For me, it was clear from the very beginning that visiting South Africa wouldn’t be complete without a road trip. But where to and which route to choose? The more I researched, the more the starting and ending points came into focus. Let’s drive the Garden Route and continue along the coastal path, from Cape Town to Durban. Sounds perfect, right? But somewhere near the end of the initial plan, we decided to switch things up. Instead of ending in Durban, we’d finish the trip in Johannesburg. And so, the road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg was born!

Few Facts for the Beginning:

Let’s look at a few statistics for the start:

Now when this is settled, let’s go down to the business.

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 1

Cape Town to Stellenbosh

After thoroughly exploring Cape Town and its stunning Peninsula, admiring the adorable African Penguins, and checking out the vibrant Bo-Kaap district, it was time to kick off our road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Our first stop? Shopping Mall V&A Waterfront. I know, starting a trip with shopping seems like a cliché, but due to the unexpected chilly weather, we needed jackets. The Waterfront Mall itself was quite an experience.

Nestled in the beautiful bay area next to the harbor, it’s definitely a visual treat! However, we didn’t linger long, though. We quickly found Cape Union Mart, a local store known for selling K-Way, a proudly South African hiking brand. Jackets purchased, we hit the road, ready for the next leg of our journey.

As dusk settled in, we found ourselves driving through the outskirts of Cape Town, leaving behind the bustling city lights for the serene vineyards of the countryside. About an hour later, we arrived at our destination: the charming Polka Draai, a lovely homestay just a few miles from Stellenbosh’s city center.

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 2

Stellenbosch to Mossel Bay via the Franschhoek Mountain Pass

To The University Town

After a delicious breakfast and a quick tour of the estate we’d called home for the night, it was time to pack up and hit the road again.

As we set off, the morning sun revealed stunning views that had been hidden by the darkness the night before. Towering mountains loomed in the background, with vineyards stretching as far as the eye could see. Although it was winter and the vineyards wore a brownish hue instead of their lush summer greens, the scenery was still breathtaking. I can only imagine how spectacular it must look in the summertime, with every inch of land draped in vibrant shades of green.

Since Stellenbosch is home to one of the most prestigious universities in South Africa, we couldn’t resist making a quick stop for coffee and a stroll around the Stellenbosch University campus.

Did you know that:

💡💡 Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest surviving university in Sub-Saharan Africa?
💡💡 Stellenbosch University designed and built Africa’s first micro satellite, SUNSAT, which was launched in 1999?

Frankshoek Mountain Pass

We continued our roadtrip from Cape Town to Johannesburg towards the town of Frankshoek. The mountains got closer and denser.

Continuous ascending up the road indicated that the Frankshoek mountain pass is not far away. When we reached the top, a wonderful 360-degree view opened up. We could see a valley with a town and small houses on the side we just came from and pure nature, a red-colored river, countless mountains, and a descending road on the other side.

After a decline through a wonderful valley, we stopped for a quick coffee break and continued driving on the road, surrounded by the fields of yellow raps. Day slowly started to turn into the evening and the transition provided us with the most majestic live screensaver of the golden hour.

Therefore we stopped for a minute just to observe, how the sun slowly merged with the yellow fields that gave the typical golden-orange color of the horizon.

Soon after already in the dark, we arrived to the Mossel Bay.

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 3

Mossel Bay to Tsitsikamma National Park

After breakfast, we said goodbye to the hostess and drove to the “happening point” of Mossel Bay. We parked the car and climbed over the rocks to see the views of the ocean, the lighthouse, and the starting point of the zip-line, advertised as the longest over-the-ocean zipline in the world, that ends in the bay.

Despite good advertisement, we were not tempted to try out. Maybe some other time.

Afterward, we climbed up the cliff and observed brave zipliners sliding down the rope, screaming while big waves crashed into the rocks just beneath them.

We sat there and just took these memorable moments in. I just love the sound of the ocean, crashing into the shore. So mesmerizing…

On our way back we stopped in the lighthouse that transformed into a nice coffee house. Unfortunately, they did not offer any food so we did not lose much time there as we became hungry with all that running around.

We proceeded toward the center of the bay and found a nice restaurant that was recommended by our hostess and a few other people we asked on the way. Allegedly the seafood was delicious, but my lasagna not that much… I did get to observe some fantastically skilled surfers from the terrace though, and i must say I was impressed!

After our lunch, we proceeded with our road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Next stop was Tsitsikamma National Park. As we were already used – and also spoiled by now – the surroundings were nothing short of breathtaking.

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 4

Tsitsikamma National Park to Port Alfred

We woke up to a marvelous, cool-ish morning! When we stepped out of the room to the terrace, high mountain showed itself right in front of our noses, with a cute little cloud-crown on top. As we were not allowed to stay past 10.00 we quickly did our morning routine, drank a cup of coffee and head out.

We were on a mission to discover, what it seemed to be a gorgeous place. Tsitsikamma National park with a suspension bridge, few hiking trails and allegedly dolphins swimming along the shore. Did we see them?

We drove a few kilometers back down the main road, turned left by the sign, paid the entrance fee shortly afterward, and started our descent towards the ocean.

In the Tsitsikama National Park

Once again, we were not disappointed! Mighty Indian ocean on our right side with small camping sites with cute bungalows and a few parked camper vans on the shore next too it. It was just cute.

We parked our car at the end of the road and before we continued to explore the surroundings, we just sat down and observed the mighty ocean and waves crashing into the shore. A magnificent view to witness.

Then we started our hike up the hill towards the suspension bridge. It was just beautiful, i don’t know what else to say. Let the photo gallery speak for itself.

In addition, i can confirm! Yes, on the way back we spotted a big group of dolphins swimming near the shore, flipping around and just enjoying their everyday bathing time.

After we took in all the freshness of the ocean air and calmness of the green surroundings, we came back to the car and proceed our Roadtrip From Cape Town to Johannesburg which lead us towards the Port Alfred where we spent the next night.

We arrived long after the sun had set, so the early morning view that offered itself from our terrace after waking up left us in awe… And it beat them all so far!

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 5

Port Alfred to Khowa (Elliot)

If there was not much to see in Port Alfred, I can for sure write a line about the place we stayed. It was just magnificent. The host was very accommodating, the morning view down to the bay area was fantastic, and the breakfast was nothing short of delicious. We loved the place so much that we wanted to extend for one more day. However, it was booked, so there was not much else to do other than pack our bags and proceed with our journey.

After a bit of online research and making sure it was safe, we decided to turn left and go off the highway N2, drive towards Islands, and eventually join the route R56. Why? The landscape on that route is supposed to be gorgeous! And we are on the road-trip, right? So a bit of a detour will do us good!

And girl, the views did not disappoint us. In other words (or photos) – see the gallery below and decide for yourself!

After our arrival to Khowa we crashed in a small wooden hut, woke up and drive towards Nottingham Road.

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 6

Khowa to Nottingham Road

By now, we were already so spoiled with all the beauty South Africa had to offer, that we did not even notice it anymore. Just kidding! We were still in a constant state of awe as we drove along, looking through all windows and approaching our next destination. Nottingham Road – a town known for a variety of local small shops. Of course, we needed to visit. A perfect destination for a road trip!

As usual, we booked our accommodation last minute and arrived late in the evening. Location was lovely, to say the least…

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Road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg: Day 7

Nottingham Road to Johannesburg

We woke up to the last leg of our Road Trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg. We stretched the morning as long as possible as it was a lovely place to stay. As one of the last guests, we had a big breakfast with an omelet and afterwards, we were on the road again.

Firstly we explored the famous small artisan shops in the area and soon after we ended up on the tiny cheese farm where Steve, an ex-accountant turned farmer wanting to live a quiet life with his wife, was explaining to us how the production of cheese is South Africa is still in the early phase and they are importing all needed cheese culture from Europe.

After these two stops, we drove approx. 4 more hours and soon after heavier traffic and the skylines of Johannesburg started to present themselves on the horizon!

Our road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg was coming to an end….

Woow, you made it till the end! How did you like this trip? Would you do the same road trip or would you choose something else? Which part did you like the most?

Let me know in the comments below.

with all the love

T.