In South Africa, it's not about what you do, it's all about how you do it. You could either hop from one destination to another by plane or do it my way – rent a car, push the pedal, sit back and let nature drive you while you lose yourself amidst green vineyards, blue sea and overwhelming mountains. It's the perfect road trip.

There is something for everyone to do in South Africa, whether in a group or as a lone traveller, young or old. We started our almost two-week long trip, like most tourists would, with the mother city of Cape Town, the provincial capital of South Africa.

By the way, this must be the only country with multiple capitals – Pretoria as its administrative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital.

While a lot of people just go through the country staying overnight at little towns along the way, we had fixed our itinerary before we landed in the country, thanks to Safricatours, who helped us organise a major part of our trip. And they made sure we were offered a variety of experiences during our four-night stay in Cape Town.

We started our city tour with the most popular tourist spot, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a working harbour with dry docks, owned by Dubai World. It is located between Robben Island, the prison home of Nelson Mandela for 27 years during his fight against Apartheid (which still colours opinions of many South Africans), and the flagship Table Mountain, Cape Town's most prominent feature that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. As our tour guide, Mike told us, it is often used as a beacon to find your location by, peaking 1,086 metres at its highest point.

Make sure it is a clear day when visiting Table Mountain as they shut down the cable car that takes you up to the top when there are strong winds. Also aim for a wind-free visit to the famous Cape of Good Hope, or Cape Point as it is known. It is a rough and ragged rocky cape on the Atlantic coast of South Africa, and is the southernmost tip of Africa. If you go on a windy day you will end up with a very windswept hairdo.

But some argue the southernmost point, geographically, is Cape Agulhas, out about 150km to the southeast. Its narrow tip marks the point where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet. Still, if you have to choose one of the two, pick Cape Point as it is much more scenic and enchanting.

Climate-wise, winter in South Africa extends from May to August, and is the best time to visit with temperatures staying at a cool 17 to 19 degrees Celsius during the day. This is also when hotel rates drop, so it is a great time to steal a deal.

After bidding goodbye to Cape Town, it was time to raise a toast to the country. Our next stop was Stellenbosch, famous for its vineyards, a 45-minute drive from Cape Town and our first stop along the Garden Route, which was the highlight of our trip.

Garden Route is a picturesque stretch on the southern coast of South Africa, stretching from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River, which crosses the N2 coastal highway. Along the way, we passed lovely little towns such as Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Oudtshoorn and Plettenberg Bay.

But while most people drive along the Garden Route through the mountains, we drove down Route 62, a tourist route that wanders between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route and Port Elizabeth, offering the shorter, scenic alternative to the N2.

Tracing footsteps back to Stellenbosch, our hosts Stellenbosch Tourism, put us up in a cozy Evergreen Manor & Spa. It may be a gorgeous little town, but is small enough to lose your way for a good few hours, as it happened with us.

One word of caution: while in South Africa, do not do what the Africans say. Ask a local for directions and you'd probably end up going the opposite way.

After a one-night stay in Stellenbosch we continued our journey along Route 62 and ended up after a good seven-hour drive (with short coffee and snack stopovers in tiny scenic towns along the way) in Oudtshoorn – the country's ostrich capital, if you like.

Famous for its ostrich farms and the exciting Cango Caves (well worth a visit), Oudtshoorn makes for an interesting stop on Route 62 in the Western Cape. And those with an adventurous streak (or those not afraid of breaking any bones) could experience the ultimate riding experience on an ostrich at a farm. I rode one but what followed is not something I would fancy having published. So let's leave it at that.

The reason why Oudtshoorn is filled with ostrich farms is because the giant birds are bred in farms to help the city's (ostrich) feather and leather trade boom. It is hard to find a restaurant in town without ostrich meat on its menu.

Not much joy for a vegetarian like me, but interesting nevertheless.

Safricatours helped us find accommodation for one night in Hlangana Lodge in Oudtshoorn. Though the tour company does have its own set itineraries to choose from, it was more than happy to tailor-make ours.

From there we drove to Knysna, a town located in the heart of the Garden Route, primarily built on the northern shore of a large warm-water estuary, fed by the Knysna River. We stayed a night at the most luxurious Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa, also a famous golfing destination.

From Knysna, we set out for a wild African safari, also called a game drive, at Shamwari Game Reserve (one of the Big Five game reserves, part-owned by Dubai World), one of the best in South Africa.

And if it wasn't for the fact we had to make our game drive slot that afternoon, we could have made a record of sorts by jumping off the world's highest bungee jumping point at 216 metres, in Tsitsikamma, en route to Shamwari from Port Elizabeth – a small town situated in the Eastern Cape Province.

I don't know what is more scary – jumping head first off the bridge or coming face to face with a lion.

From Shamwari, we headed back to Port Elizabeth Airport to catch our 45-minute flight to Johannesburg. However, we only used the city as a stopover for one night as we were going further to the most celebrated tourist destination in South Africa – the glorious Sun City.

Once again, we hit the road. And I must admit, an efficient car rental system across South Africa made our journey real smooth. It is a little over two hours' drive to Sun City from Johannesburg, passing through the capital town of Pretoria – worth a small stop. But do not rely on Sun City's signboards to lead your way to the destination, for there are none.

For a small make-believe city, the resort has more to offer than you think – ranging from its larger than life animal statues scattered across the city spots to outdoor activities like paragliding, golf, casinos, walks along beautiful trails and riding a Segway along the Golf course.

At the end of a packed day, it dawned on me that Sun City proved to be the ideal last stop for the two-week trip – like having the perfect dessert after a five-course meal, living it up in South Africa.


Essential Guide

How to get there

Emirates (emirates.com) operates a daily direct flight to Cape Town.

Where to stay

CAPE TOWN

  - Cape Grace Hotel. A five-star property set on its own private quay (capegrace.com)

  - Cape Cadogan. A homely four-star, originally built as a farmhouse (capecadogan.com)

  - Mount Nelson Hotel. Cape Town's oldest hotel and considered a monument (mountnelson.co.za)

STELLENBOSCH

  - Evergreen Manor & Spa. This guest house, built in a grand country house style, is a 10-minute walk from the city centre

OUDTSHOORN

  - Hlangana Lodge. Highly recommended, offering luxury accommodation (hlangana.co.za)

KNYSNA

  - Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. A golf resort, with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean

SHAMWARI GAME RESERVE

  - Lobingula Lodge is the best of the seven lodges within the Shamwari property

SUN CITY

  - The Palace of the Lost City. A five-star African resort. (suninternational.com)

Tour operators

  - Safricatours: Contact Lungisa Hooper (+27 21 930 5169 or e-mail: info@safricatourism.com (safricatourism.com)

  - Stellenbosch Tourism: Contact Seranti Viljoen (+27 21 883 3584 or e-mail: ceo@stellensboschtourism.co.za
(stellenboschtourism.co.za)