Rent A Car For A Southern African Road Trip

By Jaclyn Hurley





Southern Africa simply begs to be explored. It has a huge variety of landscapes, from green hills and mountains to dry plains. There are small towns and traditional villages but also modern, vibrant cities. To experience everything the region has to offer, it's best to rent a car, move away from the most popular tourist spots and hit the back roads.



One of Southern Africa's most popular destinations is the Western Cape province of South Africa. This is home to gorgeous Cape Town, which is a good city to fly into. From Cape Town, head northwards to the Cape Winelands or up along the rugged West Coast. Otherwise, head east through the semi-arid Little Karoo region. You can also stick to the coastal route known as the Garden Route with its forests.



South Africa's eastern coast is a stunning area to explore too. The Wild Coast is dotted with little Xhosa villages and it's not unheard of to share the beach with herds of cattle. Further north you'll find the holiday towns of the KwaZulu-Natal province and the modern city of Durban with its Indian flavor. There's some great surfing to be had here and in the far north of the province there's also excellent diving.



Turn westwards and drive inland for beautiful mountain scenery. The Drakensberg range is the largest in the country. Travel along the mountain roads into Lesotho, a landlocked country known as the Mountain Kingdom. From Lesotho, head into South Africa again to explore the Free State province.



It's only a couple of hours' drive northwards before you reach Johannesburg, the City of Gold. Pretoria is less than an hour from Johannesburg. These two cities make a great starting point for a trip to Mozambique's beaches and diving destinations, via the Kruger National Park, the subtropical region known as the Lowveld and the mountainous kingdom of Swaziland.



Another option is to drive northwards through the area known as the Bushveld with its many game farms. At Musina, South Africa's northernmost town, cross the border into Zimbabwe and then drive via pleasant Bulawayo and the Hwange National Park to the spectacular Victoria Falls. Visit Lake Kariba, then head into Zambia.



After Zambia, go south again to Botswana. Go game-viewing in the lush northern parts of this pleasant country and spend some time in the Okavango Delta. Further south is the Kalahari Desert. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers a large part of the Kalahari in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. Namibia is also home to the Namib Desert with its high sand dunes and the country has a German flavor.



Roads in Southern Africa range from well-kept highways to dirt roads. However, a standard car should be sufficient in most areas. Remember that people in the region drive on the left, so stay alert while you're behind the wheel. Take many breaks too, to avoid fatigue. Most cities and large towns in the region have a great selection of car rental companies that offer fantastic deals.









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