List of the Most Scenic Roads of Africa

These are the most scenic roads of Africa, part of the Top-100 list of most scenic roads in the world.

AFRICA

South Africa

Africa may seem like a daunting place to do a road trip, but many of this continent’s countries are peaceful with good roads and some exceptionally stunning scenery. From wildlife safaris to extraordinary beaches, Africa is a place of wonder and excitement. So far, this is our list of the most scenic roads in Africa to road trip.

Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa

Also known as Chappies, the Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most impressive coastal drives on earth. An engineering masterpiece, Chapman’s Peak Drive hugs the mountainside as it makes its way up the peak on the Atlantic Coast in the southern part of South Africa. There will be plenty of opportunities to shoot amazing photos, and the view from the top is truly mesmerizing. You will pay R47 toll to get access to the road, but it’s worth it as this is one of the most scenic roads in Africa.

Kruger National Park, South Africa (South to North)

This route, from Malelane Gate, the most Southern entry point into the Kruger National park to Pafuri, a rest camp in the most northern part of the park – meanders through dense riverine forests where elephants graze between jackalberry trees and shy njala antelope lurk among the thicket, to golden savannah, teeming with impala and wildebeest. The northern part is well known for its fever tree forests, something straight out of a Rudyard Kipling novel. Tall golden acacia trees, shimmering golden in the late afternoon sun, create a fairytale forest atmosphere. If you’re lucky, a flash of spots might reveal a leopard, one of Africa’s most elusive beasts.

Garden Route, South Africa (Mosselbaai to Stormsriver Mouth)

The travel writer PJ O Rourke likened the Garden Route, a coastal route on the south-western part of Australia to the area around Big Sur in California, only prettier and wilder (and with the weak South African Rand, much more affordable.) Hike through ancient Afromontane forests, with Outeniqua yellow woods towering like ancient giants above your head, tee off at award-winning Audobon-accredited golf courses, feast in fine dining restaurants at a quarter you would pay back home. The route starts in the seaside resort town of Mosselbaai (Afrikaans for Mussel Bay) and ends at the Stormrivers mouth.

Namibia

Secrets of the Namib,  Namibia (Luderitz to Swakopmund)

There is a reason why you can’t drive this wild stretch of desert alone. With a knowledgeable guide and advanced driving skills, this becomes one of Africa’s most exhilarating adventure road trips, in one of the still truly wild destinations on earth. During the day you brave golden dunes ten story condos high. The views from the top of these behemoths send your heart rate rocketing as you gaze over fields of rippling dunes, with the Atlantic ocean shimmering in the distance. At night you sleep under a 1000 carat diamond sky, with no artificial light for hundreds of miles. The star gazing here is epic.
Coastway Tours they hold the exclusive rights for this concession and it can only be driven with a SUV 4×4 with diff-lock.

Desert and Dunes Swakopmund to Sossusvlei, Namibia

Spend a few days in the pretty seaside resort town of Sossusvlei, savoring the local German culture before renting a car and heading out to Sossusvlei National Park. The road meanders through the Nauklauft National Park, an area known for its dramatic desert landscapes and mammoth rustred dunes, some of them the highest in the world.
You are guaranteed to spot some Oryx along the road, these antelopes are also known as the unicorns of the desert. They appear like desert mirages from the shimmering heatwaves, ethereal creatures not from this world. The Dead Vlei at Sossusvlei resembles something out of a Salvador Dali painting, the skeletons of dead camel thorn trees are framed by ochre dunes and a lightning blue sky.

Zimbabwe

Ancient runes and thundering waterfalls, Zimbabwe (Vumba to Victoria Falls)

Start your journey in the east of the country at Vumba, where the lush green highlands of Zimbabwe meet the border of Mozambique. Your journey will take you past silver waterfalls with evocative names like “Bridal Veil Falls” and pine forests, to Great Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s best preserved ancient ruins, constructed with mason work that rival that of the Incas in South America. The Matopo National park is well worth a visit; there is a reason why mining magnate and politician Cecil John Rhodes chose the top of Worlds View, the summit of one of the giant boulders that dot the landscape as his last resting place. The grand finale of your journey is the Victoria Falls, a mass of pure, white churning hydropower that cascades into a 108 meter drop. Zimbabwe is safe and the country’s road’s lies open for an adventurous road tripper.