Top 3 luxury African safari driving routes
Self drive through Africa is not only for those on a budget but can accompany a luxury safari beautifully. There are however only a few places where one can actually self drive between camps – many of the luxury safari camps and lodges are so far apart that it makes no sense. Here I share three of very the best luxury African safari driving routes with you.
Namibia
Namibia must get a mention first; most people do Namibia with a car as the roads are excellent, the routes extremely scenic and the signposts easy to read. Namibia’s desert also lends itself to off road driving, something that is both exhilarating and thrilling here, and certainly some of the most challenging in the world. Once at your luxury safari or desert camp in Namibia most guests take advantage of the expert guides on tap there, as well as doing some of their own drives and explorations using the camp as a base.
Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route
Of course Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route offer a wonderful driving route with vineyards, exceptional restaurants and whale watching to name but a few of the options in this area. The driving here is very safe and absolutely stunning, although not as wild as the driving in Namibia. In fact you can drive your way around most of South Africa very easily. Kwa Zulu Natal makes for a fantastic driving itinerary and offers guests the chance to see some truly wild parts of this stunning country. With the rand gbp exchange rate the way it is currently, costs are also exceptionally low.
Northern Tanzania
If it is off road safari driving you are after then Northern Tanzania is the perfect spot – armed with a GPS you will be able to drive a wonderful route through tea plantations, before driving up the Great Rift Valley and into the Ngorongoro Crater, and then heading onwards to the world famous Serengeti National Park. The same applies to Kenya, although the Kenyan drivers are notoriously bad and can be a hazard to anyone nearby!
Driving through Africa is very natural and feels very authentic, some of the driving is fascinating, and some very boring but you take the rough with the smooth and when you arrive at your luxury lodge, welcomed by a cold drink and dust flannel you will look back at what you’ve seen and realize it has been a fantastic experience, punctures and all.
Images: Shutterstock
Rose Hipwood is Managing Director of The Luxury Safari Company.
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