Self-Drive Tour around the Cape

Individual arrival in Cape Town (flight optional). After your arrival the rental car handover takes place and drive to Stellenbosch (approx. 50 km). On request we can book an overnight stay in Cape Town with airport transfer and rental car handover the next day (optional). 2 nights at Besigheim Guest House.

Today your car rental tour starts and you can visit the famous wine growing area in and around Stellenbosch. This includes Paarl and Franschhoek. We recommend wine tastings at various wineries. Or take a tour with the sidecar in Franschhoek. We will be happy to assist you with bookings in advance. A visit to the Dorpsmuseum in Stellenbosch is also recommended.

Drive to Oudtshoorn (approx. 450 km). We recommend a visit to the Cango Caves and a visit to an ostrich farm, where you will learn everything about the big birds: from egg to adult (optional). 1 night at Thabile Lodge.

Drive towards Addo National Park (approx. 340 km). You will stay outside on a very interesting organic citrus farm. We recommend an afternoon game drive through the Addo in your own vehicle (optional). 2 nights at The Kraal Country Estate.

You can book morning and afternoon game drives in an open safari vehicle with a ranger through Addo National Park or you can do your own game drive with a rental car (both optional). Addo Elephant National Park offers the rare opportunity to go on safari and see big game in a malaria-free area. Since October 2003 the “Big 5” are at home here again. But that’s not all: the park is the largest in the Eastern Cape and is home not only to the big land animals but also to whales and the great white shark, i.e. the Big Seven! That’s because the 120,000-hectare park also includes a marine protected area. This also includes a few islands, such as St. Croix, which is home to the largest African penguin colony in the world.

Drive to Kenton-on Sea (about 115 km). You will stay in a guesthouse in the village and can do various activities independently, for example rent a bike or a sandboard and enjoy the nature directly in the surroundings. A boat trip is also possible (all optional). 1 overnight stay at Sky Blue guesthouse. Note: For an additional charge you can stay at the Amakhala Game Reserve (Quartermains 1920 Safari Camp as well as Woodbury Tented Camp) or at the Sibuya Game Reserve.

After breakfast we continue to Cape St. Francis (approx. 340 km). St. Francis Bay is considered a water sports paradise and with its white sandy beach is especially popular with South African families. During the whale season – August to October – whales can be observed in St. Francis Bay. Dolphins are also frequently sighted. The harbor is a center for squid fishing and also a popular starting point for deep-sea fishing trips. About 10 kilometers south of St. Francis Bay is Cape St. Francis with its “Seal Point Lighthouse”. This striking and very well preserved lighthouse can be visited (optional). It was built in 1878, after many ships were doomed by the reefs off the cape. At the nature reserve at Cape St Francis you can hike through the fynbos landscape or climb on the cliffs and admire the mighty surf waves. The Penguin Rescue Station is also open to visitors and worth a visit (optional). Your accommodation is right on the beach. 1 Overnight at the Club Break guesthouse Cape St Francis Resort.

Continue to Storms River Village (approx. 150 km). Storms River Village is located just off the N2 (highway), a short distance east of Plettenberg Bay. The village exudes a friendly atmosphere and is characterized by the excited chatter of tourists eager to experience the many adrenaline-pumping activities in the region. One of the many attractions of the place is the Elvis-style 60’s restaurant “Marilyn’s 60’s Diner” right next to the Tsitsikamma Village Inn. The actual Storms River meanders through the Tsitsikamma Mountains and the estuary is just a few minutes drive from the village in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The estuary is definitely worth a visit – we recommend a short walk from the restaurant across the pebble beach to the suspension bridge, which offers breathtaking views over the rocks, bays and roaring ocean waves. 1 night at the Tsitsikamma Village Inn.

Today you can drive to Tsitsikamma National Park and take a hike to the suspension bridge (optional). Afterwards drive to Knysna, meanwhile you can visit theMonkeyland and Birds of Eden (optional) – total distance: about 100 km. 2 nights at Brenton on Sea Cottages.

Morning excursion to Knysna Heads in Featherbed Nature Park (optional). This park is privately owned and is a South African Heritage Site. A paradise on the Western Knysna Heads. The two Heads are situated on the Knysna Lagoon, which is famous for the Knysna Oysters as well as the rare Seahorses. The guided tour starts at 10am by taking a ferry across the lagoon (optional). Afterwards, you will be driven to the tip by a tractor and trailer and hike back to the jetty. You will take the ferry back to the mainland. The afternoon is at your leisure in Knysna.

Continue your journey along the Garden Route. The Garden Route is the stretch between Tsitsikamma and Mossel Bay, here you will find many lagoons and inland seas. This route runs between the Tsitsi Ridge Mountains, the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. We recommend a stop in Wilderness, known for its long white beaches and lagoon. Continue to Mossel Bay. This harbor town is popular with tourists and the area is also an important farming region for the Western Cape. Here you can visit the Post Tree, which offers much history from the Portuguese seafaring days. Participation in a farm tour is possible. 1 overnight stay at the Skeiding Guest Farm.

In the morning there is the possibility to visit Bontebok National Park for game viewing of antelopes (optional). Afterwards we recommend a visit (optional) to De Hoop Nature Reserve – the “floral kingdom” of fynbos. Hardly any other nature reserve offers as much as De Hoop: the sea, the dunes, the vlei and the many rare fynbos plants, various antelopes and the Potberg give the area its flair. It is very suitable for bird watching. Whales can also be seen from June to November with a little luck from the land. We continue via Cape Agulhas to Hermanus (approx. 260 km). Cape Agulhas is geographically the southernmost point of the African continent and here the two oceans meet: the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. 1 night in Baleens Hotel or Windsor Hotel (without sea view) or in a guesthouse.

Drive along the spectacular route via Kleinmond and Gordons Bay to Cape Town (approx. 120 km). First you check in at your accommodation. Then you can optionally join a guided city tour. 2 nights at the Braeside B&B guesthouse.

We recommend an excursion at the Cape Peninsula with Cape of Good Hope, Chapmans Peak, Simonstown with Penguins and Kirstenbosch (optional).

Today you will drive to the airport and drop off your rental car. Afterwards your individual
return journey (flight optional).