The Most Beautiful South Africa Travel Routes

I am often asked which itineraries I would recommend for 2 or 3 weeks in South Africa. South Africa is vast. One answer is not easy since I have found many routes to be incredibly scenic. After my nine trips to South Africa, I have written down my favorite routes for a South Africa road trip.

The choice of route depends on how much time you have and which highlights you would like to see. South Africa is so diverse and has so much to offer. Therefore, I predict that you will definitely return here a second or third time. Every region is different, and every season has its advantages and disadvantages.

-> Tip: Check out my 21 most beautiful places and attractions in South Africa!

Enjoy the beautiful South Africa!

The Garden Route is one of the most beautiful and popular routes among South African travelers. I love the Garden Route from Cape Town along the coast, as it is the ideal route for 'first-time visitors' to South Africa.

The infrastructure is great, distances are never too far, and there are enough highlights here for 2 weeks.

-> Do you only have 2 weeks? Then take a road trip along the Garden Route!

I particularly enjoy the De Hoop National Park, Robberg Nature Reserve, Plettenberg Bay, and Tsitsikamma.

Swellendam is idyllic and perfect for a day of relaxation without many highlights nearby, and Hermanus has the wonderful Cliff Path. On nice days, postcard-perfect views follow one after another here. Or spend the night in the Tsitsikamma Rest Camp. It doesn't get any more beautiful than this. A dream!

No route is as famous as the section between the Slang River near Heidelberg heading eastward to Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River. Additionally, you will find the most beautiful beaches in South Africa for swimming along this coast. If you want to spot animals, you can do so on your own in Addo Elephant Park or at the wonderful Gondwana Game Lodge.

Here you will find all tips, travel reports, and places at a glance:

The scenic landscapes of the Panorama Route can be found just about 4 hours by car from Johannesburg. The route is ideally located on the way to Kruger National Park.

It takes you over a series of mountain passes to a viewpoint that offers stunning views of the Lowveld. You shouldn't miss the Blyde River Canyon, the Bourke's Luck Potholes, and wonderful mountain passes.

I have traveled the Panorama Route twice and highly recommend it! It's perfect before continuing to Kruger National Park or one of the adjacent private reserves for safari.

You can find itinerary suggestions with tips in this detailed report:

-> Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon in South Africa

-> Ranger Taster Course "Eco Training" (you won't get closer to the animals than this)

The most popular tourist destination is Cape Town with the Cape Peninsula and the Western Cape. For me, Cape Town is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city at the Cape attracts millions of people each year. Numerous attractions and excursion destinations in the vicinity, such as the West Coast National Park, the whale city of Hermanus, the Cape of Good Hope, and the wine regions of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl make the offer seem endless.

A trip to the West Coast National Park, located 120 km north of Cape Town, is often underrated. Very popular with locals and a true insider tip for tourists from abroad. Here you will find beautiful beaches (Lagoon at Langebaan) and sand dunes in the national park, which invite you to a morning hike.

Even though many claim that the best thing about Johannesburg is driving straight through, I advise you: Give the city a chance. I've been here three times! It can't be that bad.

Not only will you find the Apartheid Museum here, but also an interesting township bike tour through Soweto. I even stayed at a backpackers hostel in Soweto. A wonderful experience with caring people. I didn't feel unsafe. Our brand new rental car was safely parked here too.

Check out tips & attractions for Johannesburg.

Almost everyone drives on to the Panorama Route to Kruger National Park or the adjacent private reserves. It's worth combining these places. An ideal road trip offers something from every facet.

This tour is ideal if you plan for 7 - 14 days. I did it from Durban, but it would also work from Johannesburg. However, since I visited the Tiger Canyon (Tigers in South Africa) at the end and this is located near Bloemfontein, I drove out here.

Explore Durban, take a city tour including the Botanical Garden (it's really worth it), and then drive through the Midlands Meander (be sure to stop at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site and Howick Falls), the Sani Pass by Underberg into the Drakensberg.

In the Drakensberg, you have many options for hiking. I am currently writing a post about this road trip (which I did solo) and the hikes in the Drakensberg.

One of the regions in South Africa that is less appreciated by European tourists is the Northern Cape. Why is that? I don't know. Probably because most people don't realize that there are also sights and great national parks here. For me, it's an absolute insider tip.

After acclimatizing and exploring Cape Town, one travels to Sutherland in the Karoo semi-desert. Here stands SALT: the South African Large Telescope! They take great pride in it, and the Sutherland Astronomical Observatory is definitely worth a visit.

Since there is a 'Dark Sky Reserve' here - a place with very low light pollution and more than 80% cloud-free night skies, you can't imagine a better place for star gazing. It's gigantic!

Tips for the road trip in the Northern Cape.

Next, you go into the desert of Kagga Kamma Private Nature Reserve (Cederberge). Here, you can explore extraordinary rock formations through hiking, mountain biking, or quad tours. The night sky is also superb here!

Many consider the highlight to be Namaqualand and its wildflower bloom. The flowers literally shine from a distance. Even though the conditions during our visit were not ideal (we estimated we only saw 30% of the intensity), this place was very impressive!

But you should come here not only for the flower blooms. The hidden quiver tree forest (ask locals) is said to be much more impressive than those in Sossusvlei (Namibia) - so they say. The sense of community among the residents is remarkable. Everyone seems to know each other, even if they live more than an hour apart. Wonderful!

At Augrabies Falls National Park, it's time for kayaking and rafting on the Orange River. Additionally, this national park has the Augrabies waterfall, which is very impressive during the rainy season. We could only see the main fall (in August). The game drives are comparatively less successful. The landscape is very impressive here too! The rest camp from SanParks is surprisingly modern, we are delighted!

To end, of course, we must see the wild animals: the !Xaus Lodge is located in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park (Kalahari), only accessible by a 4x4 drive over 91 red sand dunes, right at the border with Botswana and Namibia. Here, hardly any guest reports not having seen wild cats - except for us. We had extremely bad luck. Another reason to come back here.

Before the return flight, we visit Bezalel Wine & Brandy Estate near Upington for a brandy and wine tasting before heading back to Germany via Johannesburg.

Travel time: 10 - 14 days is ideal.

Tips for the road trip in the Northern Cape.

When driving along the Garden Route, you should take the inland route back to Cape Town via Route 62, which is the longest wine route in the world.

On this route, you will encounter nice little towns, the former ostrich capital of Outshoorn with its ostrich farms, numerous wineries, and very special rest stops. Especially for road trip fans, expect winding roads, passes, and very different landscapes than along the coast of the Garden Route. The semi-desert Klein Karoo lives up to its name, and the thermometer rises to 40°C. For me, it's an underrated route that many ignore in favor of the Garden Route. However, repeat travelers to South Africa have been here at least once.

A detailed report on Route 62 will follow soon.

On this map, I have marked all my past trips to South Africa. Some routes overlap:

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