Self drive South Africa holiday
Enjoy the wild coastline and super-sized wildlife of the Garden Route on our best-selling South Africa self-drive holiday, taking you from Cape Town to the Big Five.
Cape Town Franschhoek wine estate Hermanus Land- and boat-based whale and dolphin watching (Jun-Dec) Knysna Plettenberg Bay Big Five safari Optional: Table Mountain by cable car, V&A Waterfront, Cape Malay cookery class, surfing lesson, horse riding, sailing trip, sea kayaking
Price
£3395 including UK flights
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Description of Self drive South Africa holiday
This itinerary is aimed at those with two weeks available to explore South Africa, driving independently and taking in the cultural and natural heritage highlights of the south coast of this stunning country. Driving on the world famous Garden Route, South Africa ‘s sublime southern stretch of coast between Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape, enables you to take in not only some of the world’s finest coastal scenery, but also its most wonderful wildlife watching experiences. Such as seeing southern right baleen whales off the coast of Hermanus (between July and November), one of the few places in the world where you can see them from land. And of course, seeing the Big Five, made possible by a two or three-night visit to a private game reserve along the Garden Route.
No trip to the Capes would be complete without visiting the Winelands, such as the Franschhoek Valley where you can spend a couple of nights on its elegant estate. And then of course there are the classic sites of Cape Town not to miss, such as a cable car ride up to the top of Table Mountain, a visit to Robben Island and a township tour. We can add as many things as you wish to the itinerary to suit your interests and time available.
This is a country you can visit at any time of year, thanks to its temperate climate. If you like it very hot and sunny, then the best time to go to South Africa is during its summer months, Dec-April, with much milder temperatures May-Nov, which is South Africa’s winter.
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Price information
£3395 including UK flights
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We tailor make itineraries to suit different budgets and requirements.
Departure information
This trip can be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
Travel guides
South Africa is accessible Africa, delivering iconic wildlife, traditional cultures and spellbinding scenery in a gentle, first time-friendly way. The...
Accessibility
Accessible tourism overview:
This trip can be tailored for guests with limited mobility or in wheelchairs and can also be organised with your own driver/guide.
Limited mobility:
Accommodation and rooms on the ground level; Door to door transfers can be arranged if your tour is privately guided.
Wheelchair:
Wheelchair accessible rooms can be booked, and we can also suggest / book attractions, activities and restaurants that we know are wheelchair accessible.
Blind or limited vision:
We are happy to tailor this trip for travellers with limited vision, and this is particularly convenient if you have booked a private/driver guide.
'Free from' food:
We can cater for any dietary requirement with enough notice.
LGBT:
This trip is open to people of all backgrounds and genders.
Reviews
18 Reviews of Self drive South Africa holiday
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 18 Mar 2024 by Julie Bowell
Lots of happy memories from the whole trip but the safari at the end was extra special. Read full reviewReviewed on 13 Mar 2024 by María Cabedo
It was a fantastic experience, the countryside is spectacular all the way from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth , the food delicious, driving was quite easy. A memorable holiday. Read full reviewReviewed on 02 Dec 2023 by Sian Richards
Our Kruger safari. Simavati Amani was a beautiful, intimate lodge and the staff were lovely. We watched animals come to the watering hole and a huge variety of birds come to feed and drink in the garden. All this from the grounds of the lodge. The safari drives in Klasserie, and our guide/driver were outstanding. The guide went out of his way to give us a full, educational and exciting experience. Read full reviewReviewed on 23 Jul 2023 by Segar Chandramohan
One of the best places I visited. It had a variety of things to do from cities, drives, hiking, mountain climbing, watch rare animals (whale, penguin, ostrich) , safaries, vineyards and a modern history of freedom struggle. Read full reviewReviewed on 17 Jul 2023 by Tim Williamson
This was a holiday of a lifetime and one we will all remember even without all the photos we took. Read full reviewReviewed on 27 Mar 2023 by Robert Taylor
Very good value for money, the itinerary was put together by very knowledgeable staff. Read full reviewReviewed on 02 Nov 2022 by Roy Clouter
My wife loved seeing the whales off Hermanus. I loved seeing all the big game in Lalibela... Stay as long as you can! Read full reviewReviewed on 31 Oct 2022 by Rebecca James
Simon M promised me I’d “be able to sit on the balcony with a glass of wine & watch the whales” and I could!... 10/10 or A*. Read full reviewReviewed on 28 Mar 2022 by Nadina Bodean
Incredible, we loved every minute of it!! Every place we stayed it was really clean and spacious, friendly staff and delicious food. The guide we got from Simon was very helpful - we were so pleased with the choices of restaurant and vineyards we tried. Read full reviewReviewed on 29 Jan 2020 by Jacqueline Thomson
Excellent, loved the country, the people, the food and the wine. Brilliantly organised by the operator Read full reviewReviewed on 13 Nov 2019 by Andy May
A really enjoyable holiday where we saw so many amazing things Read full reviewReviewed on 06 Nov 2018 by Roger Pritchard
The hotels and guest houses were great and our itinerary was just what we wanted. The country was so different but interesting... Brilliant. Read full reviewReviewed on 05 Oct 2018 by Isabel Baker
The game drives in Pumba Game reserve was the bit that exceeded our expectations the most. But it was all fabulous. Read full reviewReviewed on 10 Oct 2017 by Gavin Beattie
Garonga Safari Park. Amazing experience. Beautiful accommodation with fantastic safari drives. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet
The game reserve is recognised as the pioneer in Eastern Cape eco tourism and has a dedicated wildlife department consisting of two wildlife vets, two ecologists, an environmentalist and a variety of qualified nature conservationists. They aim to ensure a sustainable environment for all the fauna and flora on the long term, the ecological integrity of the biodiversity as well as the maintenance of a quality wildlife experience. The reserve is also home to the Born Free Foundation Animal Rescue and Education Centre, which aims to provide long term humane care for rescued African cats that have been subjected to inhumane conditions internationally as well as to provide an education resource for visitors, school children and students.People
This trip uses some luxury boutique accommodations where the focus is on organically produced food, sustainable tourism initiatives and genuine hospitality. For instance, the wine estate in Franschhoek retains the comfort and warmth associated with a homestead, rather than the impersonal clinical nature of most commercial hotels and catering accommodations. Here, fresh produce is grown for the restaurant and chickens roam the estate – vital for the fresh morning eggs.There are currently two Born Free Centres on the game reserve. Environmental education is a major facet of these centres and the emphasis is on the school children of previously disadvantaged communities with in excess of 700 children been educated monthly. Guests at the reserve can visit the centres and learn about their work.
With every booking, we donate funds to Helping Rhinos, our charity partner.
Helping Rhinos have been set up to create awareness of the issues threatening the global rhino population and raises funds to help protect them for future generations.
This donation goes towards training for members of the local community to become rangers and ensure that there are more local people trained in the fight against poaching. This is important from a conservation perspective in order to preserve and protect one of our most important and prehistoric species, but also from an educational perspective as members of the local community are trained and offered jobs and a career - as well as educated about Rhino conservation.
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