South Africa
My husband and I would like to holiday in South Africa and travel the Garden Route as well as stay in a game park. We don’t really want to tour around with lots of other people. How safe and easy is it to rent a car and travel on our own? What do you suggest? Anne and Jeff
Answers
Wendy Farrar recommends...
Posted On 12.04.07
It is very easy to rent a car in South Africa and, of course, they drive on the left. In Cape Town I recommend you don’t drive but book local excursions to Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Point etc. Then arrange to have your rental car delivered to your hotel in Cape Town.
There are plenty of gas stations along the route but very few take credit cards - only cash! Road signs are easy to read.
I suggest that after Cape Town you drive to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for some wine tasting, then Hermanus for whale watching (the best time is June – November), Oudtshoorn to visit an ostrich farm, Knysna for its beautiful waterfront cafes overlooking the lagoon, Plettenberg Bay to see the Cape seals, Addo for the Addo Elephant National Park and finally visit the Shamwari game reserve which is currently free from malaria and home to the Big Five. Fly back from Port Elizabeth.
Greg Holliday recommends...
Posted On 12.04.07
The best time to visit the Garden Route is in the African spring - late September/October. The colours are glorious. I drove the route in February with my elderly mother and we felt extremely safe wherever we went. We flew into Port Elizabeth via Jo'burg and drove for an hour to Grahamstown to a converted sheep farm near the Shamwari Game Reserve. Grahamstown is a university town and well worth a visit. We took a beautiful evening river cruise followed by a braii (barbeque).
At Knysna we stayed at one hotel near the lagoon and took day trips rather than change hotels every day. From here it’s a day’s drive Franschhoek and only an hour's drive to Cape Town from Franschhoek. I highly recommend South Africa. It is a beautiful country and still extremely good value for money.
Linda Chisholm recommends...
Posted On 12.04.07
South Africa is my favorite destination. It is easy to drive over there and the roads are excellent. From Cape Town I suggest you take the coast road down to Chapman’s Peak - considered to be one of the most scenic drives in Africa. Then travel across to Simon’s Town and visit Boulders Beach. I absolutely loved sitting on this beach surrounded by penguins.
Hermanus is a beautiful area. From there, I drove to Mossel Bay for one night before driving up the Robinson Pass to Oudtshoorn where the Cango Caves are well worth visiting. From here we drove down the Oudtshoorn Pass into George and along the coast to Plettenberg Bay. This and neighboring Knysna is a good place to base yourself if you do not want to do much driving. Everything is here - sailing, golf, walking, horse riding, even bungee jumping. We moved on to Port Elizabeth for an overnight to break our journey, before heading on to the excellent Shamwari Game Reserve. The standard of accommodation is superb and we saw the Big Five - very exciting.
Elaine Blatcher recommends...
Posted On 12.04.07
Driving in South Africa is safe as long as you stay on the main roads. I don’t recommend travelling at night, especially in Cape Town.
Take a flashlight and a cell phone. ATM machines are readily available in most centers. The one on Capetown’s waterfront handles about nine currencies. The main Manor at Shamwari Game Reserve is expensive but there are satellite game lodges like Amakulu which are as good and cheaper. Medical care can be very expensive, so take good travel insurance.
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