We were looking for a trip to Malawi and then crossing into Mozambique for the beaches. However there was no direct flights from UK to Malwai and due to the
issues with piracy in the north of Mozambique knew we'd have to travel south for the beaches. The more we looked into this the more we new that we would have a long ardous and at times
boring trip driving for days across Mozambique just to reach the beaches and coast of indian ocean.
So instead when looking at other options we came up with the idea to fly direct into South Africa and pick up a self drive 4 x 4 and venture into areas we hadn't seen of south africa like
Kruger National Park. From here we'd head into Mozambique for the beach and then into Eswatini for more games drives before crossing into Lesotho for the mountains, rugged roads and peace.
We'd planned 10 days for the whole trip and would be moving serious distances most days and often crossing borders.
Car Rental proved problematic even 7 months in advance. I guess vehicles are limited and booked up a year in advance for self drive tour packages among others. Also we were looking to travel
in September, one of the best times of the year and just outside the main summer holiday season in the UK. There also aren't many good companies outside of Avis, Britz/Maui and Bushlore. We
got lucky by downgrading our expectations slightly and managed to nab one of the last cars with Bushlore.
Safety was also a paramount concern and we spent a lot of time checking border information and road safety advice.
NOTES: The only way this day can really work is if you are landing by 8am in the morning. Much later and you'd struggle to get to hotel in time for evening game drive. If your flights don't align you'd need to add a day in either at the lodge or Johannesburg. We knew the risk on booking and were just hoping for no major delays / issues.
NOTES: This is a busy day with three game drives and a change in accomodation. While the driving won't take as long it will still dictate an early start and late finish.
NOTES: This is a fairly long day and there are time limits with crossing at Giriyondo. Firstly you must be a tourist, secondly driving a capable 4x4 due to the tracks in Limpopo mandating it, you must also have spent or be planning to spend a night in either Kruger or Limpopo the day before / after you want to cross the border. Additionally you'll have to buy a permit for both sides.
NOTES: We'd read that the border road here could be at risk to hijacking / kidnapping so we had our wits about us. I'd also recommend strongly avoiding it in the dark.
NOTES: While you can self drive through Hlane, you are not allowed to go to where the lions exist. Something worth bearing in mind.
NOTES: This is a long drive day and will be followed by a long drive & difficult drive day. Depending on timings you won't have much time in Durban and may even arrive after dark.
Hotels can be found for varying prices but you do have to factor in game drive costs on top and the cost and availability of food as you'll mostly need to eat at the hotels booked due to limited other choices when so remote. Fuel is moderately priced compared to european destinations, but certainly not cheap and this trip covers almost 5k kilometeres. Safety and security is also a concern in some areas and the pricier accomodation generally offers better in this regard. Car rental will always be expensive for such a niche vehicle. For us it cost about £130 a day with extended insurance, cross border fees and an out of hours drop off. You also need to factor in other costs such as national park entrance fees and border fees for visas and mandatory insurance / vehicle permits. Not to mention probably a few bribes here and there as is the african way.
You can see how our actual trip went along with photos here: South Africa 2024