Road trip through beautiful South Africa

Anything go wrong during the trip?

Got into a car accident outside of Jeffreys Bay, be careful with the traffic, especially at crossroads

What tips would you give a friend?

Exploring South Africa with a car was the best way to do it. There are a lot of places that are quite remote but easily reachable by car and especially along the Garden Route it gives you a lot of flexibility. Make sure to also visit Johannesburg, although a lot of people say it is a very dangerous city, it is so much more. In general try to visit different quarters of the bigger cities to get a feeling for how big the gap between rich and poor in South Africa is, coexisting as if the other wasn't there. Eventhough South Africa has such beautiful nature it is still a very troubled country. Make sure not to miss that.

Transportation Tips?

If possible rent a car for the Garden Route. But be sure to also do a short trip along the coast with the local trains

Any surprises?

I was surprised that gentrification in South Africa often works the other way round as in Europe, where the poorer quarters often become hip and gentrified, forcing people with a lower income to move further outside of the cities. In South Africa it can be the opposite (most notable in Johannesburg). The 'white' quarters get populated by poorer people, whole families living in 2 room apartments. Out of safety and status reasons rich people tend to move further and further outside of the cities, in quarters where each house has a garden as big as a park. A country full of contrasts!