The Ultimate Eastern Cape Road Trip
South Africa is blessed with a wide range of road trip options, from R62 through the Klein Karoo, to KwaZulu – Natal’s Midlands meander and Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route. These routes have breathtaking landscapes and quaint padstals dotted along the way, which is why it is easy to understand why South Africans and international visitors love these areas of the country.
For more adventurous road trippers who like the exhilarating thrill of dodging Nguni Cattle and livestock that freely roam the fields and streets, the long windy roads of the Eastern Cape will make for a road trip like no other.
This blog offers you a glimpse of what this beautiful province has to offer
Leg 1: Graaff-Reinet and the Valley of Desolation
Start your journey in the oldest town in the Eastern Cape and the fifth oldest in South Africa to get you acquainted with the province?
Established in 1786, the town is a time capsule with its Victorian buildings and lime-washed walls. There are plenty of culiary options in the area and the surrounding Cambdoo mountains to explore. While pasisng this Karoo dorpie be sure to visit the Valley of Desolation, 14 km outside of town.
With dolerite columns rising 120m from the valley floor, against the backdrop of the Cambedoo mountains, the Cambedoo National Park is a destination in its self.
Leg 2: Graaff-Reinet to Addo National Park (214 km)
An Eastern Cape Road Trip would not be complete without a stop at Addo National Park, only a 90-minute drive away. If you wanted to see elephants during your road trip, then South Africa’s third largest national park is the best place to stop.
Tented camps and lodges are some of the options for a stopover.
Addo National Park started out with just 11 elephants and now it has around 700. Throughout the years, they have been translocations including moving bulls from Kruger to keep Addo’s elephant gene pool health. The park is home to one of the densest populations of elephants in South Africa and other large mammals such as buffaloes, leopard and rhinos, the lodges and tented camps make it a continent and adventurous stopover.
Leg 3: Addo National Park to Hogsback (287 km)
The next day of your road trip will take you to the Amatola Mountains, to a town that was once the home of renowned author, JR Tolkien. Some even say that the surrounding landscape is what inspired him to write “The Hobbit”. As wishful as this may be, it is hard to argue against it once you have been there.
With pockets of indigenous Afro-montane forest and waterfalls scattered throughout the Amatola, no wonder the Amatola hiking trail is ranked as one of South Africa’s best and toughest trails. It will be hard to leave this place, realizing that you just found paradise. But to do this would be an injustice to the rest of the province, which will make you fall in love with it all over again.
Leg 4: Hogsback to Coffee Bay (378 km)
From one paradise to another, Coffee Bay is one of the most beloved villages along the Wild Coast and the perfect place to induct you into one of the most beautiful and whimsical regions of the country.
With a coastline scattered with villages, backpackers and vibey places to pitch you tent, Coffee Bay is the perfect place to base yourself as you venture the Wild Coast to suit your own timeline.
Also, there is an option of a five day wild coast hike that takes you from Port St Johns to Coffee Bat, and takes you along a beautiful stretch of coastline and stops over at rural villages, where you are welcomed with a Xhosa dinner each evening, and into the cosy homes of its people.
Leg 5: Wild Coast to Tiffendell ski-resort (300 km)
It is time to leave the warm waters of the Wild Coast and set off to the Southern Drakensberg mountains on the edge of the province, and home to South Africa’s only ski resort.
At 2596m, Naude’s Nek pass is the highest lying road in South Africa
Getting to Tiffendell Ski Resort will likely be the longest travel day of your Eastern Cape Road trip, taking five to six hours, depending on where you are along the Wild Coast. No to fret about the long day of traveling, the route will take you through the region of SANParks National Park, NE Cape Grasslands National Park.
Taking the Naude’s Nek pass to get to Tiffendell, you can get a sneak peak of South Africa’s newest national park and take you through the country’s highest lying road, at 2596 metres above sea level. If you manage to time you road trip for winter, you can find yourself skiing at Tiffindell Ski Resort, the only ski resort in South Africa.
Even though it is possible to complete this entire route within a well, with a total driving time of 20 hours. It will be so much more rewarding to set aside some time, with added flexibility. You never know which place will invited you for a longer stay.
