Self-drive safaris in Southern Africa
People don’t think twice about a self-drive holiday in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA, so why not a self-drive safari in southern Africa? Self-drive is something tens of thousands of travellers from the UK and Europe do every year – and in southern Africa you drive on the same side of the road as in Australia and the UK! Read our blog A day in the life of a self-drive safari to get a sense of what a self-drive safari can involve and how it can be an exciting and rewarding holiday for all!
Southern Africa is the perfect destination for self-drive travellers - especially those who prefer independence, flexibility, want to get ‘off the beaten track’ to more remote places, those on a budget or travelling with children.
The benefits of self-drive safaris
- Choose when to go and where.
- Stop and start as you’d like.
- Really enjoy those special moments at your own pace.
- Choose from a huge array of vehicle options, from small sedans to 4WDs.
- Mix and match accommodation options, from camping to luxury lodges.
- Self-drive travel is excellent value for money.
- Experience destinations that you thought were too expensive.
- Save costs in terms of transport, guides, food and accommodation.
- Economies of scale benefit families, friends and groups of travellers.
- Stay for longer and spoil yourself with special treats.
- Get off the beaten track to places tours and larger vehicles won’t, or can’t, go.
- Get an incredible sense of achievement from driving to exciting destinations.
- Spotting your own animals whilst on a self-drive safari is such a thrill!
- Discover your own special places and highlights.
- Self-drive is a great option for travelling with kids.
- Don’t worry about fitting in with other people - experience your travels at your own pace.
- Stop whenever, where ever and for however long to experience those family gems.
- Shape your holiday around your own family’s needs and desires.
Self-drive safaris and safety
We find that self-driving in southern Africa is as safe as driving in any other part of the world as long as common-sense is used - we wouldn’t self-drive with our 3 children time and time again if it wasn’t!
As with anywhere in the world, we can’t guarantee anyone’s complete safety, but rest assured that we design all our self-drive itineraries with your safety as the number one priority. We always:
- ensure that we are fully up-to-date with any issues occurring in a region,
- design your holiday to concentrate on the traveller-friendly areas and avoid any known hot spots,
- ensure that self-driving distances are achievable in daylight hours and that you won’t be driving at night and
- provide detailed information about your route options so you know exactly where you are going.
In southern Africa you drive on the left, same as Australia, the roads are on the whole well maintained (even in Namibia where the majority of roads are gravel), and signage is very good making it easy to navigate, especially as we include a GPS or Wi-fi Router and data so you can follow Google Maps etc.
Driving on safaris in national parks / game reserves requires a little more care and consideration and that’s why we provide comprehensive information sheets to guide you through the dos and don’ts of driving with Africa's incredible wildlife.
Read more about self-drive travel in southern Africa in our blogs and testimonials
EMILY & NAVID - SELF-DRIVE ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA & NAMIBIA - 2023
Now that we are back at home after our 3 month adventure, we wanted to sit down and write you a proper thank you. Our 25 nights on self-drive safari was the major highlight of our whole Africa and Europe experience. We had never done any 4x4ing, nor been to those countries before, so we put ourselves in your hands and you delivered! We were consistently impressed with the smooth logistics and excellent choice of accommodations. You even took care to select us prime individual campsites (or tents) within each property where relevant. The itinerary document you provided was very helpful - in fact we found the written directions easier to follow than Tracks4Africa and more reliable than google maps. The suggestions on what to do in each place were also a great starting point. Having not been to the region before, the choices for what to do and where to stay were a bit overwhelming, but the itinerary you put together for us was a perfect balance between wildlife and culture, parks and towns, remote and luxurious. We can't wait for the next time and will heartily recommend your services to whoever asks! Once again, a big thank you for making our dream trip of a lifetime come true!
