A west-to-east crossing from Cape Town to Addo Elephant Park: the Cape Peninsula, the Stellenbosch vineyards, the whales of Hermanus, the southern tip of Africa, Route 62 through the Little Karoo, then the Garden Route as far as Tsitsikamma. You drive on the left, on roads in very good condition, but always by day and following the safety advice.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 3 | Cape Town | Start |
| Day 4 | Simon's Town | 94 km · 2h05 |
| Days 5 to 6 | Stellenbosch | 87 km · 1h25 |
| Days 7 to 8 | Hermanus | 110 km · 1h50 |
| Day 9 | Swellendam | 237 km · 3h15 |
| Days 10 to 11 | Oudtshoorn | 223 km · 3h05 |
| Days 12 to 13 | Knysna | 122 km · 1h55 |
| Days 14 to 15 | Storms River (Tsitsikamma) | 92 km · 1h15 |
| Days 16 to 17 | Addo | 225 km · 3h |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
October to April, dry and warm in Cape Town; December and January are the local holidays, with the most expensive rentals. From June to August, winter is rainy in Cape Town, but it is whale season in Hermanus (June to early December).
🚗 94 km · 2h05 of driving from Cape Town
M6 via Camps Bay, Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak Drive, tolled, closed in high wind or heavy rain; then the Cape of Good Hope road.
🚗 87 km · 1h25 of driving from Simon's Town
M4 via Kalk Bay and Muizenberg, M3 towards Kirstenbosch, then N2 and R310. Main roads only, no stops near the airport.
🚗 110 km · 1h50 of driving from Stellenbosch
R44 Clarence Drive, a coast road between mountain and False Bay from Gordon's Bay to Kleinmond, then the R43.
🚗 237 km · 3h15 of driving from Hermanus
R43, R326 and R316 towards Bredasdorp, R319 to Cape Agulhas, then back via the R319 and the N2.
🚗 223 km · 3h05 of driving from Swellendam
N2, Tradouw Pass (R324), then Route 62 via Barrydale, Ladismith and Calitzdorp, through the Little Karoo.
🚗 122 km · 1h55 of driving from Oudtshoorn
N12 over the Outeniqua Pass to George, then the N2 along the coast via Wilderness.
🚗 92 km · 1h15 of driving from Knysna
N2 via Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma toll plaza (73 rand) and the Bloukrans Bridge.
🚗 225 km · 3h of driving from Storms River
N2 via Jeffreys Bay, Gqeberha bypass, then the R335 to Addo. Arrive in daylight: the park gates close in the evening.
Cape Town (3 nights, peninsula as a day loop), Hermanus (1), Swellendam via Cape Agulhas (1), Knysna via the N2 (2), Storms River (1), Addo (1). Skip Stellenbosch and the Little Karoo.
| Small car, annual average (Cape Town airport) | ≈ $17 to $20 a day |
|---|---|
| All categories, January (cheapest month) | ≈ $21 a day |
| All categories, December (most expensive month) | ≈ $31 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
| SUV, annual average | ≈ $71 a day |
| Tyre and windscreen cover (Avis) | from 90 rand a day |
| Vehicle | A city car is enough: everything is tarred except the Swartberg Pass. Manual gearboxes are common, automatics cost more. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Cape Town airport; return it at Gqeberha airport, about an hour from Addo. |
| One way | One-way fees possible over long distances, shown in the quote: compare before booking. |
| Insurance | Tyres and windscreen often not covered: option from 90 rand a day with Avis. |
| Age and card | Avis: 18 with a licence held for 1 year, 155 rand a day under 25. Credit card required. |
| Fines | The rental company adds a 405 rand admin fee per fine received (Avis). |
⚠️ If your licence is not in English, the rental company requires an International Driving Permit: get one before you leave, as it can take time.
The French foreign ministry requires both. Rental companies refuse a licence that is not in English without an International Driving Permit.
Right-hand drive. At four-way stops, the first to stop is the first to go.
Fixed and mobile speed cameras, fines sometimes paid on the spot; the limit can change abruptly.
That is 0.24 mg per litre of exhaled air. Frequent checks and severe penalties, according to the French foreign ministry.
Advice from the French foreign ministry. Animals and pedestrians on the road, hijackings: arrive before nightfall.
Nothing visible inside the car: smash-and-grab thefts and hijackings at lights, junctions and petrol stations.
Unmarked car signalling you for no reason: drive on to a safe place and call 10111.
Dangerous neighbourhoods nearby: exit 16 off the N2 (Airport Approach Road), no stops on the way.
On two-lane roads, lorries and slow cars move left to let you overtake; say thanks with a flash of the hazard lights.
In the front, advised in the back. Hand-held phone banned at the wheel.
≈ €1.42 per litre of 95 unleaded (26.49 rand, 21 September 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Check it before you go.
⛽ 1,190 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €120 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Pump attendants at every station, tip of 5 to 10 rand. Prices revised every month. Always keep the tank at least half full.
| Chapman's Peak Drive (M6) | 68 rand (≈ €3.65) per car |
|---|---|
| N2, Tsitsikamma toll plaza | 73 rand (≈ €3.90) since 1 March 2026 |
| Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point) | 515 rand (≈ €27.60) per adult, card only |
| Boulders (penguins) | 245 rand (≈ €13.10) per adult, card only |
| Storms River Mouth (Tsitsikamma) | 367 rand (≈ €19.70) per adult |
| Addo Park | 492 rand (≈ €26.40) per adult per day |
| Car guards in high-vis vests | Tip of a few rand, when you leave |
| Chapman's Peak Drive | High wind, heavy rain, rockfalls: status online |
|---|---|
| Cape Point | 06:00-18:00 from October to March, 07:00-17:00 from April to September |
| Boulders | 08:00-17:00 from April to September, until 19:30 in January |
| Swartberg Pass (R328) | Dirt road, slippery after rain: avoid it then |
| Addo Park, entrance gates | 07:00-19:00 (main gate), 07:00-18:30 (Matyholweni) |
Allow about 18 days for this crossing of 9 stages and 17 nights, from Cape Town to Addo Park, with one to just over three hours' driving per stage. In 10 days, keep Cape Town and its peninsula, Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, Knysna, Tsitsikamma and Addo, skipping Stellenbosch and the Little Karoo.
Excluding accommodation: about $425 (€370) of rental over 17 days at the Kayak average rate of $25 a day, more in December; about €130 of petrol at September 2026 prices for roughly 1,300 km; 141 rand (€8) of tolls; and about 1,620 rand (€87) of park fees per adult (Cape Point, Boulders, Storms River Mouth, Addo).
The main roads are in very good condition, but the country has around 15,000 road deaths a year. The French foreign ministry advises not driving at night outside towns, keeping windows up and doors locked, and not stopping for an unmarked car. Near Cape Town airport, stay on the N2.
Yes: the French foreign ministry states that an EU licence must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit. Rental companies such as Avis only accept a licence on its own if it is written in English, with photo and signature. Avis rents from age 18 with a licence held for one year, with a surcharge of 155 rand a day under 25.
Yes, it's customary: every station has an attendant who fills the tank, cleans the windscreen and offers to check oil and tyres. Leave 5 to 10 rand. Most stations take cards, the smallest sometimes only cash. Car guards in high-vis vests also expect a few rand, when you leave.
Yes, the major rental companies are at both airports. A one-way rental may incur a one-way fee, applied mainly over long distances and shown at the quote stage (Avis): compare the total with a loop back to Cape Town. From Addo, Gqeberha airport is about an hour's drive.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/south-africa · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
