South Africa Port Elizabeth To Cape Town £13,824 per person
8 Nights: 6-14 May, 2025
Explore South Africa’s rugged beauty from behind the wheel of our ultimate 4X4. We’ve planned the perfect South African adventure. From Addo Elephant National Park in the east. To vibrant capital. En route, exclusive access to private estates. Multiple biomes. Each with its own climate, flora and fauna. And some of the best food, wine and hospitality this welcoming nation has to offer. Off-road adventures. Sole use of hand-picked, intimate, boutique accommodation. Countless memories. Join us for the journey of a lifetime. Just one of the expeditions inspired by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Namibian adventures.
Quintessentially South African.
Unmistakably Grenadier.
Day One – Tuesday, 6 May
Port Elizabeth
Arrive at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, in Port Elizabeth, collect your INEOS Grenadier, and take your first short drive to your hotel for your first two nights, Riverbend Lodge in Addo Elephant Park, the country’s third largest game reserve. Where 5-star luxury meets old world charm, it’s a wonderful setting to get acclimatised, before a full trip briefing and dinner. The next day, you’ll head out for a guided game drive, with further opportunities for wine tasting in the world, and optional spa treatments to unwind.
Spend your first two nights at Riverbend Lodge. Find out more by exploring the hotspots below.
Highlights
- INEOS Grenadier walkaround
- Dinner at the lodge
- Trip briefing
40 minutes
airport>hotel road
75 km
Day Three – Thursday, 8 May
Addo To Zandvlakte
Leaving the Addo Elephant Nation Park, you’ll head west, through the Karoo plains and towards the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area. Here, steep mountain passes, and river crossings, will provide your toughest driving challenges yet, and spectacular views of Cockscomb Peak. To our evening retreat: Zandvlakte, a working farm where we’ll dine under the stars.
- Addo National Park
- Population of over 600 elephants
- The Big Five
- Stunning mountain passes
5 hours
light trails
230 km
South Africa’s third largest game reserve. Famous for large herds of over 600 elephants. Also home to the rest of the big five: lions, leopards, rhino and buffalo. As well as driving through the park to reach your accommodation, you’ll have the whole next day for a guided tour. Plenty of time to put your Station Wagon’s safari windows to use.
Stay at RiverBend Lodge.
Day Four – Friday, 9 May
Zandvlakte To Wilderness
We’ll take the rugged, dusty tracks of the Baviaanskloof Mountains, to Uniondale, a quaint country village in the Little Karoo. Before climbing the Outeniqua Mountains and the Prince Albert Pass. And descending towards the lagoon town of Knysna. Then, through rich mountain forests, and on to the historic 7 Passes route towards Wilderness, and our next accommodation.
Spend the night at Stay Wilderness and Beach Villa, Wilderness.
Highlights
- 7 Passes scenic drive
- Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve
- Stay at a working farm
- Dine under the stars
3.4 hours
back country
250 km
Towering cliffs and deep valleys shape this challenging landscape. As you weave your way through this intriguing wilderness, you’ll discover rich layers of history, from ancient rock art to settler routes. A journey through diverse habitats, offering a sense of discovery.
From the landlocked Great Karoo. To the coastal Garden Route. These mountains offer the way through. Breathtaking views. And secluded spots off the beaten path, from waterfalls to ancient forests.
Follow in the tracks of early adventurers along this 19th-century route. Drive through forest and valleys, up and down, amidst a backdrop that changes with each turn. Keep your eyes peeled for the rich wildlife that calls this pass home.
Knysna, a gem along South Africa’s so-called Garden Route, mesmerises with its charming streets and upmarket restauratns. Flanked by ancient forests and the dramatic Knysna Heads. A picturesque backdrop on your adventure. Blending urban charm with the call of the wild.
A meandering, historic route connecting George to Knysna. Through forest, over seven rivers, and seven gorges. Each pass offering a unique landscape and driving experience. 75km of tar and gravel roads, with many attractions worth stopping for. An old gold-rush town. An 800-year-old tree. To name a few.
Perched above the Dune and with views of Wilderness Lake. We’ll have sole use of Stay Wilderness, offering elegantly furnished rooms, a garden, and a swimming pool. A perfect place to unwind after winding through the mountains. If the weather’s good, we'll take a refreshing dip in the Indian Ocean, before retiring to the hotel.
Visit the Stay Wilderness website.
Day Five – Saturday, 10 May
Wilderness To Rogge Kloof
Climb up out of George towards Montagu Pass. Then on to the Cango Caves and the town of Prince Albert. Before reaching the Swartberg Pass, and down to the expansive plains of the Great Karoo. Before climbing into the Roggeveld Mountains.
Spend the night at Rogge Kloof.
Highlights
- Scenic mountains
- Breathtaking caves
- Prince Alfred Pass
- Flying visit to the town of Prince Albert
5 hours
gravel
350 km
South Africa’s oldest, unaltered pass. Named after John Montagu, Colonial Secretary of the Cape in the 1840s, who had, apparently, a ‘enthusiasm for good roads’. This narrow, gravel pass offers 70 minutes of scenic views. Including the Outeniqua Mountains, which we’ll drive through the next day. Just 45 minutes away from our next accommodation, Stay Wilderness, above the beach, the other side of George.
One of the country’s most spectacular natural wonders. Estimated to be over 20 million years old. The Cango Caves are renowned for breathtaking stalactite and stalagmite formations.
It took seven years to carve this pass that today offers a three to four hour drive boasting exhilarating scenery. Dramatic rock formations, deep gorges, and high cliffs. And, over the top of original drystone walls, panoramic views across the Klein and Great Karoo. Much of the pass is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and deservedly so.
South Africa’s own Gobi Desert, the size of Germany. Once an ancient seabed, Karoo comes from an old San word meaning ‘land of great thirst’. An arid landscape with a harsh climate, surrounded by mountains. Unique, captivating, and begging to be explored. Especially from behind the wheel of our ultimate 4X4.
The name ‘Roggeveld’ comes from the wild rye once plentiful in the area. And the higher elevations means some of South Africa’s coldest temperatures. You’ll make your way through untouched landscapes and descend into the vast plains of the Great Karoo.
Look out for the famous leopards that roam this private nature reserve. Then enjoy Sundowner cocktails, fine food and wine. Before one of the most thrilling nights of your life. You’ll stay in an aptly named Orion suite. High altitude. Lack of pollution. And the most magnificent views of the heavens you’ve ever seen.
Visit the Rogge Cloof Estate website.
Day Six – Sunday, 11 May
Rogge Kloof To Bushman’s Kloof
After breakfast, you’ll descend out of the the Great Karoo’s plateaus. Down through the Roggevel Mountains. Into the Tankwa Karoo Valley, a remote, tranquil national park featuring its own unique flora and fauna. Then west through the Cedarberg mountains, on a beautiful gravel track called the Old Postal Route.
Spend two nights at Bushman’s Kloof Reserve and Wellness Retreat.
Highlights
- Visit the SALT Telescope
- Tankwa Karoo National Park
- The Great Karoo
5 hours
dirt road
250 km
Discover spellbinding beauty in this national park like no other. Solitude, surreal scenic wonder, and wildlife sightings of springbuck, zebra and eland, local spiral-horned antelopes.
Some people call this gravel track ‘basic’. But, Grenadier drivers aren’t ‘some people’. Basic means beautiful. And fun. Winding your way towards Tankwa Karoo National Park. Two mountain passes. Two river crossings. Putting your Grenadier’s capabilities, and your skills, to the test.
You’ll stay at luxurious private game lodge, Bushman’s Kloof Reserve and Wellness Retreat. Ideally situated between the Cederberg Mountains and the plains of the Great Karoo, it’s your five-star home for two nights. Arrive, relax and plan your next day: a nature drive, a rock art excursion, a botanical walk, spa treatments, or just relax by the pool.
Day Eight – Tuesday, 13 May
Bushman’s Kloof To Cape Town
Head down through the Bidou Valley and Wuppertal. Down through the beautiful Cederberg mountains, where the dirt turns to tarmac. Through fruit-farming town, Ceres. Through the Drakenstein mountains and Bain’s Kloof Pass. Into the Western Cape Winelands. Stunning landscapes, as historic towns, farmsteads and hamlets rush by, in the shadow of jagged Cape peaks. Before turning on to South Africa’s longest road, but for only 57km, for the final push towards Cape Town, where you’ll spend the night at Table Bay Hotel.
Highlights
- Lunch at Bushman’s Kloof
- Cederberg Mountains
- Western Cape Winelands
3 hours
tarmac/gravel
260 km
Named after the Roman Goddess of Agriculture, Ceres is a town at the heart of a wonderfully fertile region. Beyond the fruit farms, tarmac turns to gravel as you enter the raw, rugged beauty of the remote Cederberg wilderness. Here, you’ll pass through the flower-famous Bievouw Valley, on your way to the award-winning Bushman’s Kloof reserve, where you’ll spend your second and third nights.
A day characterised by stunning views, and awe-inspiring landscape. You’ll wind your way through the Drakenstein Mountains along Bain’s Kloof Pass. Kloof means steep-sided, wooded valley. And Bain’s is one of the very best. You’ll climb to nearly 2,000 ft, before dropping down to the valley on the other side. Towards Ceres, a popular weekend getaway for Capetonians. When you see this fertile valley surrounded by mountains, you’ll understand why.
60kms outside of Cape Town, these valleys form the largest winemaking region in the country. Glimpse the vineyards sheltered by the surrounding mountain peaks.
Spend the night the luxurious Table Bay Hotel. It’s in the heart of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, one of the capital’s most iconic neighbourhoods. The perfect place to end your adventure, enjoy views of Table Mountain (and cable car, time permitting), or visit the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, for last-minute gifts. The following morning, catch a plane straight home, hop on a connecting flight, or continue your South African adventure. Looking for recommendations or ideas? We’d be happy to help.
Visit the Table Bay Hotel website.
Please be aware that your contract for the expedition shall be through an external company and not with INEOS Automotive, who disclaim liability to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable law for your participation in this activity. The provision of your personal data in the form above is a request by you to provide this external company with your personal information in order for you to take steps to enter into a contract for the expedition.
External company details: Magalena Corporation, 203 Allied Building, Francis Rachel Street, P.O. Box 381, Victoria, Seychelles.
Images included above are purely indicative, and do not specifically depict photography from the expedition route.