The perfect road trip
South Africa is the perfect country for a glorious road trip. Imagine cruising over coastal roads with the wind in your hair, navigating winding mountain routes with fantastic views and exploring endless savannah roads - this country has it all. Curious how to plan your perfect trip? Read on!
Self-driving holidays are a fantastic way to explore South Africa. The country boasts a good road infrastructure with mostly tarmac roads, and routes like the Garden Route, Route 62 and the Panorama Route are regularly listed among the world’s most scenic road trips. Besides, many national parks and game reserves allow self-drives, meaning you can discover the whole country in your rental car, at your own pace!
Road safety
South Africa is tourist-friendly and relatively safe. Especially the most visited areas, such as Cape Town, the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route and all major safari destinations, are considered safe. But as with any unfamiliar destination, a little caution goes a long way. To be on the safe side, we advise keeping car doors locked while driving and avoiding opening windows for strangers at traffic lights – unfortunately, carjackings do happen. It’s also best not to put valuables or bags in plain sight in your car, especially when parking.
Food and petrol
No road trip in South Africa is complete without visiting the country’s beloved padstals (farm stalls). These roadside shops are usually associated with the surrounding farms and sell all local produce, from biltong to homemade pies, breads and fresh fruit. Don’t bother packing lunch – you’ll never make it 50 kilometres without being tempted, and our extensive list of restaurants and pit stops makes sure you never miss out on any of the other options.
Petrol stations are as frequent as trees in a jungle along all major routes. But if you’re heading off the beaten track, it’s wise to fill up, even if your tank’s still half full. When in doubt, GPS or Google Maps will help you. This country is vast, but running out of gas is almost impossible!
Self-driving in national parks
National parks in South Africa allow game drives from 7 AM to 6 PM and give a permit for 12 hours (for all SAN parks). Within those 12 hours, you can, theoretically, leave the park and come back, as they will renew your permit if you show your proof of payment. However, all visitors are expected to be back at the lodge (or leave the park) at 6 PM latest.
Upon entering the park, you receive a map with clearly signposted routes that will lead you to rest camps, picnic spots and the best game-viewing areas. The parks often boast a main network of tarmac roads, with gravel roads leading up to these, but be aware that there are speed limits (50 km/h on tarmac roads and 40 km/h on gravel roads), and speed cameras ensure you stick to those. Which we would also advise, as slower speeds increase your chances of spotting the animals you came to see!
Within the parks, most rest camps and lodges are open to all visitors, not just overnight guests, and they’re well-equipped with restaurants, cafés, picnic spots, petrol stations and convenience stores. You can have lunch, grab a coffee, refuel or even do a quick grocery top-up without needing to spend the night there. Still, you can also opt for a packed lunch, and most overnight lodges are happy to prepare a takeaway lunchbox (ask in advance!). Whatever you do, be sure to ask fellow travellers at rest stops for tips on where to find wildlife, so you know where to go next!
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