Self Drive Holidays

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

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Overview

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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

Cedarberg recommendations matched perfectly!
"Cedarberg have a detailed knowledge of the country and took time to understand our budget, desires and preferences to create a wonderful multi-centred holiday for us. They were helpful fine-tuning ..." - Mr Brian Collins UK
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
Very helpful discussions
"Very helpful discussions beforehand to give us lots of options. The personalised website was really good. The pre-holiday booklet was really useful as well. " - Mrs Rachel O'Connell, UK
As always an excellent itinerary
"Choices of lodges was perfect. Everything went extraordinarily smoothly. As always an excellent itinerary, great local agent/guide/driver and good trip notes. Good to hear from Milandi personally w ..." - Mr Tim Flesher, UK
Very good value
"Peter was very helpful and clearly paid attention to our thoughts and ideas – we really valued his recommendations " - Ms Winter, UK
 
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Great to deal with
"Cedarberg were really great to deal with. The Drakensberg mountains were spectacular. We most enjoyed Victoria Falls that literally took your breath away.  The river boat cruises at Livingstone we ..." - Mr Martin Butler, UK
Everything was perfectly organised
"Mari did an incredible job planning our holiday. Not only did Mari communicate extremely well throughout the whole process, but the trip was beyond our expectations " - Mr Yeats, USA
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 were outstan ..." - Mrs Lottie Murphy, UK
10 out of 10 for everything
"The holiday was exceptionally good and we all enjoyed every moment, especially my son Stephen (10 years old). The fact that Stephen enjoyed it says a lot since he is a seasoned traveller (as are mo ..." - Family De Waal,
It was the most amazing trip I have ever been on!
"It was the most amazing trip I have ever been on. I still can’t believe I was able to have the experience. We were treated like royalty the entire time. Thank you for doing such an amazing jo ..." - Mrs A Booth
 
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Sonja Brand

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

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