South Africa has a wide range of scenic, wildlife, culinary and wine routes. Daniella Di Gaspero presents some of South Africa's routes, categorised by theme.
Click on the theme name to see the routes in that category.
Baviaans Wilderness Route
Visitors can enjoy eco-tours and adventure activities in the unspoilt mountainous terrain and world heritage site.
Boston and Bulwer Route
The route explores the Dargle Valley, waterfalls, and dams, while offering hiking, fishing, rafting, paragliding and hang gliding from the Bulwer and Mahwaga mountains.
Clarens Highlands Route
Surrounded by mountains, the town is known for its many art and craft shops and sandstone buildings.
Free State Eagle Route
There are picturesque landscapes and activities include cherry picking, seeing dinosaur fossils and rock paintings, art and craft shopping, skiing on the slopes in winter, horse riding and 4x4 trips.
Free State Lion Route
This route offers golf, fishing on the Vals River or Bloemhoek Dam, boating, horse riding, gliding and hiking.
Joburg Adventure Route
Travellers can experience adrenalin-filled experiences through Johannesburg. These include mountain biking, paragliding, parachuting, skydiving and bungee jumping.
Kalahari Red Dune Route
Visitors can experience the Kalahari through dune-boarding, camel riding and 4x4 trailing for the adventurous.
Kouga Route
Perfect for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers, it includes surfing, bungee-jumping and offers sights of the biggest wilderness area in South Africa.
Limpopo Golf and Safari Route
The route offers golf as well as wildlife and safari experiences.
Namaqua Adventure Route
This route focuses on the adventurer, combining extremely challenging 4x4 dirt road challenges and adrenalin-filled activities.
Paradise unexpected
This route attracts beach-lovers to Oslo, Shelly Beach, St Michael’s and Uvongo. For adventure seekers there is Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre and Protea Banks for exciting shark-cage diving.
Sandstone Route
Visitors can see the Titanic Rock, a ship-like sandstone formation, and explore mountainous grasslands, the Maloti Mountains and Golden Gate Highlands National Park.
Sunshine Coast Route
Stretching from Port Elizabeth to East London and offering beach trips for surfing, golf courses, historic trails and green landscapes.
The Quiver Tree Route
Visitors can relax in hot springs, river raft, 4x4 trips, hiking and bird watching.
The Richtersveld Route
This route includes hiking, 4x4 trails, bird-watching, mountain biking and donkey-cart rides.
Tsitsikamma Adventure Route
The route includes trips to natural forests, sightings at the coastline and adventure activities. The activities include bungee jumping, diving, snorkelling, mountain biking and hiking.
Joburg Cuisine Route
A culinary route through the north and south of Johannesburg, it focuses on the offerings synonymous with South African cuisine.
Joburg Market Route
The Joburg Market Route explores organic food markets and craft stalls big and small throughout Johannesburg.
A perfect piece of paradise
Discover the history behind Ramsgate’s agriculture, culture and cuisine. The first known settler, retired sea-captain Paul Buck, was a talented painter, poet and violin maker, which has set the tone for the village, which has attracted many like-minded souls over the years.
Alexandra Heritage Route
The route takes you through the township to experience local Kasi street cuisine, home-brewed beer, community restaurants and shebeens. It also includes a visit to the early home of former President Nelson Mandela.
Amajube Route
The Amajuba District's attractions include cultural experiences, crafts, historical tours, game viewing, various outdoor activities, fly fishing, flower cultivation.
An untamed paradise
Visitors can uncover the history of Port Edward while enjoying fishing, the famous Splash Rock, coffee plantations, golf, sand-cliffs and hiking and biking trails.
Cape Care Route
Get a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the locals in Cape Town.
Durban Inanda Route
Visitors are taken through historic sites of Durban, providing an image of South African history as well as India's past.
Dwars River Escape
The route has a wealth of spectacular scenery, cultural features, sites of historic significance (churches and buildings) and activities including wine and fruit farm visits.
Free State Cheetah Route
This route takes visitors through the cultural and political heart of the Free State. The route features historic, cultural and natural attractions.
Free State Springbok Route
This route has a wealth of cultural and historic attractions including battle sites, San rock engravings, game farms and diamond mines.
Freedom Route
The route was initiated to promote and showcase the struggles of the main freedom icons in KZN such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, John Langalibalele Dube, Alan Paton and Albert Luthuli.
Frontier Country Route
Game viewing, skydiving and hang-gliding, fly fishing, abseiling, river-rafting and mountaineering, all with rich heritage. The area is known as the heartland of the Eastern Cape.
Gauteng Signature Collection
The route focuses on the apartheid era and the many locations synonymous with Nelson Mandela. This rich cultural route in the heart of South Africa includes the renowned Vilakazi Street.
Hardeveld Route
This route focuses on the many culturally rich villages in the Hardeveld region. Experience the old timeless villages of the region and what they have to offer.
Heritage Route
The rural villages offer a unique cultural experience where visitors can enjoy traditional dancing, food, crafts and village life.
Indian Heritage Route
This route focuses on some of the most historic and culturally brilliant Indian venues in Johannesburg.
Inyathi Buffalo
This route boasts a variety of attractions, and offers 10 estuaries, conservancies, heritage sites, rocky shores and 14 beaches.
Jikeleza Route
Route takes travellers on a trip through the beautiful rural Eastern Cape.
Joburg Art Gallery
This route visits Johannesburg’s finest art galleries that show off the best of local and international talent.
Kamieskroon Route
On this route, visitors can explore the many small towns that are rich in the culture and heritage.
Karoo Highlands Route
This route offers attractions such as the Sutherland Astronomy observatory, Carnarvon's Karoo Array radio telescope, Karoo architecture and corbelled houses, Anglo-Boer War sites, rock art, ancient Palaeo surfaces, farm stays and medicinal plants.
Kimberley Diamond Route
This route follows the early diamond rush that began with Erasmus Jacobs in 1866 when he discovered the Eureka, a 21-carat diamond, while on a walk.
Midlands Meander
This route is situated between Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg mountains and offers birding, fishing, arts and crafts, horse riding, activities for children, natural areas and museums.
Route 66
This route follows the culture and heritage of the Zulu Kingdom and features Zulu Royal Reed Dancing and the Valley of the Zulu Kings.
Stellenbosch 360 Route
The route takes travellers off the usual tourist track, away from the winelands and into the colourful communities, while learning how the area began large-scale strawberry farming.
Taung Heritage Route
On this route, visitors can journey to an area once occupied by early humans and features many sites that speak to the existence and evolution of our ancient ancestors, including the Taung skull fossil site.
A pristine paradise
This scenic tour is home to the South Coast’s nudist beach at Mpenjati, tucked away in the nature reserve. This area is also popular among families as they can play putt putt, visit butterfly domes or ride horses on the beach.
Cape Nature
The route focuses on each of the reserves that fall under CapeNature. The main focus is on how communities benefit and play a role in the reserves.
Chapman's Peak Drive
The route offers a scenic wildlife experience along a 9km road.
Crayfish Route
A journey along the Western Coast of South Africa, this route highlights local culture, scenery and culinary delights of the area.
Diamond Coast Route
The previously forbidden and virtually unknown diamond mining areas of the north west coast of South Africa's Northern Cape can be experienced on this route.
Drakensberg Experience
The route is centred on the Drakensberg World Heritage Site, which includes Giant’s Castle and the Central and Northern Drakensberg.
Elephant Coast
Home to the Big Five, the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park is known for its sighting of whales and turtles.
Free State Flamingo Route
This route runs through the Lejweleputswa District. Activities include exploring a gold-mine, game-viewing and visiting key historic sites and the Phakisa Freeway Race Track.
Greater Addo Route
This route takes travellers through the Addo Elephant valley where they can experience unforgettable walks, scenic views and culinary experiences. Activities range from game safaris, horse and hiking trails, 4x4 and off road adventure, to fishing and canoeing.
Horizon Route
Guests get the opportunity to see diamond mining, agriculture and crafters, and taste local cuisine. This route offers visitors fishing, hunting or mountain biking activities.
Panorama Route
A scenic route along the Mpumalanga Escarpment, centred on the third-largest canyon in the world, the Blyde River Canyon.
Paradise Day and Night
This route explores the holiday centre of the South Coast with its exciting nightlife, action-packed beach festivals and Africa Bike Week.
Paradise on pause
The jewels of Southbroom, Umkobi Beach, Marina Beach and San Lameer offer tidal pools, great swimming and surfing conditions. The Southbroom Golf Club boasts views of the ocean and is close to the San Lameer Golf Course, which is home to the SA Women’s Champs.
Paradise unexplored
This stretch of coastline is filled with unique and unexpected treasures. Visitors can enjoy Blue Flag beaches, rock fishing, a ski-boat launch as well as shops and restaurants.
Rainbow Route
Focused on culture, wildlife and history, this route follows the Voortrekkers’ footsteps and explores the rites and rituals of the Zulu nation.
Riemland Route
This route explores the small towns in the north and eastern Free State. The route runs from town to town, with less than an hour’s drive to the next stop, allowing time to savour the countryside.
Southermost Route
This area boasts the floral wonders of the Cape Floral Kingdom and historic sites including the Khoi-Khoi Caves, old fishing villages and shipwrecks.
The Friendly No. 6 Route
Travellers are taken through the farming land of the Eastern Cape down to the Free State. Stopovers offer many culturally rich experiences and scenic views along the way.
Where paradise begins
Journey along KwaZulu Natal’s southern coastline and meander past coastal villages, exploring popular beach resorts and family entertainment spots. This route is popular among fishermen and surfers and offers one of the top ten shark dive sites in the world.
Wild Coast Route
This route offers various hiking, camping and aquatic experiences with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean, fauna and flora.
African Ivory Route
Following the origins of ivory hunters and gold traders, the route traverses the Strydpoortberge mountains in the south, the Waterberg in the north-west, and the Drakensberg Lebombos in the east. There is excellent Big 5 game viewing, birding and hiking trails.
Amathola Mountain Escape Route
Explore the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains in several beautiful game reserves in the Eastern Cape.
Caledon Blue Crane
This route showcases the three Blue Crane species in South Africa, the Blue Crane, the Grey Crowned Crane and the Wattled Crane.
Joburg Nature Route
This route explores some of the best wildlife sights and venues in Johannesburg.
The Cape Whale Route
One of the most famed land-based whale-watching experiences in the world, the Cape Whale Route offers an unmatched scenic wildlife route on the southern tip of Africa.
The Valley of the Olifants Route
This route focuses on the scenery and wildlife of Limpopo province. Coming from Johannesburg the route runs via Polokwane through Tzaneen to Phalaborwa.
Zululand Birding Route
The Zululand Birding Route has over 605 bird species in a range of destinations, including the Green Barbet, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergard’s Sunbird and Palmnut Vulture.
Beer Route
The route explores Congella United National Breweries; South African Breweries; The Nottingham Road Brewery; Wartburger Brauhaus; The Ijuba-United National Breweries; The Shongweni Brewery; and the Zululand Brewing Company.
Constantia Valley Wine Route
Just 20 minutes from Cape Town along the Constantiaberg Mountains, this route offers a unique wine tasting and learning experience.
Durbanville Valley Wine Route
A unique wine-tasting experience, this route ranges from boutique estates to large-scale farms in the Durbanville area.
Franschhoek Wine Valley Route
The route focuses on the unmatched historical aspect of wine making in the country, going back 300 years.
Helderberg Wine Route
Enjoy top-class wine tasting in this scenic route of 20 wine farms in the Helderberg area.
Klein Karoo Wine Route
The Klein Karoo is one of South Africa’s most diverse wine regions and this route offers a food and wine experience that stretches from Montagu to Langkloof.
Kokerboom Food and Wine
Travellers can visit the Augrabies Falls, relax in hot springs, river raft, go on 4x4 trips, hike, bird watch, sample local delicacies and wines, touch the unique Kokerboom (quiver tree) and even take a leisurely donkey cart ride through town.
Route 62 Brandy Route
Discover the history and tradition of South African brandy by visiting the many cellars along Route 62.
Route 62 Wine Route
The Route 62 Wine Route focuses on learning about and tasting some of the Western Cape's most loved wines.
Stellenbosch American Express Wine Route
The route takes in over 200 wine producers and can be accessed all year round.
The Garden Route
Offering beaches, mountains, forests, rivers, bungee jumping, wine tasting, whale watching, bird watching, wildlife interactions, golf courses and craft centres, this route is not to be missed.
