Road Trip's Podcast - Travel, Touring and Holidays in South Africa using the Road Trip mobile app

Send us Fan Mail Mokala National Park, proclaimed in June 2007, is South Africa’s newest park, located 80km southwest of Kimberley. Named after the Setswana word for Camelthorn tree (Acacia erioloba), the park features striking, twisted specimens ranging from small shrubs to towering 16m trees. Red Kalahari sands, towering trees, beautiful sunsets, some tricky roads..... all make for a cool stay....

Send us Fan Mail The Karoo National Park lies a few short kilometres South of Beaufort West. Spectacular scenery, both easy and challenging 4x4 routes, really nice and well situated accommodation, and we got to see the Lions! A night or two here changes Beaufort West from a flying overnight stop on the N1, to a destination. Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you wa...

Send us Fan Mail Beaufort West lies astride the N1, the main highway that stretches from Cape Town to Beit Bridge. Travellers on the route often use it as a very convenient overnight stop, and there are many really good accommodation options in the area - Lodges on game farms, B&B's, guest houses etc. The Karoo National Park is right there as well - this park and quite a few interesting s...

Send us Fan Mail The Camdeboo National Park surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet. The iconic "sundowners" spot of The Valley of Desolation is a "must-do". Plan a late afternoon drive to the viewpoint, with an appropriately filled cooler box - and just enjoy the timeless beauty of the vast Karoo plains. Spend a day or two on some challenging roads, or just enjoy some easy game vi...

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to history, particularly Afrikaans history, not many towns in South Africa can rival Graaff-Reinet. Founded in 1786 by the Dutch East India Company, it is the fifth-oldest town in South Africa. Today, Graaff-Reinet is home to more national monuments than any other town or city in South Africa. It is also the gateway to the Camdeboo National Park - famous for "Th...

Send us Fan Mail The little village of Nieu-Bethesda - an absolute gem of a visit - Dinosaurs, fossils, San culture, and the famous "Owl House". This is at least a two-day stop. Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about the mountain Zebra National Park - created to preserve "Donkeys in Football Jerseys"! A real hidden gem of our National Parks system - and the accommodation is spectacular. Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Send us Fan Mail Zulus and Voortrekker survivors, influences of the Sikh War, concentration camps and memorials. Blockhouses, a "two-headed" Language Monument - the start of "Black Week", VC's and MC's, "The Story of an African Farm", and resistance to Apartheid - again, so much all in one area! Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download...

Send us Fan Mail This episode has so  much! Voortrekkers, Basotho and Zulu Wars, Rebellions and Nazi spies and paratroopers, war heroes and Spitfires, Anglo-Boer War and the concentration camps. Truly a mix of our history - and a fun episode tying it all together.  Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Send us Fan Mail The Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Really beautiful scenery, highlighted by the "Brandwag Buttress" - an incredible sandstone formation. This park also has a wealth of dinosaur fossils, and some great displays. ================================================ This is part 1 of a 16-day round trip from Johannesburg - covering some beautiful and amazing destinations:...

Send us Fan Mail We have a chat with Simon Green - "The Blockhouse Guy". Simon has authored two books on the blockhouses of the Anglo-Boer War - a very handy field guide, as well as a more in-depth analysis of the engineering behind these 9000+ structures the British Military left behind in South Africa. We have digitised the field guide - so if you are looking to visit a Blockhouse - th...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Dr. Dean Allen - renowned Author, Historian, Lecturer, and Media Presenter. Dean has authored several books, two of which are are titled "Frontier Land - Exploring the Eastern Cape." So much of our history played out in this area - and it really is a fascinating part of South Africa. We have digitised these two books and all the spots Dean discusses and desc...

Send us Fan Mail Middelburg, Cradock, Cookhouse and through Slagtersnek - some really evocative and emotional spots on this route. The story of the "Chair Monument", and the site of what is considered to be the first resistance to British rule that ended rather badly at Slagtersnek. Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Af...

Send us Fan Mail This highway traverses the Kalahari through to Upington - where you have to visit Scotty Smith, the Donkey Memorial, and the Camel Statue - follow the Gariep river through Prieska, Britstown, and De Aar, to eventually intersect the N1 at Hanover. Beautiful changing landscapes from red Kalahari dunes, flat salt-pans - where Sir Malcolm Campbell's "Blue Bird" challeng...

Send us Fan Mail Some reflections on our visits to the Kruger Park this year. We have visited a wide variety of the camps in the Central / Northern section and give some feedback on our experiences there. Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Send us Fan Mail There have been some criminal incidents perpetrated against tourists visiting South Africa. An awful lot of risk can be mitigated by following some common sense rules.  Support the show The Road Trip SA app is available for download. Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Send us Fan Mail Ladysmith is right at the centre of what we call "The Battlefields" region. So much of our history played out here - the Voortrekkers and their conflicts with the Zulu, the British and their battles with the Zulu, and then this area was pivotal in both conflicts between the British Empire and the Boer Republics. The N11 branches off the N3 (Johannesburg to Durban) at Lad...

Send us Fan Mail The N9 branches off the N1 in Colesburg and takes you south. It takes you over beautiful Karoo landscapes through Noupoort, Middelburg, and with a short detour you can visit Nieu-Bethesda - one of the quintessential "Karoo-dorpies". The VOC influence is still to be seen in Graaff-Reinet - and this is an obligatory overnight stop. The highway then takes you just to the Ea...

Send us Fan Mail No. 72 (Basutoland) Squadron is commemorated in Maseru and remembered forever in the design one the most popular blankets sold in Lesotho. The N8 then actually starts at the border with South Africa - it skirts Ladybrand where Robey Leibbrandt is buried, then heads to Bloemfontein. We explore a bit of that city, chat about a few spots in Kimberley, and eventually end in Groblersho...

Send us Fan Mail Winelands transform to fruit and wheatfields - the West Coast is booming. A beautiful drive through undulating hills and passing towns like Malmesbury, Moorreesburg, Citrusdal, and Clanwilliam. Each and every one is worth a short detour and you get to see the citrus industry in full swing and if you really look - you can trace the tracks of missionaries and pioneers as well. Once...

Send us Fan Mail The N6 heads straight South from Bloemfontein and skirts the Southern border of Lesotho. Little towns like Reddersburg, Smithfield, Aliwal North and Jamestown all have some history of the conflicts with the Basotho, as well as many stories of Voortrekkers and Anglo Boer War characters. A little further south and once through Queenstown you are in "Settler Country" - but...

Send us Fan Mail This highway traverses the Eastern Free State just to the north of Lesotho. The history of the Voortrekkers and the Basotho runs deep in this land. Lots of history to explore, and some surprising statues and memorials - and lots of fossils as well! The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris Support the show The Road Tri...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 8 of a series on the Kruger National Park. We cover the area north of The Voortrekker Road, explore a bit of Pretoriuskop, take a look at Skukuza, and chat about the memorials to the Game Rangers and conservation staff. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Safaris The Road Trip SA app is available for download Support the show The Road Trip SA app is av...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 7 of a series on the Kruger National Park The story of Harry Wolhuter and how he survived a lion attack, the old "Voortrekker Road", remnants of the Voortrekkers, early traders, and gold prospectors. Many dramas played out in this area before the park was established - there are some great stories here. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Saf...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 5 of a series on he Kruger National Park The far north of the park has some really interesting history to explore. Archaeological sites such as Thulamela, fun history like Crooks corner - the haunt of "Bvekenya", as well as the remnants of the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association sites, are all to be found in this area. Want to travel to the Kruger National Pa...