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.