It’s that time of year coming up again when the public holidays flow thick and fast for South Africa. With a country as beautiful as ours, the ideal solution could be a road trip.

Here are some of the best to get you out of the city and on the road.

Got three days? Enjoy the Garden Route
It’s an oldie but a goodie for a reason, especially if you stay on the coast. Even if you’ve done the Garden Route many times, there’s always a new wine farm to check out and side roads to take. Add horseback riding into the mix for some extra adventure.

Got four days? Hit the Midlands Meander
Durban is a holiday favourite but just a little too far away, for some, for a long weekend trip. The Natal Midlands, however, are a whole two hours closer to Johannesburg and boast some of the most extravagantly verdant greenery in the country. There are countless antique stores, cafes and curio shops to stop in and the prices are far lower than in Cape Town or Joburg.

Got nine days? Try Namibia
If you’ve never done a road trip to Namibia, you can’t possibly imagine how strikingly lovely the scenery is, how meditative the open, uncongested road and how friendly the people are once you get there. If you can fit in the extra drive, check out the Skeleton Coast – it’s on international tourists’ bucket lists for a reason.

Got ten days? Head to Botswana
In between the lush Okavango Delta and some of the best game reserves on the continent, Botswana is the ultimate road trip for a South African nature lover. Lush green bush, mighty rivers, striking sandy plains… Botswana has got it all. You’re unlikely to find cities as clean, unpretentious and well-run as Gaborone either.

There you have it, some of the best road trips to get your spirit of adventure without the exorbitant price of air tickets.