8-Days Cape & Garden Route Self-Drive Safari

When you arrive in Cape Town, pick up your rental car at the airport, then drive to your hotel to spend your first night. If you arrive early, either drive around the city on your own or reserve a city tour with us. The next day’s journey should be planned now that there is so much to see and do in this lovely city.

Drive around the Cape Peninsular in your safari vehicle. Travel all the way to the Cape of Good Hope passing by beautiful Chapman’s Peak Drive, then make a stop in Simons Town to see the penguins on the way back. Check out Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden afterward if you’re curious. You will travel through some of Cape Town’s most picturesque locations throughout this tour.

Today, if the weather is cooperative, we advise taking the cable car up Table Mountain or visiting Robben Island, the former prison where Nelson Mandela was held. The V&A Waterfront is a great place to shop and stroll about. It is possible to pre-book a day trip from Hermanus during whale season to observe Southern Right Whales.

After breakfast, depart Cape Town and go to the breathtakingly magnificent Cape Winelands. Check in to La Fontaine, where you will spend the night, and then leave on the renowned Wine Tram for a wine-tasting tour. There isn’t a better method to sample wines.

Avoid leaving too late because it would take about 5 hours to travel across the Little Karoo on the picturesque route R62. Today’s target is Oudtshoorn, a city noted for the Cango Caves and its ostrich feather industry. As you go farther into the dry Karoo, take note of the dramatic shift in scenery. You can still visit both this afternoon if you get there early enough; if not, you can visit one in the morning while traveling to Knysna.

Cross the Outeniqua Mountain Pass, then descend to Knysna, a town with stunning scenery. You can take a cruise on the lagoon at The Heads or the Knysna Quays.

The area around Knysna offers a lot of enjoyable activities. It is highly advised to visit Tsitsikamma and make a stop to marvel at the Bloukrans Bungee, which was formerly the tallest in the world. Alternately, spend the day unwinding at Plettenberg Bay’s beach or touring the Featherbed Nature Reserve.

Today marks your departure from South Africa. Before taking out for your return flight, go to George and return your rental car. Ask about an additional safari to one of the magnificent Eastern Cape Game Reserves if you aren’t quite ready to return home. You can also choose to return the vehicle to Cape Town by driving there or to Port Elizabeth.