If you’ve always dreamed of going on safari in South Africa but have found safari holidays to be too expensive then we’re here to tell you that you can do a South Africa safari on a budget.
We want to tell you all about self-drive safaris and in particular where to do self-drive safaris in South Africa.
We have been going on safari for over 30 years and have done a good mix of self-drive safari holidays and guided safaris in that time.
In case you aren’t yet convinced whether to do a self-drive safari in South Africa or not, we’ve started with some questions you should ask yourself to help you decide if it is right for you.
Then we’ll go on to where the best self-drive safaris in South Africa are.
See here for important self-drive safari tips.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book or buy something, we may earn a small commission but this is at no extra cost to you.
Self-drive safaris in South Africa – should I or shouldn’t I?
Before we tell you where to do self-drive safaris in South Africa, here are a few things you need to consider.
Are you constrained by budget? If the answer is yes, then a self-drive South African safari is most likely for you. Guided safaris (particularly on private concessions) can be extremely expensive. See our guide to booking cheap safari holidays for families.
Do you have young kids? If the answer is yes, then a self-drive safari in South Africa is most likely for you. Many private game reserves don’t allow young children to stay let alone go out on game drives. Young children may also struggle with a 3-4 hour game drive. Self-drive gives you much more flexibility
Do you feel confident about driving in South Africa? If the answer is yes, a self-drive safari is most likely for you. People ask is it safe to drive around South Africa. For us it has always been fine but we know that there are risks. In general the roads are pretty good but we don’t drive at night. If you feel unsure about driving in South Africa, a self-drive safari may not be the right option for you.
There are other things to consider about whether a self-drive safari holidays in South Africa are right for you. The downsides to a self-drive safari that you need to think about are:
- South African self-drive safaris are only possible in the National Parks with potentially lots of other visitors, some of whom are clueless at best and disrespectful at worst.
- You are limited to National Park opening times which may not coincide with sunrise or sunset (although most do). These are optimal game viewing times.
- You don’t have the wildlife spotting expertise of a guide (although these tips for spotting wildlife on safari may help).
Read our views on self-drive safaris v guided safaris.
Having said this, we love the freedom of a self-drive safari and usually mix them up with a stay at lodge in a private game reserve. See our guide to the most family-friendly safari lodges in South Africa.
Tips for a self-drive safari in South Africa
If you definitely want to do a self-drive safari holiday in South Africa, here are a few tips for you.
- Book accommodation early. Accommodation within the national parks is functional but also good value so it can get booked up well in advance. Go to SanParks and pick the park you are visiting and go to their accommodation section to book your accommodation.
- Buy a guide book on the park you are visiting. It will be a great help in planning your self-drive safari.
- Know where the fuel stations and rest stops are. Some of the National Parks are vast and you don’t want to run out of fuel or water or need the toilet miles from a stop.
- Book a guide. I know this is all about self-drive but if you have a few days, why not consider booking a guide for at least one game drive especially if you haven’t been successful with sightings. See our guide to wildlife spotting on safari for more tips.
- Make sure you have all your necessary safari equipment / kit. See our guide on what to take on an African safari with kids.
Where to do self-drive safaris in South Africa
There are actually quite a few choices for self-drive holidays in South Africa making it the best place to do a self drive safari in Africa in our opinion.
The best places in South Africa for a self-drive safari are:
Self-drive in the Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is the flagship of the national parks in South Africa and is located in Mpumalanga which is around a 4-5 hour drive from Johannesburg.
You can drive (not a lot to see on the way) or you can fly to one of the small airports near Kruger (Hoedspruit, Phalaborwa or Kruger Mpumalanga International).
Entrance costs around $30 for an adult and $15 for a child (international citizens). See here for the most current Kruger entrance fees.
The park is so vast that even if you are self-driving, there is rarely an occasion when there are too many people in the park.
The game viewing in the Kruger National Park will be similar to a private game reserve next to the Kruger because in a lot of cases, the fences between the Kruger and the private game reserves are down.
This allows the animals to pass freely between the two so when people ask is a Kruger self drive worth it, we say yes. We think it is the best of the South Africa self-drive safari options.
We had a very close encounter with a rhino and large male elephant and saw plenty of lions.
The Kruger National Park is in a malarial area but there are certain times of the year when the risk of malaria is lower. Generally this is during their dry season between June and September. You should seek further advice on the need to take anti-malarials.
We have stayed at campsites within the park and we have stayed at luxury lodges surrounding the park. The experiences are obviously very different and where you choose to stay depends on your budget.
For budget accommodation we recommend Lower Sabie rest camp in the south of the park because it has a pool and you can do good loops from there taking in Skukuza, Berg-en-Dal and Crocodile Bridge rest camps.
We have also stayed outside of the park at AfriCamps Hoedspruit. They can also arrange game drives for you if you decide not to drive.
You can buy a Kruger self-drive guide here.
Self-drive in Addo Elephant National Park
Addo Elephant National Park is located in the Eastern Cape near Port Elizabeth (renamed Gqeberha in 2021). It is the third largest national park in South Africa and is a malaria free area. See our guide to all malaria free safaris in Africa for kids.
This is the closest self drive safari near Cape Town and it is easy to add onto the end of your family Garden Route adventure. See here for other Garden Route game reserves for more safari options if you are not self-driving.
It costs around $25 for adult entry and $10 for a child (international citizens). See here for up to date prices.
Addo started out as an elephant park back in 1931 with just 11 elephants and now has over 600 elephants so a sighting of elephants (if that’s what you’re after) is all but guaranteed!
They also boast the Big 7. This is the Big 5 plus the Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark!
If you want to book a guided safari, make sure to do it well in advance through SanParks as they get booked up.
You can also book a guide to come with you in your own car if you prefer.
See here for accommodation in the park. If you don’t want to stay in the park, our recommendation is AfriCamps Addo which offers safari style tents.
See how you can incorporate a self-drive safari in Addo into a 2 week family vacation in South Africa.
You can buy an Addo self-drive guide here.
Self-drive in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is located in the far north of South Africa (Northern Cape) in the small strip between Botswana and Namibia and is characterised by red dunes and scrub.
It is slightly removed from the usual tourist trail in terms of self-guided safaris in South Africa. It feels more rugged and isolated. The roads are gravel and there are several 4×4 roads so you should consider getting a 4×4 car rental.
It is a long old drive (900km) from the nearest international airport (Johannesburg) so you would probably look to get a flight to Upington and hire a car there.
You will get great sightings of Gemsbok (aka Oryx) which is the national animal of Namibia. It is also home to large black-maned lions.
Entry into the park is around $25 for adults and $12 for kids (international citizens). See up to date rates here.
Kgalagadi is considered to be outside of the malaria zone but there can be mosquitoes there in the wet season. You should always consult up to date advice on the situation as it can change with the seasons.
There are several rest camps in the park but you should note that some of them are ONLY accessible by 4×4. Also some of them are not fenced which is not ideal if travelling with young kids. See here for park accommodation.
You can buy your Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park guide in advance here.
Self-drive in Marakele National Park
We have not been to Marakele National Park ourselves so can’t comment on it but wanted to highlight it as we have heard so many positive things from others who have been.
It is located in northern South Africa in the Waterberg mountains and around a 4 hour drive from Johannesburg.
What makes it unique to the other self-drive parks in South Africa is that it sits between the dry western area and the wet eastern area of South Africa.
This unique topography with both habitats allows for maximum wildlife spotting opportunites.
Make sure you take the road to the top of the Waterberg massif for spectacular views!
A large proportion of the park has gravel roads accessible with a normal car but it is recommended that you have a 4WD.
Entry fees for the park are very reasonable. Adults are $15 and kids are $7 (international citizens). See rates here.
Marakele is a malaria free zone.
There are a couple of fairly basic accommodation options in the park. See here. If you want to push the boat out for an incredible stay at a luxury safari lodge, see Marataba Safari Lodge.
Self-drive in Pilanesberg National Park
Pilanesberg National Park is the fourth largest park in South Africa and is located fairly close to Johannesburg (3 hour drive) making it the most accessible park for a self-drive safari.
There is a wide variety of wildlife in the park with excellent game viewing opportunities in the Mankwe Dam region. Many animals come here for water.
Pilanesberg is a malaria free area.
Entrance fees to the park are about $7 per adult and $2 per child (international citizens) with a small additional charge per car. See rates here.
There are various accommodation options in the park (see here) but the quite unique thing about Pilanesberg is that it is right next to the famous Sun City Resort where there are lots more accommodation choices.
We hope you have found this information on self-drive safaris in South Africa helpful!
