What is the advised duration of stay?

As a self-drive location, numerous itineraries are available, contingent upon the duration of your journey. Guests frequently inquire about the optimal duration for a Garden Route excursion. Here are our recommendations and proposals to initiate progress.

Two Weeks or Longer

With a duration of up to two weeks for tourists, there is ample opportunity to traverse the route in both directions and visit numerous significant cities and sights. We typically advise commencing in Cape Town, subsequently visiting Robertson or Swellendam, experiencing Route 62, spending time in Oudtshoorn, and ultimately connecting with the Coastal Route at George. We suggest spending several nights in Plettenberg Bay prior to visiting a game reserve in the Eastern Cape region. Upon your return to Cape Town, we recommend a visit to Tsitsikamma, followed by Knysna or Wilderness, and a stay along the Whale Route, concluding with Stellenbosch or Franschhoek before returning to Cape Town.

Seven Days or Longer

If your time is constrained to one week, we suggest traversing the Coastal Route, allocating time in either Knysna or Plettenberg Bay, with a day excursion to Oudtshoorn. You can proceed to the Eastern Cape for a safari. We recommend abandoning the automobile and flying back to Cape Town or to your subsequent destination from Port Elizabeth to cons

If your schedule permits only three to four nights on the Garden Route, we would likely suggest a guided tour. Our guided excursions alleviate the burden of driving and allow you to experience numerous attractions in a brief period. We believe they provide a preview for your subsequent journey.

A minimum of three to four days is necessary to thoroughly tour the Garden Route. If you have only two nights, our advisers will recommend a two-night stay in Hermanus or even a visit to the Winelands. The Garden Route should be experienced leisurely, as the extensive distances render a brief visit unenjoyable.

Activities Along the Garden Route

In a locale enveloped by nature reserves, mountains, forests, rivers, lagoons, estuaries, and picturesque sandy beaches, the majority of activities occur outside.

Whale-watching is a prominent attraction during the mating and calving seasons, from July to November, with exceptional cliff walks and vantage sites around the coast. Dolphin and whale tours provide intimate encounters with these captivating animals. Moreover, intrepid guests may engage in Shark Cage diving.

The Little Karoo surrounding Oudtshoorn is renowned for its meerkats, ostriches, crocodiles, and olives, as well as its expansive caves.

Numerous nature reserves provide exceptional hiking opportunities, mountain biking paths, equestrian routes, and canoeing excursions. The premier location is the peninsula at Robberg Nature Reserve near Plettenberg Bay for hiking, Harkerville Forest for biking, and Equitrailing for equestrian activities, among others. We possess expertise due to our comprehensive personal experience in the field.

For adrenaline enthusiasts, Bloukrans Bungee Jump, at 216 meters, was formerly the tallest in the world. It offers a distinctive perspective of the magnificent gorge—provided you can maintain your focus, of course! Additionally, zip-lining through the Tsitsikamma Forests near Storms River is a noteworthy excursion that elevates the heart rate slightly.

The primates in Monkeygland exemplify a successful ecotourism initiative and provide an experience that should not be overlooked. Numerous rescued monkey species have unrestricted access to 23 hectares of woodland, interspersed with trails and precarious footbridges dangling among ancient yellowwoods.

Likewise, its neighboring attractions such as the Crags, Birds of Eden, The Elephant Sanctuary, and Tenikwa are all excellent options for a comprehensive day of restored animal exploration.

In the presence of such breathtaking landscapes, traditional sports assume unique attributes. This encompasses swimming, jogging, hiking, equestrianism, mountaineering, canoeing, cycling, archery, angling, diving, and surfing, among others.

Golfers are particularly well accommodated, as the courses are of international quality, often award-winning, and provide breathtaking scenery.  Prominent examples are Fancourt, Pezula, Oubaai, Pinnacle Point, and Simola.

What are the prominent destinations along the Garden Route?

The Whale Route and Overberg region extend from Cape Town to Cape Agulhas and inland to Swellendam. Bordered by some of Africa’s most stunning coasts, our Whale Route merits a visit. Each year, between July and November, our shores are chosen by Southern Right and Humpback Whales to calve, and this has afforded Hermanus the title of “best land-based whale watching” in the world. What better method to digest a substantial breakfast than by strolling around the picturesque beachfront promenade? Relish the invigorating coastal breeze and prepare your camera to document the neighboring wildlife frolicking in the bay.

The coastline is also famed for being a great white shark country, with the small coastal town of Gansbaai offering world-famous cage diving and boat-based shark viewing.

Inland the area is equally as spectacular and includes pretty villages such as Stanford, Swellendam, and its botanical gardens, Harold Porter, perched beautifully between mountain and sea. Should you have the opportunity, contemplate visiting Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Remember that Hermanus features an exceptional wine route, the Hemel en Aarde Valley, which hosts several award-winning properties.

Route 62 serves as the quintessential self-drive destination. Route 62 traverses’ numerous tiny rural settlements, winding between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn. Meandering over remarkable mountain passes and numerous well-preserved little towns. Route 62 serves as the inland alternative to the N2, which follows a path nearer to the Southern coastline. The route features towering mountains, breathtaking scenery, picturesque passes, rivers, vineyards, and fruit orchards as it meanders through the Breede River Valley and Klein Karoo. Most settlements along the route have hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and 4×4 routes, while others feature fly fishing, canoeing, and rock climbing.

Additionally, there are the various wine cellars and estates that render Route 62 ostensibly the longest wine route in the world.

Oudtshoorn serves as the ideal foundation. Celebrating “Afrikaans” culture by offering country and farm-style living, through small and quaint, often quirky properties that allow you the time and vicinity to enjoy the ostriches, crocodiles, caves, meerkats and olives the area is well known for.

Coastal Route, Highlighting Knysna and Plettenberg Bay

Our Garden Route coastal drive portion usually starts in Mossel Bay, with the next stop being George (ever so slightly inland and well-known for its famous Fancourt Golf Course). Wilderness comes next just down the road from George, famed for its wild and impressive stretch of white sandy beach, followed by Sedgefield and then eventually Knysna (pronounced NIZE-na), which nestles on the banks of an estuary, surrounded by forests, lakes and beaches.

A mere 25 minutes ahead, Plettenberg Bay is a seaside destination with spectacular scenery and a bay so beautiful that the Portuguese called it Bahia Formosa, which means “beautiful bay”. Today it’s affectionately known as Plett. Plett offers white beaches and a bay bordered by the protected Robberg peninsula in the south and the Keurbooms estuary in the north, setting the scene for a classic sun-sea-sand holiday destination.

Knysna occupies a narrow shelf between a large lagoon and the sheer Tsitsikamma Mountains. Knysna Lagoon is protected by two large cliffs – called ‘The Heads’ – through which a boat-sized gap leads out into the Indian Ocean. The western arm is a nature reserve accessed by ferry, and the other is home to many of our most recommended boutique properties since their views are breathtaking.

Enjoy a malaria-free safari at the very end of the Garden Route in the Eastern Cape. Port Elizabeth officially marks the end of the Garden Route and is home to an area where early settlers established themselves, thus rapidly affecting wildlife numbers.

However, in 1930, the Addo Elephant Park was established to protect the last remaining animals in the area. Today, it’s a shining beacon to the region and was an instigator of more private farms in the vicinity being slowly purchased and restocked with wildlife over the years. The area is now home to some of South Africa’s most well-known lodges. The lodges are top-rated as they are the closest ‘authentic safari’ experience to Cape Town and is located in a malaria-free area.

Reserves such as Kwandwe, Shamwari, Lalibela, Kariega and Addo Elephant Park, are situated close to Port Elizabeth at the Garden Route’s eastern end. This provides you with a wealth of options that suit all budgets and is a memorable way to end the most wonderful adventure on the Garden Route

Weather and getting to and Around the Garden Route

Getting to and around the Garden Route

Most people fly internationally to South Africa into Cape Town Airport or Johannesburg Airport. From here, there are daily flights to and from Port Elizabeth and George (both along the route) if required.

The most exciting and flexible way to appreciate the Garden Route is by hiring a car. This allows you to explore the area at your own pace, as well as the luxury of spontaneity and being able to stop as much or as little as you fancy to get those snaps! It’s also the more wallet-friendly means of exploration within our country as you are not paying for a guide, their transport or accommodation. It’s also the best destination for those who enjoy self-driving holidays! The roads are extremely well signposted, in excellent condition in accordance with international standards, offering lots of opportunity for gas/petrol stations and loo breaks along the way. Also, of course, our scenery means the journey itself is part of the fun! Some guests choose to drive one direction and fly back the opposite way if time does not allow for exploration with a return trip.

For those who prefer not to drive or have limited time available to them, there is the option to do the area justice with a guided tour. We have some fantastic and uber-experienced guides on-hand.

The most cost-effective tour option is a scheduled shared tour, where you travel with other guests. These include organized inclusions and follows pre-designated stops along the route. If you prefer a private tour, we can tailor it to suit your time, budget and interests. The latter offers more spontaneity because you don’t have others to consider. You also have the luxury of choice, which understandably makes it a pricier option.

Weather

The Garden Route has a Mediterranean Maritime climate, with moderately hot summers, and mild to chilly winters. It is one of the richest rainfall areas in South Africa. Most of the rains occur in the winter months, brought on by the humid sea-winds from the Indian ocean. The Garden Route’s temperate weather falls between two climatic regions of summer and winter rainfall, so it rains mostly at night, keeping the area perennially green.

Spring (Sept): You can feel spring in the air by the end of August and into September. October can be quite mixed because, just when you think summer has arrived, another cold front moves in.

Summer (Nov – Mar): The months of November to March are warmer, with December to February seeing midsummer daily temperatures of about 24-30ºC /75.2- 86ºF.

Autumn (May): Temperatures start cooling down from about April, but it can still be very pleasant until June.

Winter (Jun – Aug): The days may be bright and warm, but it gets cold in the evening and can be rainy overnight (8 -17ºC / 46.4-62.6 ºF).

Is There a Golfing Opportunity Along the Garden Route?

Yes, a resounding YES! Golfers are spoilt for choice along the Cape and Garden Route. Since we have an abundance of space, so many gorgeous landscapes and varied biomes in our little slice of the world, we have lots to “play with” in terms of creating some of the most wonderful championship courses.

Many of these are top resorts and destinations as a whole too, where one can stay in-house and have access to the leading home courses, as well as the opportunity to explore the experiences that are on offer outside the extensive grounds. Top examples of these and firm favorites for discerning golfers are Pearl Valley, Fancourt and Pezula. Between them, we have Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player designed courses and the most southern golf course in Africa as noteworthy highlights. Just a word of warning that you will get distracted by the beauty of the ocean, vineyards and mountains during the game!

The extraordinary Pearl Valley is located just outside of Paarl, so within our Cape Winelands and ideal as a base here to play and stay. If you stay here as part of a Garden Route itinerary, it will generally be towards the start of your trip — and what a great way to kick things off!

Fancourt is located in the heart of George, towards the middle of the Garden Route. It is home to three championship courses, yet its crowning glory is The Links. We recommend staying on-premises at The Manor. If you are an avid golfer, we recommend a minimum of three nights, especially if you wish to play two of the three courses.

At the very least, you should visit Pezula, meaning “high up with the gods”. This course is aptly named as it is perched right on the edge of the Indian Ocean, on Knysna’s Eastern Head, the peninsula that divides the town’s sleepy lagoon from the wildest of oceans.

Other notable courses along the route worthy of attention are Oubaai (stay in George, Mosselbay or Wilderness), Simola (stay in Knysna or Plett), Pinnacle Point (stay in Mosselbay), or Arabella (stay in Hermanus).