The Garden Route

Unwind South African Style

The beautiful stretch of coast line between Cape Town in the West and Port Elizabeth in the East is known as, “The Garden Route” because of its lush greenery and indigenous forests. It is approximately 800 km in length and with much to see and do.

Unwind in The Garden Route

We recommend a minimum of 5 overnight stops along the way. The inland “Route 62” is an especially scenic drive winding through historical towns, wine and fruit farms, mountain passes, beautiful valleys and the rugged mountains of the Small Karoo.

The most popular stop is Oudtshoorn – a town situated in a semi desert area of the Small Karoo surrounded by dramatic mountains, it is the centre of the ostrich industry and “the feather capital of the world”. Here you can visit an ostrich farm, the famous Cango Caves and touch a cheetah or dive with a crocodile at the Cango Wildlife Center.

Back to the coast we find Knysna, a romantic seaside resort with good boutique shopping, excellent restaurants and plentiful nature experiences, both on land and at sea. Knysna is often voted the most popular holiday destination in South Africa.

Plettenberg Bay, 32 kilometres beyond Knysna is an exclusive seaside town where whales can be viewed from the shores during their migration season.

Much of this coastal region is National Parks as well as bird sanctuaries where self-catering chalet type accommodation is available for those wanting a “back to nature” experience.

Birds and the trees

Another popular holiday destination is the Cape St Francis area including St Francis Bay and Jeffries Bay which is famous among surfers for its super tubes.

Activities in the region include encounters with elephants at the Knysna Elephant park, African Wild cats at the Tenikwa Wildlife awareness centre, the two separate sanctuaries of Monkey Land (the world’s first multi-species free roaming primate sanctuary) and Birds of Eden (the largest single free-flight aviary in the world incorporating indigenous forest, waterfalls and elevated walkways), Tree Top canopy tours at Tsitsikamma, canoeing, hiking, fishing, whale and dolphin sea safaris, surfing, Great White Shark Cage diving, SCUBA diving and the world’s highest commercial bunji jump from the Bloukraans bridge.

In Port Elizabeth; spend a day or two enjoying this friendly settler town with beautiful beaches, Oceanarium and historical old center. 1-2 hours out of Port Elizabeth, you will find some excellent malaria free Big 5 Safari reserves.

Explore the Garden Route in a hire car – we will organize the hotels, road descriptions and customize your trip according your interest and budget.