South Africa Self-Drive Highlights

Duration: 17 days

Location: South Africa

Highlights: Cape Town, Winelands, Hermanus, Oudtshoorn, Garden Route, Addo Elephant Park

Price: £2,699ppSummer Offer : £2,435pp

The perfect cocktail, this 17 night self-drive tour from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape, mixes South Africa’s stunning coastlines, soaring mountains, beautiful vineyards, incredible wildlife and lots of open road. Staying in a collection of boutique guest lodges you will take in the highlights of Cape Town, the Winelands, Whale Coast, Route 62, Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park.

SPEAK TO THE SPECIALISTS

This is just one idea. We have lots more up our sleeve. So let’s talk South Africa, call 01273 923100 now. Or if you are worried the boss will be listening in, drop us an email, holidays@sundownerholidays.co.uk

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: London to Cape Town
Fly overnight from the UK to Cape Town.

Day 2: Cape Town
On arrival into Cape Town you will collect your hire car and drive into the city, (enjoying the fantastic views of Table Mountain), heading to the colourful Bo Kaap district of the city to spend 3 nights at the Parker Cottage, a gorgeous owner-run boutique hotel in an excellent city location.

Days 3 & 4: Cape Town
Two free days to explore Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. With Parker Cottage’s central location, the V&A Waterfront, Atlantic beaches and Table Mountain are spitting distance away. We can also arrange some great excursions and activities to show off the culture, history, and adventure of the city. See our Cape Town guide to find out more on what there is to do in the city.

Day 5: Cape Town to Franschhoek (Winelands)
Leaving the Mother City this morning, you will drive approx. 1 hour into the stunning valleys of the Cape Winelands, heading to the village of Franschhoek to spend 2 nights at the Auberge Clermont. Another owner-run gem on a working wine and fruit farm, this guest farm lies in the heart of the Franschhoek Valley. Settle in this afternoon with a dip in the pool.

Day 6: Franschhoek Valley
Free day to explore this beautiful part of South Africa! You can spend a lazy day sampling the delicious wines and enjoying the numerous award winning restaurants in the village or, if you what something planned, we can help with some great ideas – horse-riding, vineyard hikes, picnics….. we can help you decide.

Day 7: Franschhoek to Hermanus (Whale Coast)
A beautiful 3hr drive will take you over the stunning Franschhoek Pass and south to the town of Hermanus on the Whale Coast to spend 2 nights at the 138 Marine Beachfront Guesthouse. Considered one of the best accommodation options in town, this friendly 6 room property offers great hospitality and a great coastal location!

Day 8: Hermanus
Free day to enjoy the Whale Coast. During Whale season (June – December) you can enjoy land and sea based whale watching, and out of season you have great hiking, kayaking, surfing, boat trips and for the brave, cage diving with the Great Whites!

Day 9: Hermanus to Oudtshoorn (via Route 62)
The biggest drive of the trip today at approx. 5hrs, but another great journey to join the Route 62 at the Langeberg Mountains and continue into the Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn. You will spend 2 nights at La Plume Boutique Guest House – nestled amidst lush green grass terraces with vibrant gardens and offering spectacular views of the Swartberg Mountains and the Olifants River Valley, La Plume provides an escape from the busy everyday life and crowded spaces on this sustainable ostrich, alfalfa, and cattle farm.

Day 10: Oudtshoorn
Full day to enjoy the attractions of Oudtshoorn (ostrich farms or Cango Caves) and the activities available. Our recommendation on the farm is their sunrise Wild Meerkat adventure tour – booking is essential, so let us know if this sounds like something you’d love to include!

Day 11: Oudtshoorn to Plettenberg Bay
Driving south to the coast today you will hit the beautiful Garden Route and pass Wilderness Beach and Knysna Lagoon, heading to Plettenberg Bay. One of the best spots on the Garden Route, you will spend 3 nights at Christiana Lodge an elegant hotel in the heart of Plettenberg, just a short 5-minute walk from the acclaimed Robberg Beach!

Days 12 & 13: Plettenberg Bay
Two free days to relax by the coast and hang up the car keys! Or alternatively, this area could keep you busy for weeks – boat trips, cycling, Monkey World, golf, hiking, the highest bungee from a bridge in the world and more. Ask us what we would recommend based on what you like.

Day 14: Plettenberg to Addo Elephant Park
Following a final morning in Plettenberg you will drive the final 3hr section of the Garden Route to the Eastern Cape, heading to Addo Elephant Park where you will spend your final 3 nights at Camp Figtree. Hidden in the Zuurberg Mountains on the border of the Addo Elephant Park, this safari retreat offers a perfect end to the holiday with a mix of wildlife and relaxation.

Days 15 & 16: Addo Elephant Park
Two full days to enjoy this stunning camp. The Camp Figtree Eco Reserve offers guests sundowner walks, mountain biking and bush picnics, and the lodge also offers game drives into Addo Elephant Park itself. Or if you would prefer to be in a private game reserve for a more immersive safari experience then do ask us for recommendations.

Day 17: Port Elizabeth to the UK
After a final morning and hearty breakfast you will drive 1hr to Port Elizabeth Airport, drop off your hire car, and fly back to the UK (via Johannesburg).

Day 18: Home
Welcome home….(how many photos!)

Aerial view of Cape Town

The colourful houses of Bo Kaap, Cape Town.

Auberge Clermont pool

Auberge Clermont

Spot Whales in Hermanus

Meerkat Country, De Zeekoe Farm

Plettenburg Bay. Garden Route

Stunning views of the Zuurberg Mountains, Camp Figtree

Safari time!

Spot cheetah in Addo

This South Africa holiday idea has a Summer price starting from £2,435pp and £2,699pp outside of the Summer months. It includes International flights (price based on London travelling), internal flights, all accommodation on a sharing basis, 15 nights B&B and 16 days Group C car hire on a premium two driver basis with Avis.

Now let’s make this holiday yours

Want to add a few nights? Want to change Addo for the Kruger? Want to tailor this to your family? Fancy some beach time? Want to get some other hotel options? Let us do the work. Call 01273 923100 now or complete an enquiry form.

The latest word on the street about South Africa holidays:

Her suggestions were amazing, our expectations were pretty high to begin with, but were massively exceeded in each place without exception. Each transfer went off without a hitch, and she’d primed each hotel that it was an anniversary celebration and we were greeted with champagne at every one of them, one of them even made us a cake!

Stewart Brooke South Africa & Seychelles

The selection of accommodation was exactly what we would have chosen from colonial Elephant house to coastal Lavender Manor. The fab boutique hotel in Cape Town was a great location for New Year celebrations and the trip to Franschoek and the winelands fabulous, not just the wine hic hic but the journey there and the spectacular scenery on the drive over.
Thank you for a great experience and abundance of memories.

Sue McCarthy South Africa

From the minute we checked in at the Emirates desk to the minute we landed back in the UK, everything was perfect. Our accommodation was WOW, our transfer drivers and trips were WOW. I don’t want to share where we stayed because they were so special and if we want to go back, I don’t want to find them unavailable!!!

Brenda Douglas South Africa

We can honestly say it was the best holiday we have ever had. The small boutique guest houses were all amazing and certainly gave us a real flavour of the country. We drove to Cape Town where our lovely hotel was a perfect base to explore this beautiful place and beaches along with all the sights.

Sue James South Africa

Jo arranged our once in a lifetime trip to South Africa and we could not have had a better time. It has been the best holiday we have ever had and will certainly be using Sundowner again for any other long haul trips. Don’t hesitate to give them a call – you wont regret it

Sally Dowell South Africa

We have just arrived back after the most incredible road trip around South Africa. Jo organised everything perfectly for us, we didn’t want to come home. We would even go to say it was our best ever holiday and we have been to some lovely destinations. The whole holiday was just perfect in every way.

Cheryl Gallo South Africa

We had a self-drive holiday to KwaZuluNatal which was a wonderful experience from start to finish. We can thoroughly recommend this part of South Africa. The people encountered were delightful and we are already thinking about a return visit.

Barry & Chris South Africa

The boutique Guest Houses Sundowners chose were exceptional – fabulous settings, quality and service. The whole trip was excellently planned and organised, no hitches at all.

Lucy Berkhout South Africa

We loved the safari in Zambia. Such brilliant, friendly guides. The diving at Thonga was another favourite because of the colours and variety of sea life. All in all, it was a great fun, exciting, informative and relaxing holiday.

Isaac Tilney Zambia & South Africa

We just wanted to say thank you for organising such a wonderful holiday for us. We had such an amazing 10 days and everything went just as planned. We would highly recommend James to our friends and the order that we visited each place was perfect. We were lucky in Cape Town as one of the days was warm and sunny so we were able to get up to Table Mountain before we left for Hermanus. We also braved great white shark cage diving and saw plenty of whales on our lovely walk along the Hermanus coastal path.

Lina Valent South Africa

Superb honeymoon – everything was taken out of our hands so we could completely relax. The quality and detail of accommodation and safari were perfect.

Melissa Mochrie South Africa

This was a holiday of a lifetime. Apart from the financial investment, we invested a lot of hope in it. It did not disappoint – everything worked from beginning to end. James designed an excellent itinerary which fully catered for our needs. Satisfying an age range 15-51 is no mean feat and all 6 of us had a great time.

The Chain Family South Africa

Such a fabulous time that it may require a return visit! A big thank you to James for all his help with bookings and arrangements/advice.

Yvonne Phayre South Africa

Thank you so much for organising our SA trip. So appreciative of all the help and advice James gave me when planning it. I shall certainly recommend you to my friends as an excellent travel agent to use when thinking of travelling.

Henry Johnson South Africa

We had a wonderful time – everything went well. Great time to go – schools were back so most of the time everywhere was quiet….driving easy and I’d forgotten they drive on the same side as we do! Thanks for putting together a great itinerary – we did lots of walking (forests and beach), canoeing, wine drinking, sight seeing …the Garden Route is such a wonderful part of the country!

Magda Flowers South Africa

Many thanks for all you have done for us for the holiday, it went to so well and all of us had an amazing time. It brought us together as a family and it was super time together.

Natalie Dylan South Africa

We absolutely loved South Africa, the whole holiday was superb – thank you for organising. We fell in love with Cape Town and Trevoyan Guesthouse, the location, restaurants, tourist attractions and would love to return at some point. And the best highlight was definitely Garonga, we loved it. Amazing location & hospitality. We would thoroughly recommend it.

Ines Delaware South Africa

Thank you for everything. The trip went without a hitch and we really enjoyed every minute of it. I should say a special thanks for suggesting Buffalo Ridge lodge, we saw loads, and the staff there were all fantastic. It’s great that it really is a community lodge and it’s great to know you are promoting them!

Drew Cottrell South Africa

Thank you for the FABULOUS arrangements on our South Africa safari.

Victoria Medlham South Africa

The honeymoon was fantastic. The best experience. Everything went to plan no problems. The Cape Town car hire was a fantastic recommendation that meant we got to go everywhere. Garonga was just perfect. Accommodation outstanding and Food and service 5*. The highlight…. an encounter with a leopard on safari one morning, got the heart pumping slightly. Thanks for putting it together for us.

Matt Kelley South Africa

I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work with regards to our wedding at Garonga over Christmas. Everything was perfect and all the people we came into contact with were lovely. We couldn’t have been happier. The wedding at Garonga was just outstanding and the people at Four Rosmead genuinely couldn’t have done more for us. Many thanks, once again, for your efforts which were so pivotal in making our dream wedding happen.

Bill Banyon South Africa

Thank you for organising our trip. We had such an amazing time, really a trip of a life time. Everything went smoothly bar a couple of days bad weather in cape town. All the accomondatipn was amazing but in particular Garonga, such a great place. We saw everything and the room, food and service incredible. I really feel that I couldn’t have had a better honeymoon.

Tom Cusston South Africa

Thank you for helping us to arrange what has been one of the best holidays we have ever had. We have seen so much-the most amazing scenery and an incredible range of wildlife that we have come back with over 3000 photos to sort out! Everything went according to plan,all the accomodation was top notch. So thank you again. We will certainly reccomend both you and South Africa to anyone showing any interest in going there.

Sarah Huxley South Africa

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