How to turn your drive to the Cape into an amazing holiday

DAY 1 : JOBURG TO BETHULIE

(577km, 5.5 hours)

A few hours' devoted driving will put some distance between you and the Big Smoke - and almost out of the Free State.

Bethulie, a small farming community on the edge of the Karoo, grew from a mission station established there in 1829. Today its charming country cottages and wide-open surrounds make it the perfect first stop on your real-life detox.

MUST DO: After you've checked in at your accommodation, pack drinks and snacks and head out to watch the sunset from the Hennie Steyn Bridge. At 1152 m, it is the longest bridge in the country.

Perching 51.5m over the Orange River with those lovely arches reaching down to the wide arms of the water below, it is an incomparable spot from which to watch the sun go down.

STAY: Bethulie Manor is a sweet family home with wooden floors, a wide stoep, and a kitted-out kitchen. Cook your own dinner, gather round the table to eat and talk to each other. R645 for up to eight. 

DAY 2: BETHULIE TO NIEU-BETHESDA TO GRAAFF-REINET

(332km, 4 hours)

The R701 out of Bethulie promises a pleasing early start, with the sun spreading golden butter over the pale-grass plains and light sparkling on the enormous Gariep Dam - which will surely whet your thirst for more water as you pass by.

Rejoin the N1 for a bit and dip your tyres into the Northern Cape before, just after Colesberg, you'll take the N9 into its Eastern sister. About 250km from Bethulie, stay wide-eyed for the "Owl Route" signpost that shows you the road to Nieu-Bethesda. This first leg is roughly 278km.

MUST DO: The Owl House is the lifelong creation of artist Helen Martins - the concrete and crushed glass expression of all her isolation and dreams. The museum will tell you more of her story and the house where she lived and worked, and ended her own life in 1976, is both chilling and inspirational to see.

After your visit, have lunch at The Karoo Lamb, diagonally opposite The Owl House. It has a perfect stoep for sitting and watching village life pass you by, and a small shop selling local arts and crafts.

Finally, take the 53.3km drive to your overnight stop in Graaff-Reinet.

STAY: Camdeboo Cottages has modern en-suite rooms and nine 19th-century self-catering units, all of which are national monuments. Plus there's a pool, which you'll be so delighted to see, promise. From R850. 

MUST DO: Explore at your leisure, but head out early enough to catch the sunset in the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park (about 15km from town, R35 per adult SA citizen, R17 per child).

Nicknamed the Cathedral of the Mountains, this jaw-dropping national monument has jagged dolerite columns soaring up against the backdrop of the plains of the Great Karoo. It's an unbeatable spot for photo ops and is guaranteed to fill you with gratitude for your simply being alive.

And if you shout hello at the gorgeousness below, it will shout hello back.

DAY 3: GRAAFF-REINET TO OUDTSHOORN

(316,8km, 3.5 hours)

Hit the road early and let your appetite ripen on the 170km to Willowmore, where it's worth holding out for breakfast at a deliciously quirky restaurant in this delightfully quirky town. Movie buffs, don't worry: Sophie's Choice has no connection to that devastating Meryl Streep film.

It's a reference to the owner, Sophia van der Merwe, and her collection of antiques and oddities for sale in the attached shop.

Have your eggs on the verandah overlooking the main drag, among a tribe of spooky mannequins.

Those that aren't entirely nude wear cobwebbed lace wedding dresses and stare off wistfully into the distance, as if pondering what dreadful fate has befallen their absent grooms.

It's just another 112km along the R341 to De Rust. Voted Town of the Year in 2011, it's still dining out on that accolade - with tons of cute restaurants, galleries and knick-knack shops. Browse a while but strike out early enough to follow the N12 through Oudtshoorn and the R238 to make the Cango Caves by 4pm for the last tour - a total of 62km.

Then it's back to Oudtshoorn for the night.

MUST DO: The Cango Caves put the "awe" back into the world's most woefully overused adjective.

Take a civilised stroll through its fantastical limestone caverns on the Heritage Tour (R110 for adults, R65 for kids), or go crawling and sliding on the Adventure Tour (R165 adults/R100 kids). 

STAY: The Protea Hotel Riempie Estate is a family-friendly, comfy spot to hit the hay. R1150 for a chalet or rondavel for two sharing (kids under 12 free). 

DAY 4: OUDTSHOORN TO CAPE TOWN VIA THE TRADOUW PASS

(440km, 5 hours)

Heading out early on the R62, pause to take in some healing from the mineral hot springs at Warmwaterberg Spa, about 150km down the road. It's R50 for day visitors but call ahead (028-572-1609).

A little further down the road, if you're in the mood, pop in at the "oddest pub in South Africa", Ronnie's Sex Shop, to see his bizarre bar strung with bras - then close up the 30km to Barrydale for brunch at Diesel & Crème, a retro-style restaurant with old petrol pumps outside and more spooky mannequins in the bathroom.

From Barrydale, head for Swellendam on the R324 and the spectacular Tradouw Pass.

MUST DO: The Tradouw Pass is 16km of switchbacks through an altitude range of 219m and some mind-boggling mountain scenery. Fingers crossed the river's natural pools will be full enough this year, so you can stop and climb in, to float on your back and soak in the sheer magnificence.

From Suurbraak, it's 245km to Cape Town - if you're still even headed that way.