Garden Route named world’s best road trip – UK Study

By Simon Nare

South Africa’s famed Garden Route has been named the world’s best road trip, topping a global study with a score of 90.6 out of 100.

The 2026 AutoTrader UK study, conducted with senior meteorologist Jim R N Dale, ranked the roughly 300km coastal stretch between Mossel Bay and Storms River as the top road trip globally.

According to the study, the route stood out for its strong driving conditions, including high visibility, low wind, pleasant temperatures and clear weather, along with its striking scenery of forests, beaches, lagoons and mountains.

The route’s recognition is likely to add to South Africa’s tourism appeal at a time when visitor numbers to the country have been rising.

The route runs through parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape and includes the Garden Route National Park at its heart.

SANParks said in a statement on Wednesday that the route came