Self Drive Holidays

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

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.

Highlights

  • A self-drive holiday gives you the flexibility to enjoy the day as you want, unconstrained by a set itinerary… the freedom to travel at your own pace.
  • It’s the most affordable way to get around and see the country.
  • Driving is on the left in South Africa and Namibia, the road network is excellent and the signs are all in English.
  • We have several sample self-drive tours in South Africa and Namibia to whet your appetite.

Very good value

"Peter was very helpful and clearly paid attention to our thoughts and ideas – we really valued his recommendations " Ms Winter, UK

Excellent attention to detail

"This is the second holiday that Ginny and her team have arranged for us, and once again the service and attention to detail were excellent. Ginny put together a wonderful tailor made itinerary for our trip, and her recommendations were absolutely perfect in enhancing the trip. In today’s world of being able to arrange most things yourself, I have no doubt that there is no way we could have put together a trip like this, you need the depth of local knowledge that Cedarberg have. I thoroughly recommend Cedarberg Travel " Mrs Janet Mudge, UK

Exactly what we wanted

"The services Cedarberg provided was excellent. We had a few hiccups and needed to change the itinerary a couple of times but Cedarberg was very quick to respond to our needs and helped us out very quickly. All the accommodations were excellent and suited us perfectly for what we wanted and doing at that time. " Mrs Kim Swain
 

Mari Jacobs

Africa Travel Specialist

Hi I'm Mari, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience

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Did you know
  • Speed Limit in South Africa & Namibia120 km/hour on the highways
  • Cross BorderYou can drive between South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Eswatini & Botswana

Accommodation

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Competitively Priced

"Cedarberg were helpful, easy to deal with, competitively priced. " Mrs Jane Perrins, UK

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 perfect. Our tour of the country was well-structured in terms of acclimatisation, pace and variety. On the second last day of our visit, we met up with another group who had opted for a different tour agency, and were exhausted by the disproportionate amount of time spent on the road rather than enjoying the delights of their respective destinations. " Mr David, USA

Delivered the goods

"Cedarberg took on board what we wanted and delivered the goods!! Accommodation everywhere was fantastic we couldn’t have asked for any more! Preferred safari at madikwe as saw loads more because the rangers could go off road, would definitely look at this type of safari next time. " Mr Eastwood, UK

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