Camper and 4x4 hire in South Africa: Britz, Maui, Bobo and others

Britz's own site now describes 4x4 and SUV rental with camp-ready vehicles, including the Land Cruiser, the Double Cab and the Jimny. On the pages we read on 29 September 2026 there was no motorhome or campervan.

The booking form lists the Suzuki Jimny, Toyota Double Cab, Fortuner, Navi, Single Cab and Land Cruiser, each equipped or unequipped. Pick-up points listed are Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nelspruit, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, George and Knysna, plus points in Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique.

If you want a motorhome with a fridge, gas stove and bathroom, look at Maui. It offers motorhomes from branches near the airports in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with delivery to Durban, East London and other cities.

Maui says it allows travel in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, plus Namibia. Britz allows South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (south of Victoria Falls and Harare), Zambia (south of Livingstone) and Mozambique (south of Vilankulos).

Only some operators publish rates. Bobo's 2026 rates are the clearest.

May to June is Bobo's own low-season wording, not a general industry rule. Rentals of 3 to 7 days are limited to 220 km a day, with extra kilometres at R5 a km. From 8 days the kilometres are unlimited. The excess is R58,000 on all Discoverer models, and you can reduce it with CDW Midi at R290 a day or CDW Maxi at R410 a day (Maxi from 8 days).

Happy Campers includes a collision damage waiver in the price, with your maximum liability at R25,000. Bushlore includes unlimited kilometres.

Britz asks for 25% to confirm a booking and the balance 30 days before collection. One-way rentals between branches are allowed, subject to a one-way fee that Britz does not publish on that page. Bobo publishes its one-way fees: R6,100 within South Africa and R12,000 to Windhoek.

For how excess and waivers work in general, read car hire excess explained.

Whether a motorhome needs more than a normal car licence is not settled in the evidence we found. Here are both sides.

Position 1: the weight limit is on gross vehicle mass (GVM). The South African Government says a Code B licence covers a motor vehicle, including a minibus, bus and goods vehicle, with a GVM not exceeding 3,500 kg. Code C1 covers a GVM between 3,500 kg and 16,000 kg. On that reading, a motorhome with a GVM over 3,500 kg needs C1.

Position 2: for motorhomes, tare mass decides. The Motorhome Club of South Africa says the code depends on tare mass, so a motorhome with a tare under 3,500 kg can be driven on Code B or EB even if its GVM is higher. It also says no PrDP is needed. That is a club opinion, not an official source. CaravanSA says the same about tare mass. The Tourism Tattler describes Code B in both tare and GVM terms.

What the operators say. Maui states that a Code 08 or B/EB licence is enough for all of its motorhomes, which it describes as vehicles under 3,500 kg. Bobo's terms give no licence code. Its Discoverer 4 is built on an Iveco 35S13 or 35S15 chassis, and the exact GVM and tare are not published on the pages we read. No operator page we read says a Code C1 licence is needed.

We did not find the regulation text that would settle the tare versus GVM question. Before you book, ask the operator which licence code it requires for the exact vehicle, and get the answer in writing. If you are on an international licence, see international driving licences in South Africa.

The camper is often the cheaper part of a trip. The road rules are where renters get caught.

• Maui: in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, its motorhomes are limited to tarred roads and to public recognised gravel roads that reach campsites. Maui does not permit towing.
• Bobo: its terms bar the Discoverer 4 and 6 from areas including the Swartberg Pass, the Sani Pass and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and from Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and 4x4 trails.
• Bushlore: it says its insurance does not extend to off-road driving or areas with restricted access.

If a route is on a restricted list, the damage waiver will usually not help you. Read gravel road and 4x4 restrictions and match your itinerary against the operator's terms, not its brochure.

Border rules differ a lot between operators. Britz lists a R1,500 cross-border documentation charge per rental agreement. Bobo lists a R1,200 surcharge and also bars its Discoverer motorhomes from several countries. Maui allows Namibia with a R5,000 surcharge. Happy Campers needs a R25,000 refundable deposit, mandatory insurance and an insurance letter for Namibia or Botswana.

The fees come from different pages and different years of terms, so ask each operator for the full cross-border cost, in writing, for your dates. Our guide to cross-border car hire permits explains the letter of authority most operators ask for.

1. Check the operator, not the brand you remember. If you searched Britz expecting a motorhome, book with Maui or another operator.
2. Check the age rule for your vehicle. Ages differ by operator, and Bobo sets a higher age for 4x4 campers.
3. Check payment cards. Bobo accepts Visa and Mastercard only, and asks for an international driving licence in English.
4. Check the minimum hire. It runs from 3 days at Maui and Bobo to 5 days at Britz and 4 full days at Happy Campers.
5. Ask for the licence code and the excess in writing.
6. Read the road restrictions against your route.

For age rules across South Africa, see minimum age for car hire. For other vehicle types, compare bakkie hire and van hire.