Adventurous Self Drive

A self-drive holiday to Mozambique or Botswana offers an affordable way to get around but there are things to consider…

Scroll for more

What Counts as an Adventurous Self-Drive Holiday?

Lesotho-Sani-Pass-South-Africa-Self-Drive

What counts as β€˜adventurous’ is always up for debate. For some, it’s leaving the GPS behind. For others, it’s travelling more than an hour without a cappuccino. But when we talk about adventurous self-drive holidays, we mean journeys into wilder, less-travelled parts of Southern Africaβ€”often on gravel, sand, or β€˜β€™roads’’ that may bear no resemblance to those you know.

Most of our self-drive holidays in South Africa, and even Namibia, are comfortable and easy to navigate. But for those seeking something a bit more rugged, here’s what you need to know.

First Things First: What We Do and Don’t Offer at Cedarberg

  • We do tailor-make trips into remote areas of South Africa and Namibia for travellers with a solid sense of adventure.
  • We don’t offer 4x4 self-drive convoys β€”that’s a specialist game, not our jam.
  • We won’t recommend anything we wouldn’t do ourselves (and many of us have).

We always start with a discussion as to what is feasible and comfortable for YOU.

There is plenty of scope to be more adventurous in both South Africa and Namibia. (Parts of Namibia are definitely adventurous!.) But this is discussed on the Namibia self drive page.

However, there are two other countries for which we get quite a bit of interest in terms of self-drive safari trips.

Adventurous Self-Drive in Mozambique

SUV Required – And a Sense of Humour
Adventurous Self drive in mozambique
Africa Mozambique. The road through the jungle.

A self drive trip intoΒ Southern MozambiqueΒ is only for adventurous travellers.

It's only for those who’ve done a bit of 4x4 driving in challenging conditions elsewhere. Think "World's Worst Roads" and then you’ll have the right benchmark.

The road through the Mozambique peace park via South Africa’s Kruger National Park, gives you the opportunity to combine an adventurous safari with the beach. However, we would recommend taking a 4Γ—4 to give you extra confidence on theΒ veryΒ sandy roads.

  • 4x4 is essential
  • Fuel and distance planning is critical
  • Travel is slow - thanks to both road conditions and strictly enforced speed limits around villages
  • We recommend going no further north than Inhambane Province (think: Tofo or Barra Beach)

We’ve done it ourselves and can advise accordingly.

Want to read more? See our blog article: Adventurous Self drive and the inner Camel Man...'

Β 

Adventurous Self-Drive in Botswana: What’s feasible

Why It’s Rare (and Often Not Recommended)

Cedaberg-Africa-Adventurous Self driveBotswana sounds like the ultimate road trip. But in reality, it’s better suited to fly-in safaris unless you’re a seasoned traveller with serious time on your hands.

Here’s why:

  • Hefty Cross-border rental charges
  • The terrain is flat, remote and often featureless for large stretches
  • The big wildlife highlights (Okavango, Chobe) are not reachable by normal car
  • So most travellers need to leave their vehicle in Maun, then fly into the Okavango Delta

We do not book self-drive into the Okavango Delta for international visitors. That’s strictly the domain of experienced South African 4x4 travellersβ€”usually in convoys, with sand ladders and satellite phones. (And even then, they can get stuck)

So once people realise that, the interest usually tails off.

However, it CAN be done. But only if you have lots of time (several weeks), and you want to combine countries e.g. Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. But even then, you'll need to leave your rental car in Maun and flying into the Okavango Delta for a 2-3 night safari.

So, What Do We Recommend?

There’s still plenty of scope for a more rugged self-drive trip:

Cedarberg-Africa Self-drive Route 6 - Sanbona elephants

  • Namibia’s remote north or deep south
  • South Africa’s Kalahari Desert, Richtersveld or Far North (Mapungubwe)
  • Multi-country combos: e.g. drive from South Africa through Namibia and end in Botswana

These routes offer big landscapes, little traffic, and real adventureβ€”without needing to pack your own spare fuel tank. (Though we always arrange an extra spare tyre.)

No Templates, Just Tailored Trips

We don’t offer sample trips because every adventurous traveller is different. But if you have the time, experience and a flexible spirit, we’d love to help build something unique for you.

See our Self-Drive South Africa or Namibia Self-Drive pages for inspiration. Or back to the main page

Download our Insiders Guide to Namibia Safaris

Major Game Reserves, Sample Tours & Camps, plus the low-down on Best Time to Visit! Get our Free Guide here
Find me the best in for
WHAT AN AMAZING SAFARI! An outstanding job!
"WHAT AN AMAZING SAFARI! What an outstanding job you did! From the arrival of the guests to the end of the safari. I’ll speak on my behalf and let the other guests speak for themselves and give their own opinions. Let me just say the Safari amazing…., The team did an outstanding job, from the day of arrival at the airport with ground handlers to the drivers, to the departure da ..." - Mrs Carol Ndungu
"We had a fantastic trip and were so pleased with your suggestions. I’m sure we will return to SA at some point in the future and would love to do more Safari trips elsewhere in Africa once the pound/dollar exchange rate improves. We were delighted with Cedarburg and will recommend you to anyone thinking of travelling to Africa. " - Milandi
We will certainly use Cedarberg again
"All the arrangements worked perfectly – no hiccups at all. We will certainly use Cedarberg again and will recommend the company to others. We were particularly impressed by the fact that the ground agents met us from every flight and saw us on to the next flight so if anything had gone awry there was someone on hand to help us sort it out. As one gets older that is enormously comforting. " - Ms Sandra Clark, UK
Most amazing holiday in SA
"Thank you for the most amazing holiday in South Africa. The three lodges were all selected with great care and each had a different atmosphere. All transfers worked entirely smoothly and we were even met on arrival at Johannesburg airport to be escorted the few yards to the airport hotel! Cedarberg really came into their own when BA messed up theoutgoing flight (twice) and Ginny spent her entir ..." - Mr Mike Ricks, UK
Extremely helpful
"Peter was extremely helpful. He answered any questions and concerns I had really quickly. Cedarberg website is great with lots of tips. I thought the booking information and itinerary wereΒ outstanding and all the pre holiday information made us feel really looked after. " - Mrs Lottie Murphy, UK
 
staff image

Anja du Plessis

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Hi I'm Anja, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience GET IN TOUCH