Get your motor running with some of the world’s greatest road trips
Garden Route, South Africa
This 240-kilometre stretch along the southernmost tip of Africa is one of the world’s most spectacular scenic drives. You could head to Plettenberg Bay for vast white sand beaches or The Crags for the Elephant Sanctuary and forested Monkeyland. You could visit wonderful towns like tranquil Sedgefield or trendy Knysna, where art galleries and café culture abound. But if you really want to make the most of the Garden Route, buckle up for an adrenaline-fuelled bonanza of adventure tourism. Try the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, 200 metres up, from Bloukrans Bridge, or the canopy tour – a network of treetop platforms and cable slides – through Tsitsikamma’s rainforest. Back on terra firma, explore the underground labyrinth at Cango Caves near ostrich capital Oudtshoorn, or take to the waters at Mossel Bay for the ultimate South African experience – cage diving with sharks.
Ring Road, Iceland
Iceland's Route 1 circles the entire country, taking travellers on an eerie but enchanting tour past fjords, geothermal pools, black-sand beaches, volcanoes and glacial lagoons. You’ll need at least 10 days to make the most of the 1,330-kilometre Ring Road, but there are good farm stays and guesthouses along the way. Make sure you see the spectacular Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon, where seals swim alongside gleaming icebergs; Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, where a pathway takes visitors behind the crashing veil of water; and Latrabjarg Cliffs, Europe’s largest cliff rookery and home to millions of seabirds.
Route 66, USA
An irresistible 4,000-kilometre tourist trail, Route 66 provides a glimpse of life on the road in 1930s America – neon signs included. Take in eight states from Illinois to California plus an endless stream of cultural heritage and iconic nostalgia – think kitsch motels, retro gas stations and vinyl booth-filled diners. Highlights of the route include Funks Grove Maple Syrup Farm and the Dixie Truckers Home truck stop in Illinois, the Chain of Rocks Bridge and St Louis’ The Loop district in Missouri, the extraordinary Cadillac Ranch in Texas, Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park and one of the country’s three remaining Wigwam Motels in California.
