The Rainbow Nation of South Africa is one of the best on the continent when it comes to exploring it yourself on a spectacular self-drive road trip. Thanks to its incredible diversity of breathtaking landscapes, intriguing and fascinating cultures and wonderful wildlife, there's more than enough to discover and an endless network of fabulous routes. 

Before you plan the route, it's good to know that South Africa's road network is generally excellent, with great infrastructure around the major urban centres like Cape Town and Johannesburg and main routes between them well-maintained with world-class highways enabling you to get from A to B very easily. 

The reality is that it's not so cut and dried when it comes to off-the-beaten-track destinations and while the majority of the country's main roads are in good states of repair, there are the odd pockets that can make driving yourself a little more "challenging" when it comes to things like potholes and general road quality - but that's part of the fun of a road trip, isn't it? And in all cases the destinations you'll discover are more than worth the odd spot of careful driving!

So, where's best to begin? South Africa has some fantastic tourism routes across the country which are easy to negotiate and take in some of the best attractions on offer. Cape Town and its surrounds is probably a good start. South Africa's oldest city, known affectionately as the "Mother City" to all and sundry, is located on the Cape Peninsula - a dramatic landscape of soaring mountain peaks and sensational coastline, broken by idyllic bays and fabulous beaches, that takes in some of the best tourism destinations in South Africa.

From the city itself to Cape Point and everything in between, there's a host of things to see and do. Away from the peninsula and out into the historic "hinterland" you'll find the Cape Winelands with romantic wine estates dotting the hillsides in the lee of some sensational mountain ranges. Home to South Africa's second oldest settlement - the gorgeous town of Stellenbosch, where the wine-making industry has its roots - it's well worth exploring this fascinating and jaw-droppingly beautiful region.

From Cape Town you can choose to explore the 300km-long Garden Route to Port Elizabeth. Taking in spots like Hermanus - renowned across the world for its whale watching (whale season starts around July each year and lasts till mid December) - small coastal towns like Witsands, Stillbaai and Albertinia as well as George, Wilderness, Sedgefield and Knysna before going through Plettenberg Bay and the awe-inspiring Tsitsikamma Forest, crossing the Storms River, this is one of the country's best-loved self-drive routes.

At Port Elizabeth you can choose to either fly to Johannesburg and continue your road trip there or drive yourself through the Eastern Cape and Free State, taking in ports of call like the Mountain Zebra National Park and Addo Elephant National Park along the way.

When it comes to wildlife, South Africa's beautiful Lowveld region of Mpumalanga and Limpopo is the place to be. This is the safari capital of the country, filled with some of the most renowned private game reserves, lodges and camps in Africa and home to the legendary Kruger National Park. You can choose to drive from Johannesburg to Mbombela (Nelspruit) or fly and collect your car at the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, heading into the Kruger National Park itself or skirting its western boundary while taking in the beautiful Panorama Route.

This route features incredible landscapes as you drive close to the edge of the Northern Drakensberg escarpment, stopping at dedicated look-out points along the way, taking in breathtaking views, wonderful geographic oddities such as Bourke's Luck Potholes, tremendous experiences such as the Graskop Gorge Lift and the truly phenomenal Blyde River Canyon - the third largest canyon in the world and the biggest "green" canyon in the world. 

You descend via the spectacular Abel Erasmus Pass into the wonderful little Lowveld town of Hoedspruit, gateway to the Kruger Park and the Klaserie, Timbavati and Sabi Sands private game reserves where the Big Five roam. Or take in the private Kruger concessions such as Singita Lebombo and Jock Safari Lodge. 

Further north, and a short drive from Johannesburg via the N1 highway and the city of Polokwane, are the mountains of the Soutpansberg, the northern reaches of the Kruger National Park and the Mapungubwe National Park, along South Africa's northern border with Zimbabwe and Botswana. This is a lesser travelled route, taking in the breathtaking mountains around the town of Louis Trichardt before moving into the tropics and the baobab belt, marvelling at these massive, ancient trees which dot the impressive landscapes.

Head for the Pafuri Gate of the Kruger Park and stay in the Makuleke concession, exploring the spectacular Lanner Gorge and fever tree forests along the Limpopo River floodplains. Or head to Mapungubwe Hill and learn about the ancient culture discovered here and the importance of this unique area where two great rivers - the Limpopo and the Shashe - meet. This is an ancient land of elephants and towering trees and offers more remote, off-the-beaten track but nonetheless beautiful driving.

You can choose to drive back south to Cape Town, stopping along the way in the Karoo, before heading to the gorgeous (and less travelled) West Coast, dotted with gorgeous little farming towns and fishing communities like Paternoster as well as the dramatic peaks of the Cedarberg. Head for the Swartberg, Citrusdal and Clan William and wind your way north to the Touws River, the natural border with the Northern Cape. This is where Namaqualand begins, famed for its spring flowers and dramatic scenery. The Northern Cape is more than worth the effort of getting there, with its vast landscapes and the wonderful Richtersveld National Park (4 x 4 only) and the amazing Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, as well as the impressive Orange River and Augrabies Falls National Park. 

Whatever route you choose, we're here to put together the perfect itinerary for you, with wonderful, luxurious accommodation along the way and the chance to really absorb the amazing spirit of South Africa. Let's chat about putting an amazing self-drive itinerary together for you!