Remote South Africa – 5 Detours for The Road Less Travelled

Beyond the Mountains: 5 Remote Places in South Africa to enjoy the vast grandeur of without undertaking a ‘groot trek’ all of your own

If you want big skies, empty roads and that delicious silence that comes with the South African interior –  without sacrificing your whole itinerary -these five regions deliver. They’re remote in feel, but realistic in driving time, which makes them perfect as 2-to-4-night easy detours from Cape Town, the Winelands, Garden Route or Eastern Cape.

---

Let’s be honest: the idea of disappearing into the wide-open unknown is far more glamorous than the reality of it at 6pm, when you’re hungry, slightly lost, and your signal has surrendered.

And yet… the pull is real.

There’s something deeply restorative about the more remote areas of South Africa: when the traffic thins, the horizon widens, and the silence feels like a welcome feature rather than a glitch.

The catch? Most travellers assume the quieter interior is “too far”. You’ve got a South Africa wish list, a limited number of nights, and a strong preference for not turning your holiday into an endurance rally, or a ‘Groot trek’ all of your own.

Most people give up at this point and just head for the tried and trusted routes. But you are missing out on the very essence of South Africa. : its vast interior heartland. It would be like visiting Paris and thinking you’ve seen Provence! Or visiting New York and thinking you now understand what makes the prairie lands tick.

The good news: you don’t need to go that far

South Africa’s geography does you a favour. Much of the South Africa coast is backed by a line of mountains: see the map below. Slip beyond these mountains, and the landscape opens into the Karoo heartland – a different South Africa entirely!

So rather than planning a heroic cross-country trek, you can simply add a short detour ‘beyond the mountains. It will feel wonderfully remote, while still fitting into a normal time frame.

Remote South Africa Without the “Groot Trek”: Five Easy Detours

Our simple criteria: We chose these spots because they offer:

• Easy access from the more classic routes (so a 2–4-night stay is possible)
• A scenic drive (not just “are-we-there-yet” mileage)
• Genuinely pleasing places to stay
• Enough to do to justify the detour (even if “doing” is also just staring at the view)

Remote South Africa Spot # 1 – the Cederberg Mountains

The Cederberg has a talent for feeling far-flung while being only around 2½ to 3 hours from Cape Town. It’s a swift exit from city life into rugged sandstone, mountain rock pools for swimming and a kind of stillness that the Winelands can’t replicate.

This is not manicured mountain beauty. It’s raw, warm-toned, and quietly dramatic: craggy peaks, rock formations, and ancient rock art that reminds you how long humans have loved these landscapes.

It’s also noticeably hotter so great for extending a winter sun escape into March or April, and warmer and drier in the winter months than the rest of the Cape. And there are very few people – often you’ll be the only people on a hike in the Cederberg Wilderness Reserve.

Key Attraction: Unspoilt mountain wilderness

Where to Stay: Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge or Bushman Kloof

What to Do: Hiking, mountain biking, wine-tasting, Bushmen rock art,  scenic mountain drives, Rooibos tea farms

Ideal Length of Stay: 2 to 4 nights, works beautifully with Cape Town, the Winelands or West Coast

Distance from Cape Town:  2½ to 3 hours depending on which lodge chosen

Scenic Drive:  Yes, very scenic, the route gets particularly scenic once you’re beyond Malmesbury

Attractive Alternatives: Plenty of options such as Mount Ceder or Oudrif Farm

Useful Links:

Ultimate Cederberg

Cederberg & West Coast Explorer Hiking in the Northern Cederberg

Remote South Africa Spot # 2 – Route 62 and Sanbona (Little Karoo drama, plus optional safari)

Route 62 is the kind of road that turns “getting there” into the experience. Route 62 is the scenic interior road from the northern Winelands to the Little Karoo. You move from vineyard valleys to rugged passes, then into the wide-open Little Karoo; stopping in small towns such as Robertson and Montagu that are quirky in the best way. (The kind where nobody is pretending to be in a hurry).

Most people drive it in one long push. The trick is to slow it down, add a night or two, and let the landscape change properly.

If you want a safari element en route, Sanbona is a strong option, one of the few proper safari reserves in the Western Cape.

Key Attraction: Landscape Variety and (optional) Wildlife at Sanbona

Where to Stay: For Non-Safari: Robertson Small Hotel; For Safari:Sanbona Dwyka Tented Camp in Sanbona Game Reserve

What to Do: Wine tasting, river cruises, hiking (Marloth Nature Reserve), cute little towns, safari at Sanbona

Ideal Length of Stay: 1-2 nights, 2-3 nights if safari at Sanbona

Distance from Cape Town: 2½ hours to Robertson and Montagu; 3 hours drive to Sanbona Game Reserve

Scenic Drive: Yes, and its beauty changes

Attractive Alternatives:  Galenia Estate near Montagu Schoone Oordt Country House in Swellendam

Useful Links:

Route 62,

Gondwana Lodge at Sanbona

Tilney Manor at Sanbona

Remote South Africa Spot # 3 – Graaff Reinet and Samara

Recently I headed to Graaff-Reinet after aOne of the oldest towns in South Africa, Graaff-Reinet, has two superpowers:

1. It feels like a proper step into the Karoo with big skies, austere beauty, dramatic geology
2. It’s surprisingly easy to work into an itinerary between the Little Karoo, Garden Route and the Eastern Cape game reserves

The town itself is one of South Africa’s oldest, with museums, galleries and serious architectural charm. (Many restored by Anton Rupert, one of its famous sons.) Nearby, the Valley of Desolation delivers the kind of scenery that makes you go quiet (in a good way). Then add on Camdeboo Nature Reserve, the Owlhouse at Nieu Bethesda, the Mountain Zebra National Park and Cradock

To turn the area from “interesting stop” into “why didn’t we come sooner,” add a few nights at Samara for a Big Five safari with a Karoo twist. Or continue to one of the Eastern Cape Game Reserves only 3 hours drive away.

Key Attraction: Great Karoo landscapes and conservation-focused safaris

Where to Stay:  For Non-Safari: Drostdy Hotel; For Safari:Samara Karoo Lodge

What to Do: Valley of Desolation, Camdeboo National Park, Owl House (Nieu-Bethesda), Mountain Zebra National Park, scenic drives and heritage museums & galleries

Ideal Length of Stay: 2 nights if staying in Graaff-Reinet, OR even better 1-2 nights in Graaf-Reinet and 2-3 nights at Samara.

Distance from Little Karoo: 3 hours, and then 3 hours to the Eastern Cape Game Reserves

Drive Logic: pairs well with Garden Route / Little Karoo, then onward to Eastern Cape reserves

Attractive Alternatives: Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve is a more affordable alternative to Samara

Useful Links:

Meandering Cape Explorer Self-drive (20 nights)

Remote South Africa Spot # 4 – Nieuwoudtville (for Wild spring flowers)

Nieuwoudtville is a reminder of how quickly South Africa can transform. One moment you’re in familiar Cape folded mountain territory; then you cross a mountain pass, (the lovely and dramatic Botterkloof Pass), and the land opens into Karoo-like vastness, with a totally different palette and scale. Another 45 mins and you’re in the tiny country village of Nieuwoudtville for a taste of the Northern Cape. 

In flower season (typically August into early September, varying by rainfall), the area earns its flower hotspot reputation. Outside that window, the joy is still real: quiet roads, big skies, waterfalls and a strong sense of “this is different.” (Though then we recommend it mainly if you are heading on to the Northern Cape).

Key Attraction:  Spring flowers (August to early Sept), and striking scenery

 (plus stopping off point to Augrabies Falls)

Where to Stay: Simple, friendly country hospitality at Linda’se Dop.

What to Do: flower reserves in springtime, waterfalls, scenic mountain passes

Distance from Cape Town: – 4 to 4½ hours, but only 2 hours from Clanwilliam (Cederberg Ridge), and less from Bushmanskloof.

Ideal Length of Stay: 1-2 nights, good to combine with the Cederberg, or as a stop en route to the Northern Cape.

Scenic Drive: Yes, especially if you take the Botterkloof Pass road in one direction and the Van Rhyns Pass on the way back.

Useful Links:

Clanwilliam

Namaqualand & Nieutwoudtville

Tips for Spring Flower Viewing in Namaqualand

Spring wild flower tour

Augrabies Falls

Remote South Africa Spot # 5 – Eastern Highlands

This is the most “proper road trip” option in the list: the scenic interior route from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu Natal through mountains, attractive country towns, skirting the edges of land-locked Lesotho.

It’s not the fastest way to connect the two regions – most people fly. But it is the most interesting way.

If you have the time – for example ideally 3 weeks – you can swap a flight for a journey that becomes part of the story. Think Golden Gate Highlands scenery, characterful towns, and that satisfying sense of moving through the country rather than skipping over it.

As it does a thriving trade with long weekenders from Johannesburg, the towns have some life to them with restaurants, shops ad charming country lodges.

Key Attraction: Road trip itself with mountain scenery, country towns & picturesque valleys

Where to Stay: It depends on routing (as this is best tailored to your start/end points)

Ideal Length of Stay: We recommend setting aside at least 2 nights and preferably 3 nights, assuming you start or end in the Drakensberg mountains and are heading to the Garden Route or Eastern Cape.

Lesotho Adventure: If you have time, I’d recommend 2 nights IN Lesotho for a real adventure, especially if you enjoy hiking or horse-riding.

Distance from northern Drakensberg:  Plan conservative to enjoy the drive. 2 to 3½ hours to the Eastern Highlands depending on which town you stay at, 3½ to 4½ hours to Colesberg and a longer 5½ to 6½ hours to Graaff Reinet

Note: If you are heading to the Eastern Cape Gam Reserves, then from Colesberg, it is only a 4 hour drive to Shamwari Game Reserve for example.   

Useful Links:

Drakensberg Mountains

Graaff-Reinet and the Great Karoo

How to choose the right remote detour

• Want dramatic wilderness close to Cape Town? Head to The Cederberg 
• Want scenic driving, country towns & wine-tasting? Head to Route 62
• Want Karoo landscapes & safari in one? Head to Graaff-Reinet and Samara
• Want wildflowers & Northern Cape flavour (seasonal)? Head to Nieutwoudtville
• Want a true road-trip link between regions? Head to the Eastern Highlands (with Lesotho?)

Useful Links

Looking for “new” destinations in South Africa beyond Cape Town and Kruger? Check out Away from the Honeypot

Frequently Asked Questions on Remote South Africa

1. Where are the most remote places in South Africa that are still easy to reach?
   Try the Cederberg, Route 62 into the Little Karoo, and Graaff-Reinet. Each feels far away but fits into a classic South Africa itinerary.
2. How many days do you need for an off-the-beaten-track South Africa detour?
   Most of these work well in 2–4 nights, which is enough to settle in and enjoy the landscape without rushing.
3. Is the Karoo worth visiting on a first trip to South Africa?
   Yes, especially if you enjoy contrast and want to understand more about the South African culture and pysche. The Karoo offers scale, silence and scenery that’s completely different from the coast, Cape Town or the Winelands.

Want a South Africa itinerary with breathing room?

We love adding in lesser visited areas of South Africa so:

1. Share your travel dates, your interests and must-sees
2. Tell us how you like to travel (slow and scenic vs under some time pressure)
3. We propose a route that blends classics with one or two “beyond the mountains” detours
4. We take care of the detail, logistics and the genuinely lovely places to stay; you enjoy the road trip

---

The Road Less Travelled in South Africa – was written by Kate of Cedarberg Africa

Kate co-founded Cedarberg Africa in 1995 with her sister Ginny and has lived in South Africa for over 30 years. She has explored the country widely – from the Cederberg’s rugged backroads to the wide-open Karoo – and her team love designing itineraries that balance the famous highlights with quieter, more quintessential corners. In her spare time she loves hiking in the mountains or trying, and failing, to keep up with her husband on a mountain bike.

Cedarberg Africa is a specialist safari operator for Southern and East Africa. We focus on upmarket tailormade safaris for discerning and busy people. We make our money on the difference between our wholesale rates and the rates that are available to you online, effectively meaning that all our expertise and years of experience is at no extra charge.

Contact Us Now