Great Adventure Trips

South Africa

Self-drive / Family / Walking / Romance / General Tours
Horse Safaris / Camping Tours / Victoria Falls extension

Cape to Kalahari Self-Drive

Our Cape to Kalahari self drive tour contrasts the cosmopolitan Fairest Cape with the unique and stark beauty of the dry Kalahari. After a few days in Cape Town and the Winelands you travel north to the rugged Cedarberg Mountains with their beautiful rock formations, San paintings and many walking trails. You continue to Namaqualand, an area famous for its spring flowers, and on to the magnificent Augrabies Falls. Travel through the red Kalahari dunes and saltpans to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for several days of game viewing.

Meals Varied, Full Board on 2 nights, Bed & Breakfast on 6 nights, Room Only on 5 nights
Accommodation Premier (guesthouses, lodges) and Simple (National Park restcamps)
Departure Dates On request
Transport Group B rental car with unlimited kilometres. Upgrades to larger vehicles easily arranged.
Price Includes Meals and accommodation as shown in text, Group B car rental
Price Excludes International flights, visas, items of a personal nature, meals not specified
Minimum Number 2
Climate Mediterranean in the Cape, hot semi-desert conditions in the Kalahari
Best time to go April to October, especially August and September
Health Requirements None - sunblock essential

Day 1 : Arrive Cape Town. 3 nights, Diamond House, Bed & Breakfast
On arrival at Cape Town Airport you drive to Diamond House for a three-night stay. This attractive modern lodge is on the slopes of Table Mountain with breathtaking views of Camps Bay, the Twelve Apostles and the Ocean. From your base here, not far from the city centre and the Waterfront, you can explore both the city centre and further afield. Take time to walk or take the cable car up Table Mountain, visit the charming Malay quarter and the wonderful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. On the days when you want to range further, the Whale spotting coastline of False Bay and the nature reserves of the Cape Peninsula are close at hand.

Day 4 : 1 night, River Manor Guesthouse, Stellenbosch, Bed & Breakfast
Only a short distance from Cape Town lies the Winelands region, an area of exquisite beauty with rocky mountains overlooking green vineyards; oak avenues leading to elegant Cape Dutch wine estates and some of the most charming towns and villages in South Africa. Explore the oak-lined town of Stellenbosch, a bustling university city with some unique museums; enjoy the rural charm of the Huguenot settlement of Franschhoek or meander along a wine route. It is lovely to explore Stellenbosch on foot, so we suggest you stay overnight at the River Manor Guesthouse, which has a central location. Bedrooms are carefully furnished with homely touches and antiques. (45 mins, 50km)

Day 5 : 2 nights, Oudrif Farm, Cedarberg, Full Board and Activities
Today you head north to the majestic and rugged Cedarberg Mountains, famous for their unique rock formations, San rock paintings and spectacular wild flowers in spring. Take a fascinating journey to the picturesque mission village of Wuppertal deep in the Cedarberg, or follow a walking trail to some of the ancient rock paintings. Oudrift is located on the banks of the perennial Doring River. The greatest attraction of Oudrift has to be its complete isolation. It is set against a landscape of pre-historic rock formations and boasts with old fossils and superb rock art sites amongst indigenous fynbos and abundant birdlife. In keeping with the conservation philosophy of Oudrift, straw bale building blocks were used. (3½ hours, 270km)

Day 7 : 1 night, Papkuilsfontein Farm, Nieuwoudtville, Bed & Breakfast
Drive north and spend one night at the charming Papkuilsfontein Farm at Nieuwoudtville. Many flowers and orchid species not found anywhere else in South Africa can be seen here. (2½ hours, 160km)

Day 8 : 2 nights, Augrabies Restcamp, Augrabies National Park, Room only
Travel on to spend two nights at the Augrabies Restcamp in the Augrabies National Park. 'Augrabies' comes from a local korana name 'Oukurubi' meaning 'place of great noise'. The Orange River thunders through a 19 km gorge and plunges down 200m into a rock enclosed pool below. According to legend a fortune in diamonds lies at the bottom of the pool washed down by the river but the sheer weight of water cascading down prevents confirmation! The rest camp is very pleasant - the accommodation is of a good standard for a National Park and there are three salt-water swimming pools, a self-service restaurant for the daytime, an evening restaurant and a bar. (5 hours, 470km)

Day 10 : 3 nights, Twee Rivieren Restcamp, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Room only
Continue to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for three nights at the comfortable Twee Rivieren Restcamp. No one who has travelled through the Kalahari can forget its raw grandeur. It is one of the last true wilderness areas of Southern Africa, a secret land far to the north of the more cultivated Cape. The vast Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a land of desert red dunes, endless horizons and huge skies. It is home to the desert-adapted Kalahari lion as well as to leopard, cheetah, hyena and immense herds of springbok, gemsbok, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest and eland. Nowhere in South Africa are you more likely to see cheetah than in the dry river beds. (4½ to 5 hours, 390km)

Day 13 : 1 night, Le Must Manor, Upington, Bed & Breakfast
Drive south to Upington to spend the night at the Le Must Manor. A Georgian style guesthouse set in a charming Provencal garden on the banks of the Orange River with an excellent restaurant. Downstairs the lounge is decorated with period South African furniture and art, and filled with a large selection of literature and music. Upington is the principal town of the North-West Cape and lies on the banks of the Orange River. (3 hours, 360km)

Day 14 : Depart Upington
Drive to Upington airport to drop off your rental car in time for your onward flight.

Price per person sharing: May 1- July 31, 2006 = 9000 rand, Aug. 1-Sept. 30 = 9250 rand