The 11 best long weekend road trips from Johannesburg

One of the oldest mountain ranges on earth (it’s older than the Himalayas!), the Magaliesberg sits barely an hour from Joburg and is worth far more than just a day trip. The terrain is slow-travel country: proper hiking, serious birding, and a surprising amount of peace and quiet given how close you still are to the city.

There are plenty of self-catering options for couples and families, many of which even afford you the opportunity to bring your furry friends along for a weekend of walks.

Pefumula and Saamruus are two of the most popular self-catering getaways, with Saamruus being pet-friendly.

Mount Grace Country House & Spa has been a long-weekend institution for years, and it earns it: the gardens are beautiful, the spa means business, and the valley views make it very easy to stay put and call it enough.

De Hoek Country Hotel is the more intimate, old-fashioned option in the best sense. It’s worth knowing that there are no children under twelve, which has earned it a quietly devoted following among people who know exactly what and why they’re booking.

Make sure to pay a visit to Black Horse Brewery for the views and the beer, and if the kids are in tow, spend a morning doing the canopy tour zipline too.

Harties is a default Joburg long weekend escape for good reason. It’s close enough to leave after work on Thursday and still be drinking wine on a deck by nightfall, with the Magaliesberg folding behind the dam and the water turning gold in the late afternoon in a way that makes everything feel slightly cinematic. The restaurant scene has grown considerably in recent years, which helps justify the return visits.

African Rock Hotel in the valley does colonial-era rooms, serious birdsong, and that slightly time-stopped quality that is precisely what a long weekend is for.

Shepherd’s Rest is the more contemporary self-catering option, with easy access to the water and enough space for groups that need to spread out.

Dinokeng doesn’t get talked about as much as some of its neighbours, and the proximity to Jozi fools some safari-lovers into thinking Dinokeng isn’t a “real” safari. Fortunately, they’re very wrong - but it’s one of Dinokeng’s main selling points.

At only about 70 kilometres north of Pretoria, it’s home to South Africa’s only free-roaming Big Five experience within striking distance of Joburg. Lion, elephant, rhino, and all the safari perks with no long Lowveld drive required.

There’s an overwhelming range of options, but people who want the full-frills experience will likely enjoy Mongena. If you prefer luxury self-catering, both The Lookout Lodge and Leadwood Safari Camp offer private hot tubs.

The Vaal is misunderstood by anyone who hasn’t actually spent time on it. Find the right pocket (and Parys is that pocket) and you get a lazy river town with good coffee, vintage shops, independent galleries, and a thriving arts community.

The town sits inside a circular meteorite crater, which is not something most people know and is a very good pub quiz fact, regardless.

Ebb and Flow River Lodge sits directly on the Vaal and features rooms that make the river the focal point rather than a backdrop.

Parys rewards wandering on foot just as much as any structured weekend plan, which makes it a good call for people who want to actually decompress rather than just relocate their stress to a different setting.

Alternatively, if you want some outdoor time, there’s plenty of opportunity for hiking and even white river rafting.  

Pilanesberg sits inside an ancient volcanic crater. It might seem irrelevant (you’re here for the lions, not the history lesson!), but it means the landscape is distinctive in a way most bushveld reserves aren’t, and that the alkaline soils support a wider mix of species than the rest of the surrounding region.

The Big Five are here, the accessibility is excellent, and unlike Kruger, you can self-drive the entire reserve without a guide, which makes it a properly flexible long weekend option.

Stay inside the park at Bakubung Bush Lodge for full immersion, or try Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge for a balance of game-viewing and slightly more resort-level comfort. Alternatively, save some pennies by staying outside the park but near a gate for easy access.

Whichever way you choose, be flexible and make sure to roll out of bed early. As a National Park, Pilanesberg fills for public holiday weekends faster than most people expect, and leaving early gives you a better chance of great sightings.

The Waterberg Biosphere spans a sandstone plateau about 3 hours north of Joburg. It’s malaria-free, offers the Big Five, and is considerably wilder in character than Pilanesberg: fewer day-trippers, longer sightlines, and one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in the country. For cheetah-lovers, the sightings are often better here than in other reserves.

Welgevonden Game Reserve is the headline act: no self-drive access, which means every sighting is guided, and the quality of interpretation is consistently high. Lodges operating within Welgevonden include the understated Fifty Seven Waterberg and the design-forward Tshwene Lodge. 

Qwabi Private Game Reserve, adjacent to Welgevonden, offers its own Big Five experience with a more intimate feel and two camps: one family-friendly and one adults-only. Pick your poison accordingly!

All are around three hours from Joburg, which makes the effort-to-payoff ratio unusually good.

Dullstroom has a reputation as a cold-weather destination (and the Mpumalanga Highlands do get properly cold over winter), and for a province where winter still means blue skies and 20 degrees, it’s almost a luxury to get cold over winter. 

Dullstroom is where you go to sit beside a real fire with a local craft beer or a glass of decent shiraz, watch mist move across the dam, and spend seventy-two hours doing nothing productive without feeling remotely bad about it. The fly-fishing is taken seriously: several private stretches of the Crocodile and Spekboom rivers are available to lodge guests. 

Walkersons Hotel & Spa is the established option, a handsome country estate with its own trout dams and the kind of comfort that justifies the drive. Of course, there are plenty of self-catering options and modest lodges. 

Whatever you do, and however long you stay, make sure to make time for dinner at the quirky, colourful Mrs Simpsons. Their trout pasta is almost legendary.

Few South African villages do ‘weekend that actually restores you’ the way Clarens does. Set in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains with sandstone cliffs that turn amber in the afternoon light, it runs at a completely different pace: art galleries, independent restaurants, walks up into the Rondavels, and the particular satisfaction of a small town that has figured out exactly what it’s for. With a host of artisan restaurants, cheese farms, and breweries, you’ll be glad to plan a foodie weekend here. ​

Golden Gate Highlands National Park begins practically at the village’s doorstep and deserves at least a quick half-day trip: the rock formations are extraordinary, especially in early morning light or golden hour before dusk. 

The new Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre was recently opened too, and does a good job of catering to both adults and kids. Visit Golden Gate and spend an hour learning about the history of the place while you’re at it. 

There’s no shortage of places to stay in Clarens. For something wallet-friendly and well-located, Stonehaven is a solid option, offering private rooms and family-style shared cabins at unbeatable prices. For something more unique, Il Castello is a Tuscan-style castle with a spectacular rooftop terrace for drinks and dinner.

The southern Kruger gates, such as Malelane and Crocodile Bridge, are within five hours of Joburg, making a self-drive trip viable for a long weekend if you don’t mind early mornings and padkos. The value proposition is hard to beat: SANParks camps like Lower Sabie and Skukuza offer clean, well-positioned accommodation at a fraction of what private lodges charge, with game-viewing that requires nothing more than patience and a 5am wake-up call. Which, if you’re going to Kruger, you should absolutely be doing anyway.

If you’d rather hand the driving to someone else, Hoedspruit and the Orpen Gate area have become a solid hub for mid-range private lodge experiences. Kapama River Lodge and Thornybush Game Lodge both offer all-inclusive packages with qualified field guides, a meaningful step up from self-driving in terms of what you’re likely to see and learn. 

The town of Hoedspruit has grown considerably, too, and is worth a visit of its own these days. It’s packed with good coffee, a gorgeous wildlife estate, plenty of restaurants, a Saturday market, and the Endangered Species Centre, worth a morning visit if cheetahs are your thing (they should be your thing).

At four to four-and-a-half hours, the Midlands sit at the outer edge of what counts as a long weekend road trip. But for those willing to make the drive, the payoff is real. It’s cool-climate South Africa, which feels a little like the English countryside. Visitors will find dairy farms, rolling green hills, mist-hung valleys, and a craft economy built around potters, cheesemakers, weavers, farm stalls, pubs, and chocolatiers that has been quietly thriving for decades. 

The Midlands Meander connects them in a loose loop that encourages slow travel over anything structured. Make sure you pay a visit to the various breweries and pubs (we’re looking at you, Notties!) and stop for breakfast at Blueberry Cafe too. Piggy Wiggly is another iconic stop that shouldn’t be missed for a light brunch or a browse of the shops. 

Hartford House near Mooi River is the high watermark of KZN country hospitality. The food, produced largely from the farm, would justify the drive on its own. Fourdoun Hotel and Spa near Nottingham Road is another luxurious option, which is a little closer to the action. There are also a host of self-catering cottages on farms and down dusty tracks, so really, all you have to do is pick something charming and cute and pretend you’re in the UK for a weekend. 

There are a few landscapes in southern Africa that produce the particular sensation of smallness that comes from standing below the escarpment: the basalt wall rising to over 3,000 metres, the waterfalls catching light halfway up, the air at altitude doing something to your lungs that city air simply doesn’t.

The central Berg around Champagne Valley and Cathedral Peak is the most accessible entry point, with well-developed hiking trails and accommodation ranging from comfortable chalets to full-service resorts. 

Cathedral Peak Hotel has been here since 1939 and remains one of the more reliable mountain escapes in the country. Inkosana Lodge is the simpler, more walker-focused alternative for those who want the Berg without the resort polish.

If they’re performing while you’re in town, treat yourself to a performance from the Drakensberg Boys Choir. Otherwise, visit Cathedral Peak wine estate for a seriously high-altitude tasting or try out Chocolate Memories for the most delicious kind of afternoon.

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