Car Hire Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa / Port Elizabeth Car Rentals / Vehicle Hire Port Elizabeth

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Articles & Attractions

- Hire Car Cape Town Airport

- South Africa Car Rentals

- Travel the wine routes with Cape Town car hire

- Self-drive tours with South Africa car rentals

- Driving in Port Elizabeth

- Road Map from Johannesburg to Durban

- Drive the scenic route Durban to Cape Town

- Reasonable Car Rental Rates Cape Town South Africa

- Travel advice for Durban

- Travel advice for Port Elizabeth

Car Hire Port Elizabeth

Road Map from Johannesburg to Durban

The road map from Johannesburg to Durban will take you down the N3, a well travelled national highway with offshoot roads leading to a fantastic variety of miscellaneous destinations. This busy freeway from Joburg to Durban is a toll road with five toll plazas at Heidelberg, Villiers, Tugela, Mooi River and Marianhill. You may want to use cash for the tolls as only particular cards are accepted. You can avoid some of the tolls if you use the alternate route, the R103.

If you’re not in a hurry to get to the Berg or the Battlefields, stop to visit Heidelberg and the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. Heidelberg is home to some old-fashioned Victorian architecture and a well-known motor museum. The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve offers walking trails and a 60km driving route. After passing the towns of Villiers and Warden, further down the highway you’ll reach Harrismith, almost exactly halfway between Johannesburg and Durban.

The road map from Johannesburg to Durban presents an assortment of routes into the Berg (Drakensberg) and the Battlefields. From Harrismith to Howick there are subsidiary roads leading to different areas of the Berg. Holidaying anywhere in the Berg is a wonderful experience. Summers are very hot and winters are cold with seasonal snow. Resorts and accommodation venues cater for a considerable range of palates in terms of food and vacation preferences. Sports facilities, spa treatments and adventure activities can either be found at the resort or arranged for you. Rock climbing, hiking, golf, fishing, boating and horse riding are a few of the commonly available activities.

Military history fans will be fascinated by the Battlefields. The Harrismith, Ladysmith and Estcourt region is rife with military history, especially that concerning the British and the Boers. Take an official Battlefield tour, and visit the Siege museum and the memorials. Stand on the battlefields where the British and the Boers clashed. Interestingly, one of the battlefields is located in the Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve.

Game and nature reserves between Harrismith and Durban include:

Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve (also a battlefield)
Weenen Nature Reserve
Wagendrift Nature Reserve (see an Iron Age fossil bed from here)
Thukhela Biosphere
Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve
Tala Game Reserve
Phezulu Safari Park (have a traditional Zulu cultural experience)

among many others. These reserves offer a plentiful activities such as trail walking, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, paddling, boating, swimming, game viewing and more.

Further down the N3 you’ll find the beautiful Natal Midlands. The R103 alternate route is a vital detour here, as it’s part of the pastoral and enchanting Midlands Meander. Drive the Midlands Meander and stop often to try fresh farm foods and visit local “crafters”: leatherworkers, woodturners, jewellers and artists. Drop by the lavender farm for wonderful farm-made home and beauty treats. If you can, spend a day at beautiful Midmar Dam or put your feet up at a guest farm.

On the road map from Johannesburg to Durban you’re almost “there”, but there are still a couple of things left to do. Turn off at Kloof and stop by Vanille or Sprigs and pick up some munchies (drinks and snacks) for a picnic at Makaranga Garden Lodge, a awe-inspiring private botanical garden with an impressive art collection. From Kloof, thirty minutes on the M13 and then the N3 will have you in Durban.

For your South Africa Car Rentals, contact the award winning Woodford Car & Bakkie Hire.