Perhaps the finest thing about South Africa is its diversity. There are 11 official languages and many more cultural groups, each with their own stories, dances, customs and traditional dishes. There are snow-capped mountains, tropical beaches, stark semi deserts, ocean-weathered cliffs and vast savannah lands home to birds and beetles and all of the Big Five. This patchwork of landscapes makes for some exceptional road tripping territory, wherever you choose to begin your South African journey.
Here are three you can’t miss.
Cape Town to the Cederberg
The busy N1 highway takes you out of Cape Town towards the Winelands. You’re headed towards Wellington, but consider a detour to Spice Route in Paarl to graze on biltong, chocolate, charcuterie, coffee or beer, all produced on site. Once in Wellington, take the narrow, winding and beautifully vertiginous Bainskloof Pass, then take a 20km detour to visit Tulbagh, a wine town known for its MCC (Méthode Cap Classique – the local name for Champagne-style wines) and its historic street lined with national monuments. Stop for a cellar tour and tasting at Twee Jonge Gezellen or grab a country lunch under the trees at the Olive Terrace.
From here, backtrack towards Wolseley taking the short but scenic Michell’s Pass into Ceres. Once you leave Ceres behind, the road north begins its steady climb through Prince Albert Hamlet and up into the mountains. The tarred road suddenly turns to gravel as you reach the outskirts of the Cederberg Wilderness Area, where immense blue skies meet the craggy orange rock formations these mountains are known for. The region is also rich in ancient rock paintings – get a glimpse at the Stadsaal Caves, a scenic and peaceful place to break your journey.
People thought local farmers were mad when they first planted grapes up here, but the Cederberg Winery produces some truly excellent wines. Stop to buy some bottles on the family farm, where you can also pick up a hiking permit for one of the many day walks taking anything from 45 minutes to eight hours.
By day the mountains are an ochre-hued marvel but the area is no less impressive at night, when the crisp, clear skies offer exceptional star-gazing opportunities. When you’re ready to move on, the gravel road cuts straight through the mountains, eventually joining the N7 highway, which zooms you back to Cape Town in under three hours.
Durban to Clarens
Leave behind the urban bustle of Durban and make for the misty hills of the Midlands along the N3. Hop off at Howick, where the Midmar Dam and nearby Howick Falls make for pretty places to picnic. Just outside Howick, on the R103, is the Nelson Mandela Capture Site with its inimitable sculpture portraying South Africa’s first democratically elected president. It is at this site that the apartheid police captured Mandela in 1962 after more than a year on the run. Today, a modest exhibition tells the story of Mandela’s life.
The Capture Site also marks the start of the Midlands Meander, a slightly twee string of craft studios, gift shops and artisanal food producers. Along the way, shop for pottery at the Ardmore Ceramic Studio, and settle down for a pub lunch with a pint of porter at Nottingham Road Brewing Company, one of the country’s oldest microbreweries. Soon afterwards, the R103 re-joins the national road and things really start to get scenic. In the distance, the 3000-metre-high peaks of the Drakensberg come into view and the roads begin to offer options for a selection of side trips to explore the mountains.
If you don’t have time to stop for a hike, you do at least get some great views from the road. Leave the N3 at Winterton and follow the R74 as it offers impressive vistas of the Drakensberg amphitheatre.
The road hugs the edge of the Sterkfontein Dam as you enter the Free State. It is here that you veer off towards Clarens, a darling little town popular with Johannesburg weekenders. Browse shops selling local art then settle into one of the town’s cosy restaurants to watch the Clarens action, such as it is, in the Village Square.
Johannesburg to the Pilanesberg
When it comes to big cities like Johannesburg, traffic can be inevitable, but it is remarkable how quickly you can escape the city limits and find yourself surrounded by nature. It’s only 50km from downtown Johannesburg to the so-called Cradle of Humankind, named for its early fossil finds.
Get to grips with the region’s long, long history at the Sterkfontein Caves, where hominid skeletons dating back millions of years have been unearthed. The nearby Wonder Cave is South Africa’s third largest cave chamber, filled with impressive stalagmites and stalactites. It was first discovered by miners digging for gold at the end of the 19th century. Also worth a stop is Maropeng, an interactive museum where you can trace the origins of humankind, then travel back in time on a cheesy but fun indoor boat trip.
There are small game reserves in this area but instead leave the Cradle behind in favour of seeking out the Big Five. The route will take you through the forest-topped hills of the Magaliesberg where you can soar above the treetops on a zipline canopy tour.
On leaving the Magaliesberg you briefly join the N4 highway but shortly after Rustenburg turn off at the R565 towards the Pilanesberg National Park. Here your road trip will take on a distinctly different pace as you roll down the windows, change down a gear or two and sidle around the 550-sq-km park in search of elephants, rhino, lions, hippos and a couple of hundred different types of bird.
Lonely Planet has produced this article for British Airways Holidays and Avis. All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect our policy of editorial independence and impartiality.
