We’re huge fans of road trips. There’s no better way to see the country. There’s the open road, the adventure of it all, travelling with people who are just as crazy as you are, singing at the top of your lungs without a care in the world (so pick your mates carefully), stopping for food in the middle of nowhere, and because it just looks so damn cool when they do it in the movies. With a country that has some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world, you shouldn’t even need any of these reasons to hit the open road. You have the perfect backdrop for a cross-country epic and very little excuse not to pack your car this Easter and discover the full splendor and hospitality of your country.

Not quite sure where your road trip should lead you? Well, here are just some of the road trips we’ve taken throughout the country, so saddle up and buckle down!

Leaving from Johannesburg

The road is calling and it’s no lie that all roads lead to Limpopo. Elim in Louis Trichardt is the perfect place to get inspired or just to get away from it all and… exhale! We recommend a stay over at Madi a Thavha a small family lodge nestled in the majestic hills of Limpopo. The lodge offers visitors a choice between a Venda lifestyle and a cultural tour, both of which allow you to lose yourself in the traditions and art of the Venda and Tsonga people. These tours will take to the homes of some of Venda’s most acclaimed artists and get your hands dirty in some creative workshops.

Also within a few hours on the open road is the Free State. Clarens is a small town at the foothill of the Maloti Mountain and has earned itself the nickname “the Jewel of the Eastern Free State”. But this is more than a shiny destination. There’s more to it than what sparkles. If you’re looking for something a little deeper than what people expect from Clarens then sign up for The Unusual Attractions Tour with Edward Mosi and discover a side of Clarens that isn’t often explored.

Leaving from Durban

Spend three days hiking through the Wild Coast. With idyllic beaches and an unspoiled natural splendor, it’s unimaginable that you could find a more perfect destination at the end of your road trip. This warm and lush paradise on the Wild Coast is where the amaMpondo people call home. Experience the ways of the amaMpondo in homestay based accommodation.

If you fancy something further afield then definitely aim for East London. There’s plenty sun, surf and sandy beaches to check out, but this is also a place steeped in history and offers visitors a whole range of cultural and historical activities. The Nelson Mandela Route Tour gives visitors a look into the world icons journey providing a glimpse of how he spent his early years and help piece together the sequence of events that would lead him to leave the Eastern Cape for Johannesburg. Or you could visit Mama Tofu, the 96-year-old matriarch of the Ngxingxolo Village who exposes visitors to the customs and ways of the Xhosa people.

Leaving from Cape Town

If you’re in The Mother City and itching for a road trip adventure this April then we recommend that you fire up the GPS and head to Port Elizabeth. The ‘Windy City’ wears its diversity on its sleeve. While you’re here we recommend you go on a journey through the city’s many histories and track back to the present day.

Or you can head out to Knysna where you are spoilt for choice of things to do. For starters you can go on a tour at the Pledge Nature Reserve with Stanley Grootboom where you can learn about the origins of Outeniqua San people, their cultural norms and their relationship to some of the land. Or maybe you feel like something completely out of the ordinary. In which case you definitely have to check out Judah Square. This is home to one of the largest Rastafarian communities in the South Africa. There’s also the possibility of squeezing in a whole day’s worth of Knysna experiences into one of your days there. For this Mawande is the person to speak because of his knowledge of the in’s and out’s of Knysna’s small communities. And finally if you’re after something a little more left field then turn off onto the dirt road and aim for the Northern Cape. Whatever you do, make a point of visiting The Richtersveld Community Conservancy, the last refuge for the Nama people. This is also a conservancy with some of the rarest botanical diversity anywhere on the planet. Where else can you learn about the Wondergat, Cornellskop and Quiver trees and the area’s endemic plants like Lithops, Conophytems, the Bushman Candle and Petroglyphs dating back more than 10,000 years? Nowhere else.