your journey takes you to the Kochmanskloof (a kloof is a narrow gorge through the mountains) to enter the semi-arid Klein Karoo. You drive along ever changing landscapes through valleys and among majestic mountains. Along the route you will make a lunch stop (own account).

Route 62 continues through the Huisrivier Pass (House River Pass) and on to Oudtshoorn, also known as the ostrich capital of the world. Check in at your hotel and relax in the country style surroundings of the hotel. Dinner at the hotel (own account).

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 5: Oudtshoorn to Knysna via the Cango Caves (±160km)

Destination: Knysna
Accomodation: The Rex Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Garden Route , Knysna , Oudtshoorn ostrich farms , Cango Caves , Knysna Estuary , Outeniqua Pass .

Travel along the Cango valley into the Swartberg Mountain Range to explore the Cango Caves. You will encounter huge naturally formed halls, narrow passageways and drip-stone stalagmites and stalactites that were formed over millions of years. Return through the valley and tour an ostrich farm. These unique birds are the largest avian species in the world. Lunch is at the ostrich farm restaurant (own account).

From Oudtshoorn you head to The Garden Route. The route takes you over the magnificent Outeniqua Pass and -Mountains. There’s a photo-stop at Dolphin Point / the Map of Africa with scenic views towards Wilderness. Journey further along the beautiful Garden Route through Wilderness, past a number freshwater wetlands and through quaint Sedgefield before arriving in Knysna..

Check into your hotel for a two night stay. Enjoy dinner at the hotel or at one of a selection of restaurants at the nearby Knysna Waterfront (own account).

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 6: Day at leisure - Knysna

Destination: Knysna
Accomodation: The Rex Hotel
Meals included: breakfast, (the optional day tour includes lunch)
Attractions include: Knysna , Knysna Estuary , Featherbed Nature Reserve , Knysna Heads .

You may enjoy a day of leisure in Knysna (browsing, shopping, dining, etc.), OR join an optional full day tour that includes the Featherbed Nature Reserve, lunch and a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

Optional full day tour (own account): Take a ferry cruise on the Knysna Estuary to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. The estuary mouth is framed by two prominent headlands, known as the Eastern and Western Heads. The Western Head is conserved within the private Featherbed Nature Reserve. On arrival at Featherbed, board a tractor-trailer that will take you to the top of the Western Head for breathtaking views over the Indian Ocean and the Knysna lagoon.

From there you do a scenic hike of about 2km (1.5mi). It provides elevated views across the estuary and ocean, access to two twin sea caves and then meanders along the western banks of the estuary back to the Featherbed jetty. Enjoy a buffet lunch at the open air restaurant under the shade of Milkwood Trees, before boarding the return cruise to the town of Knysna. The optional day tour continues with a visit to a wildlife rehabilitation centre a short ways out of town.

Enjoy dinner at the hotel or at one of a selection of restaurants at the nearby Knysna Waterfront (own account).

Day 7: Knysna to Port Alfred via Eastern Garden Route (±400km)

Destination: Port Alfred
Accomodation: The Royal St Andrews Hotel & Spa
Meals included: breakfast & dinner
Attractions include: Garden Route , Sunshine Coast , Storm’s River Mouth .

Continue your travels along the Garden Route. The Garden Route, named for its abundance and variety of indigenous plants, lies between the Tsitsikamma Mountain Range and the Indian Ocean. Visit Storms River Mouth within the Garden Route National Park. You have the option to hike along specially constructed boardwalks to three pedestrian suspension bridges that spans a small bay and the actual river mouth. Lunch will be enjoyed en route (own account).

Leaving the Garden Route you travel through the outskirts of Port Elizabeth and soon afterwards find yourself on the Sunshine Coast. Travel through rolling green hills and over tidal rivers to the British Settler Town of Port Alfred. It lies on the banks and at the mouth of the tidal Kowie River and is blessed with beautiful beaches.

Your hotel is located next to the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 8: Port Alfred to the Wild Coast (±300km)

Destination: Qolora Mouth
Accomodation: Trennery's Hotel and Camping
Meals included: dinner & breakfast
Attractions include: Wild Coast .

On departing Port Alfred you travel across a number of tidal rivers, through some rural communities and onwards through the small coastal city of East London. Cross the Kei River to enter the Transkei region, home to South Africa’s Xhosa people.

Your destination for the next two nights is a short distance beyond the Kei River at Qolora Mouth, a country-style, laid-back hotel fronted by a beautiful pristine beach with the Qolora River to one side and WIld Coast hills as backdrop.

Your two-night stay includes dinner and breakfast.

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 9: Full dat at leisure - Wild Coast

Destination: Qolora Mouth
Accomodation: Trennery's Hotel and Camping
Meals included: dinner and breakfast
Attractions include: Wild Coast , Xhosa people .

South Africans who enjoy getting off the beaten track often gravitate to the Eastern Cape's beautiful Wild Coast. It provides a combination of beautiful coastline - mostly rugged but interspersed with alluring sandy beaches -, a mountainous interior and a rural and traditional life-style that is refreshingly different from urban city life.

Today you get to experience a bit of that in your own corner of the Wild Coast. You may opt to take a leisurely pace by lounging next to the pool or on the beach. The hotel also offers various activities including 'extreme' golf and lagoon cruises (own account). For the more active there's the option of hiking along the coastline.

Optional excursion (own account): For an introduction to local Xhosa culture you may opt to join a guide from the local community for a visit to a nearby traditional homestead. All funds raised go the local community.

Day 10: Wild Coast to Kokstad (±380km)

Destination: Kokstad
Accomodation: Anew Hotel Ingeli Forest & Spa
Meals included: dinner & breakfast
Attractions include: Transkei , Xhosa people .

After breakfast you take your leave of the Wild Coast and head into the Transkei interior and onwards to Mthatha (a.k.a. Umtata).

En route you travel through rural country. Much of the local Xhosa people’s traditional lifestyle is still retained. The countryside is dotted by small compounds of traditional (circular and often thatched) rondavels. Many people travel on foot and you will probably encounter free roaming cattle and goats along the way.

Arriving in Mthatha, the main town of the Transkei, you head to the Nelson Mandela Museum. If time allows you’ll also visit some other sites in town.

Cross into the neighbouring province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) before arriving at your overnight destination, Ingeli Forest Lodge - a country style hotel in KZN’s rolling hills between the small towns of Kokstad and Harding. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 11: Kokstad to St. Lucia (±460km)

Destination: St. Lucia
Accomodation: Forest Lodge (St. Lucia)
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: KwaZulu-Natal , Zulu people of South Africa , KwaZulu-Natal North Coast , KwaZulu-Natal South Coast .

Travel up the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Coast, passing dozens of small coastal holiday resorts and towns, until you reach the coastal port city of Durban. From Durban you venture onto the KZN North Coast.

KwaZulu means ‘home of the Zulu’. Journey through lush green vegetation, interspersed by commercial wood and sugarcane plantations. Continue to St. Lucia in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, with the largest estuarine system in Africa.

Arrive at your hotel in sub-tropical St Lucia in the late afternoon. Dine at your hotel or in town (own account).

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 12: St. Lucia to Swaziland (±335km)

Destination: Ezulwini Valley
Accomodation: Mantenga Lodge
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: iSimangaliso Wetland Park , St. Lucia , Swaziland , St. Lucia Estuary & Lake , St. Lucia boat cruises , Swazi Candles , Ezulwini Valley .

Embark on an early-morning game drive and short walk in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main feature of iSimangaliso is the 360 square km Lake St. Lucia. For more info click the ‘iSimangaliso’ link above. Enjoy breakfast followed by a boat cruise on the St. Lucia Estuary, known for its large population of hippo’s, crocodiles and a multitude of birds.

From St. Lucia you travel northwards to enter the Kingdom of Swaziland and continue onwards to Swaziland’s beautiful Ezulwini Valley, popular with locals and expats alike. In addition to one or two western-style shopping malls and golf resort hotels, it features a number of worthwhile African curio stops and informal markets. Lunch (for your own account) will be enjoyed enroute.

Pay a visit to Swazi Candles, for hand-made multi-coloured candles and African curious before heading to your country-style hotel. Enjoy dinner at the hotel or elsewhere in the Valley (own account).

Please note: Passing through the independent Kingdom of Swaziland requires that you have a valid passport. Nationals of some countries also need multi-entry visas.

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 13: Swaziland to Hazyview via the Kruger National Park (±250km)

Destination: Hazyview
Accomodation: Casa do Sol Hotel & Resort
Meals included: dinner and breakfast
Attractions include: Kruger National Park , Swaziland , Hazyview , Mpumalanga Lowveld , Malelane .

From Ezulwini you travel north, skirting the capital city, Mbabane, before continuing through rolling hills and landscapes dotted with rural traditional homesteads. Re-enter South Africa at the Jeppe’s Reef Border Post (multi-entry visa required).

Another ±40-mins’ journey see you entering the Kruger National Park (KNP) through the southern Malelane Gate. Welcome to a wilderness area roughly the size of the Netherlands. Pristine Lowveld bushveld roamed by the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo & elephant), and a myriad of other species.

Spend a couple of hours slowly driving through southern KNP in search of wildlife, taking a break for lunch at one of the ‘rest camps’ (own account). Once you’ve been to ‘Kruger’ you’ll always want to return. Exit the Park in the afternoon and head to your hotel just beyond the Lowveld town of Hazyview.

You’ll spend two nights in the village-style country hotel with dinner and breakfast included.

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 14: Full day in Kruger National Park (±250km)

Destination: Hazyview
Accomodation: Casa do Sol Hotel & Resort
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Attractions include: Kruger National Park , Hazyview .

Enjoy an early breakfast before entering the Kruger National Park for a full day game drive in your ‘enclosed’ tour vehicle. You will endeavour to spot as many of the large variety of animals as possible. Lunch will be at one of the rest camps in the park (own account).

The Kruger National Park is huge. It covers 19,485 square kilometres and the distance from its southern to northern borders is 360km. It boasts a remarkable variety of fauna and flora. More than 500 bird and 147 mammal species have been identified.

After an enjoyable day in the African bush observing wild animals in their natural surroundings, you exit the Park in the east and travel past Hazyview back to your hotel. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.

Optional: Instead of a self-drive game drive in your rental vehicle, you could opt for a full day game viewing in an open safari vehicle. (own account and excluding lunch)

Day 15: Hazyview to Johannesburg via Panorama Route (±500km)

Destination: Sandton (Johannesburg)
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Balalaika
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Panorama Route , Three Rondavels Viewpoint , Wonder View , Bourke's Luck Potholes .

After breakfast travel to the nearby Panorama Route. The Route includes a number of scenic vantage points - click on the various ‘attractions’ links above for more more info.

The Three Rondavels Viewpoint is perched high above the Blyde River Dam and -Canyon, providing spectacular views of both. At the origin of the Canyon you’ll visit the unique Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

Beyond the Blyde River Canyon you’ll make a stop at Wonder View. It’s the highest point on the Panorama Route and located on the edge of a steep escarpment, with views over the Lowveld far below. Enjoy lunch enroute (own account). Arrive in Johannesburg late-afternoon or early-evening. Have dinner at your hotel or head for a night out at one of the nearby malls (own account).

You're the boss!: You may adjust the day's schedule as you please. Only the start and end destinations are fixed. We provide proposed routing, directions, etc., and are available 24/7 for advice / backup.

Day 16: Day of departure, morning at leisure (Sunday)

Destination: O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA)
Meals included: None
Attractions include: O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) , Sandton (Johannesburg) .

The departure time of your flight back home will determine your program for the day. Should time allow you could consider one of a number of optional morning or full day tours (own account). We can assist you with advice and arrangements. To view day tours on offer go to 'explore tours' at the top-left of this page, in 'duration' select ‘day tours’ and 'Johannesburg' in 'starting destination'.

Transfer to OR Tambo International Airport for your flight home. We are confident that you leave South Africa with precious memories and the intent to return soon!

• Note: On enquiring about, or booking, this tour you may request us to quote for extending your stay in Johannesburg, with or without pre-booked touring.