Self drive South Africa holiday
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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13 Reviews of Self drive South Africa holiday
Reviewed 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 reviewReviewed on 24 Oct 2013 by Les Milner
Holiday of a lifetime! Truly memorable. The holiday was an incredible journey of different experiences. If I had to choose a best bit it would be the Township Tour in Cape Town. This was an emotional and unforgettable experience. Read full reviewReviewed on 03 Mar 2013 by John Barker
It was excellent. The accommodation was superb. There was an enormous number of things to do and see at each stop-over. Everyone was helpful and friendly. The food was delicious and authentic. And most of all, the natural surroundings were beautiful beyond belief. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
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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