Self Drive Holidays

Take a rental car for the freedom to travel where you want and when you want….

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Overview

Have you considered taking a self drive safari holiday in South Africa or Namibia? Perhaps friends have done it and told you how easy it is? We certainly believe it is one of the most enjoyable ways to explore these country. You experience beautiful landscapes and meet the people at your own pace.

But perhaps you are more hesitant? Concerned about the condition of the roads, the ease of car hire, or getting lost? Cedarberg Africa started way back in 1995 as self-drive experts for South Africa and Namibia. Thousands of our clients have happily enjoyed a self drive holiday for all or part of their holiday. So we’re here to explain that a self drive safari holiday is easy to enjoy in South Africa or Namibia…

Why Self-drive Holidays in South Africa?

  • Excellent value for money compared to having private transfers or a private guide. See our blog post on Easy self drive tours in South Africa for a comparison of self drive vs private tours.
  • Flexibility – no set daily plan. You can do what you like when you like. All that’s booked for you is your accommodation. So you can get up late if you wish. Or stay longer at a place that grabs you.
  • Select what type of car group you want from compact to luxurious.
  • Driving is on the left, the roads are generally excellent and all the road signs are in English.
  • We provide detailed directions and a comprehensive travel itinerary outlining suggested routes & what to see in each area.
  • GPS or Data on the Go is always included in the rental car. The Data on the Go option gives 1MB of data per day.

South Africa self-drive

Naturally, we craft most of our self-drive holidays to South Africa to your personal needs, taking a detailed brief from you.

Using a specialist tour operator who books a lot of self-drive in South Africa also saves you plenty of time and money. We have all the directions to the hotels and lodges at our fingertips. We know which routes are the easiest and most picturesque. AND we know where GPS is not to be relied on. We also know how far people can comfortably travel in one day and still enjoy their holiday...

Best routes for Self Drive Safari Tours in South Africa?

Probably the routes that everyone finds easy are in the Cape province. You can settle into the country in Cape Town, then have a car delivered to your hotel when you are ready to start exploring around the Cape Peninsula, out to the Winelands. From there you can head north to the Cederberg and West Coast. Or east to the Whale Coast, the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape on a safari.

However there are many other parts of the country to explore. KwaZulu Natal is a perfect destination for self-drive as private touring is expensive there. Plus there's lots of variety. You can also head into more off the beaten track areas such as the Northern Cape, Namaqualand and the Kalahari, the Waterberg or even the northern Limpopo.

South Africa self-drive

Self-Drive Holidays in South Africa: It’s not “all or nothing”...

Of course it’s one thing enjoying a self drive holiday in the Cape or along the Garden Route. You may feel comfortable with that. But you may want road transfers elsewhere? Not a problem! Combining a little bit of self drive with private transfers and touring is a great way to have the best of all worlds.

Top picks for Self Drive Holidays

We enjoyed it all
"Ginny created a holiday that was well-suited to our requirements. The arrangements, timings and itinerary were sensible and all stages of the holiday were faultlessly executed by the chosen represe ..." - Mr John Hartley, UK
The trip was a great success, Thanks Cedarberg
"Thanks again to Cedarberg Africa and you Tash for arranging the bookings and being able to respond when delays in transportation became apparent. Again I have appreciated the significant effort tha ..." - Mr R Brandon, USA
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 themselv ..." - Mrs Carol Ndungu
1st class
"We have had Sonja with Cedarberg plan our trips for years and they have all been excellent. The properties she has chosen for us have all been 1st class and exactly what we wanted. Many were a gian ..." - Mrs Marianna Willis
We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family.
"We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family. From the animals in the Serengeti to the palm fringed perfect beaches of Zanzibar it was two weeks we will ne ..." - Jos Palmer
 
Find me the best in for
Wonderful adventure for us!!
"I want to Thank you for planning another Wonderful adventure for us!! " - S Family
Rwanda was inspiring
"My wife and I approached Cederberg requesting a draft itinerary and recommendations for a visit to Rwanda. We received prompt, well-informed assistance, and a final itinerary which was absolutely p ..." - Mr David, USA
A quite outstanding holiday
"We have just returned from a quite outstanding holiday. Milandi listened to what we wanted and organised it perfectly. The standard of the whole trip was even better than we expected and the itiner ..." - Mr Allan Cole
We had a great time, a very memorable holiday
"Thank you for your patience with us through the planning stage. Standard of room we realise is important to us maybe we should have discussed this more at the planning stage. It was a very memorab ..." - Mrs Sara Brill, USA
Thank you for arranging such an excellent trip!!
"I would like to thank you for arranging such an excellent trip to see the wildflowers in the Cape, and especially for selecting our guide. He was perfect in all respects. He knew where to take us, ..." - Mr Bell
 
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Kate Bergh

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

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