Highlights of South Africa self-drive tour

Spend today exploring Cape Town, starting with a private guided hike up Table Mountain for some excellent views over the city and the ocean beyond. There are several routes up the mountain of varying difficulty, and your guide will be able to choose the one best-suited to you. In the afternoon, enjoy a private tour exploring the historic heart of the city on foot and learning about South Africa’s dramatic apartheid history.

Your fully insured hire car is dropped at your hotel this morning as you embark on a full-day drive around the Cape Peninsula. The route down to Cape Point takes in the Chapman's Peak drive, pretty coastal villages and several untouched beaches. A stop at Boulders Beach is highly recommended to see the colony of African, or jackass, penguins; watching them glide effortlessly through the surf is a sight to behold. We also recommend visiting the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which makes up much of the Cape Floral Kingdom with its varied vegetation. Look out for antelope, baboons and African black oystercatchers on the shoreline.

Leave Cape Town and drive for an hour to the pretty town of Franschhoek in the Winelands. After checking in to your hotel, you can explore the town and its countryside surroundings on foot or by bicycle. In the heart of the town are numerous upmarket shops, restaurants and cafes — we suggest leaving your car and strolling the streets, browsing the shops and stopping for something to eat.

You have the whole day to explore the Winelands. Start in Stellenbosch with a half day guided walking tour of the town and a chance to taste a range of local produce. As well as snacks and wine, you will enjoy a filling lunch which includes Bobotie — a traditional South African dish. Afterwards you can visit a number of local farms and vineyards in the area. One of our favourites is Babylonstoren where you can spend an hour or two strolling in the gardens. Alternatively, we can arrange for a private guide to help you find wines and wineries to your taste.

The two and a half hour drive to Swellendam passes through craggy, mountainous scenery along traffic-free roads. The town itself is halfway between Cape Town and the Garden Route and sits in the shadow of the Overberg Mountains. The historic area of Swellendam contains some fine examples of Cape Dutch architecture along with art shops and restaurants, making it a pleasant place to explore. We also suggest visiting De Hoop Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area, which is home to a wide range of wildlife and marine life, including dolphins, seals, whales (seasonal), zebra, eland and many bird species.

Plettenberg Bay is around a four hour drive along the scenic Route 62, at the eastern end of the Garden Route. The drive has many places to stop en route. We suggest calling into Oudtshoorn to visit an ostrich farm or try an ostrich steak for lunch. You arrive in Plett in the late afternoon. Ideally placed for access to the Garden Route's many activities and attractions, the town's known for its beautiful white-sand coastline, and a relaxing stroll on the beach is a lovely way to wind down after a busy day of driving or sightseeing.

Today we recommend that you visit the Tsitsikamma Forest, a 45 minute drive from Plettenberg Bay. En route, you'll cross several precipitous canyons, with ocean-bound rivers far below — if you've a head for heights you'll be able to get some spectacular photographs. At Tsitsikamma Forest there are a number of walking trails to follow among the trees, which contrast with the crashing waves. The best-known lookout point is the suspension bridge where the Storms River meets the ocean.

Your morning adventure leaves Plettenberg Bay with an exciting beach launch and heads east past the bird sanctuary. Here you might encounter dolphins, as well as sharks. During whale watching season (June-November) there is a chance to see a variety of whale species. Cruising back along the inside of Robberg Peninsula, you can observe the noisy Cape Fur Seal Colony before heading back toward Plettenberg Bay.

From staying by the ocean, in under four hours' drive you can be on safari in the game reserves of the Eastern Cape. Your accommodation is close to the Addo Elephant National Park, where you can either embark on a self-drive safari or join a guided game drive with an experienced ranger. Your ranger can help point out the park's wildlife, which includes the Big Five (elephant, lion, buffalo, black rhino and leopard) as well as hippo, warthogs, eland, kudu and bushbuck.

Spend the day on safari in the park, either self-driving or on a guided trip. Look out for elephant frolicking in the waterholes and lion lazing in the shade. If you're with a ranger, you can gain pointers on the best spots to find wildlife and have your hands free for taking photographs. However, self-driving gives you more flexibility in how long you spend in each area, how often you stop and which species you concentrate on.

You have the chance to explore the park further today, and with an early start you can get to some of the more remote sections of the park, such as the rocky Zuurberg range and the Darlington Dam. You can try ticking off the smaller species on your list or search for any of the Big Five you've yet to see.

Drive the hour and a half to Port Elizabeth to catch your onward flight to Johannesburg and then your international flights to make your way back home.