Drive the scenic route Durban to Cape Town

Drive the scenic route Durban to Cape Town
Take a leisurely drive and enjoy the scenic route Durban to Cape Town. This beautiful trip with its stunning landscapes can be done a number of ways. The two most popular routes are along the coast and through the interior. A third route offers a bit of country and coast.

The Coastal Route
Durban-Cape Town through the Transkei and the Garden Route (The N2)
The N2 from Durban down the Hibiscus Coast is a pretty drive featuring expansive sea views and gentle rolling hills of sugar cane. Once you head inland and pass Kokstad the countryside changes. The Transkei is a series of impressive hills covered in characteristic African homes. Keep an eye out for the livestock who tend to graze on the sides of the freeway!

East London is a seaside city and a good place to stay overnight. A little further on, you’ll find the quaint Grahamstown, home to Rhodes University and rich with intriguing history.

Port Elizabeth is the start of the renowned Garden Route. This famous drive is celebrated for its striking beauty and abundance of lovely places to stop, visit or stay over. Don’t miss Storms River and the Tsitsikamma National Park. This breathtaking area offers fantastic hiking and canopy tours, wonderful bird watching and delicious meals among many other options. If an adrenaline rush is what you’re after, Bloukrans, the highest commercial bungy jump in the world is a little further down the road. As the N2 continues towards Cape Town, don’t nod off for a moment or you’ll miss the remarkable Cape scenery!

The Interior (country) Route
Durban-Cape Town through Bloemfontein and the Karoo
The N3 leads you from Durban up through the “Highway” and into the captivating Natal Midlands. Vanille, (a charming coffee and cake shop) in Kloof, is a lovely place to stop for morning tea and refreshments. If your drive is a leisurely one, make sure to spend a day doing the Midlands Meander and visiting Midmar Dam. Farm stalls are good places to stock up on “padkos” (food for the roadtrip). It’s worthwhile to stay over for a night and spend a relaxing evening in a country cottage. If you’re keen on history you may want to do some exploring in the Estcourt; Ladysmith and Harrismith areas as they are abounding in military history.

The scenic route Durban to Cape Town through Bloemfontein and Beaufort West takes you through the arid and starkly beautiful Karoo. Peace and serenity seem to infuse the very air here. The Karoo is a place where you have the space and quiet to truly think. Stay overnight at a traditional Karoo farm and experience the legendary hospitality (and cooking) they’re known for.

The Karoo plains transform into the regal mountains surroundinging the Cape Winelands. From De Doorns to Paarl the views are glorious! Worcester and the Winelands are great places to visit for refreshment and relaxation. There is an abundance of breathtaking drives and enchanting “kelders” (cellars) to visit, with Cape Town only an hour or two away.

Country and coast
Durban-Cape Town through Bloemfontein and the Garden Route
If you’d like a bit of both worlds; country and coast; drive upcountry through the Midlands and Battlefields, across to Bloemfontein, and down to East London and then Port Elizabeth. From there take the Garden Route. The Bloemfontein-East London (N6) part of this drive will give you a bit of both worlds; with the topography changing from Karoo plains on the Bloemfontein side to coastal dunes in PE. There is much on offer for the traveller, including Bushman paintings, historical sites, hiking trails, and game viewing.

Driving the scenic route Durban to Cape Town will give you a wonderful experience of the diverse landscapes that make up the beautiful country of South Africa.

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