Obtain an itinerary of a guided tour through the area you are planning to visit. See our pages describing the Full Itineraries of our tours.
It is highly recommended to observe the general rule of thumb mentioned earlier when using a scheduled tour itinerary to design your self-drive package.
The distance travelled is extremely important. If you are trying to travel too far per day your holiday can turn into a miserable experience. South Africa covers over an area of around 2,2 million square kilometres and distances on maps are easily misread when planning routes between stops. Tour operators in South Africa generally work on a maximum distance of 350km per day. You may increase this to 500km on some days as you are able to save time at stops when on a  self-drive. If your distance exceeded the 500km mark one day, it is advisable to have a relative short distance the following day. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for each stop, and more where  meals are involved. Our roads are generally good and not too congested with traffic (instead you may encounter the odd animal - domestic or wild) so plan on 60 to 75 minutes to travel 100 kilometres.

• Firstly, you should decide whether this is the option for you.
• Secondly, familiarise yourself with the country and identify areas/places you want to visit. Acquire literature on the area.

Consider the time available for your holiday and your budget.
At this point it may be advisable to make contact with a reputable operator either directly or through your local agency. Look at what they offer, peruse the itineraries of their scheduled tours. This always serves as a good example when designing your own itinerary. You will be able to identify the classical routes from which you can expand your tour. However, it is the rule of thumb to always allow at least fifty percent more time overall then the scheduled itinerary when driving yourself; stay two nights rather than one at certain key places, etc

There are a lot of hidden costs involved sometimes forgotten about at the initial planning.

It may get frustrating not be able to identify a certain scenic spot, building, etc and missing others while concentrating on driving in an unfamiliar environment.

You do have to be well prepared to ensure that your holiday will be worth-it.

There are hazards involved such as getting lost in dangerous areas, not knowing that you are in such an area and not having input from a professional as to local customs, etc.

Driving on the 'wrong' (left) side of the road needs constant concentration for those use to driving on the right-hand side of the road and accidents have occurred as a result of a visitor forgetting this for the moment. The person driving invariably also misses some scenery for concentrating on the road.

The self-drive concept has been in practice in Europe and USA for some time now. In South Africa it has also taken on momentum and its popularity is increasing. It is generally the concept of driving yourself in a hired vehicle along a suggested itinerary and pre-booked accommodation. This option is generally taken where budget is a consideration and/or where the tourists want the freedom of deciding for themselves on time spent at different areas and privacy when touring.

A few considerations to keep in mind are that one has to do some homework such as acquiring literature on the area.   Plan your trip to the areas you would like to visit and familiarise yourself with the routes, possible danger areas and the distances you are going to travel.

At Southern Circle Tours & Safaris we offer a comprehensive array of tours and packages. From a countrywide network of scheduled tours with guaranteed departures, specialised packages for groups and  tailormade  itinerary design for you and your friends/family to your dream wedding packages that will be the envy of your friends. We arrange your entire holiday from the time you arrive with us in Africa untilyou unfortunately have to return home. the short description of the tour and you like it, click on READ MORE to see the full itinerary and at

Have a look at our scheduled packages by using the menu at the top of the page, go to the country of your choice, then to the departure city where you shall find the sheduled tours we offer. These tours are modules designed to be added to each other to form your countrywide holiday.  Once you have read the end of this you will find a table with easy instructions how to design your own holiday.

The self-drive option is for those who are a little more adventurous. We design the holiday for your on your request with hotel accommodation, an itinerary with full directions and other information while you do the driving yourself in a rented vehicle.  Click here to see more.

We have 20 years experience in itinerary design and for those specialised holidays, business trips, information visits or study groups, we are able to tailor-design the package to your requirements. Please contact us for more information or to put us to the test.