garden route and addo tours

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Beyond Africa Safaris

9-Day Unforgettable Garden Route, Karoo & Addo Safari

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$2,939 pp (USD)

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Embark on an unforgettable safari adventure immersed in stunning landscapes. Marvel at the vast open spaces of the Karoo and the immense beauty of Addo Elephant National Park. Experience the breathtaking coastal roads of the Garden Route, leading you to the southern tip of Africa. Explore enchanting destinations like Oudtshoorn, where you can witness the grandeur of ostriches, and the lush Tsitsikamma National Park. This journey promises an awe-inspiring blend of wildlife, nature and adventure.

Tour Features

Mid-range tour.

This mid-range tour uses lodges and hotels.

Private tour

This tour will be organized exclusively for you. However, wildlife viewing activities are run by the lodges/camps and will be shared with others.

Can start any day

If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.

Can be customized

You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.

Not for solo travelers

Solo travelers cannot book this private tour.

Minimum age of 18 years

The minimum age for this tour is 18 years.

Activities & Transportation

Accommodation & meals.

• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
• Day Accommodation Meals

• 9 End of tour (No accommodation) – Breakfast Included Breakfast Included

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• This tour is offered by Beyond Africa Safaris , not SafariBookings.
• This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
• If you request changes to this tour, the advertised rates will likely change.
• The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
• If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
• This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Beyond Africa Safaris.
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Garden Route and Addo

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The one that peruses South Africa's glorious Garden Route for elephants, wine-tasting, kayaking and more

7 days, 1 country

Accommodation

6 nights in Hotels

6 Breakfasts

Average 24 people

Expert Trip Manager + Trip Driver + Local Guides

Ready for one of the world’s most epic road trips – where you flicker from wildlife to city life to beach life? You’ll gawp at the Cango Caves, sample the nightlife of Cape Town, and even encounter the Big 5 at some of Africa’s finest national parks. The Garden Route has everything, and you’ll experience it all on this unforgettable 7-day adventure, with a squad of fellow 18-35s.

On the road to Net Zero

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Why is the Garden Route so popular?

The Garden Route encompasses everything you want to experience and see on a trip to South Africa. It has the ‘Mother City’ of Cape Town, plenty of beaches to catch a surf or tan, wine farms to indulge in, adventurous activities on both land and sea as well as Big 5 Game Reserves to get your wildlife fix.  

Where does the Garden Route start and end?

It’s common to start in Mossel Bay in the west and finish at Storms River in the east – but there’s no reason you couldn’t do this in reverse or start in the middle (like the rebel you are).

Our Garden Route & Addo trip starts off in Cape Town. From there, we’ll board the Contiki coach and drive east to the Addo Elephant Park via Oudtshoorn. We then head south to Gqeberha before making our way back west to Hermanus via Knysna. Check the itinerary above for more info.  

Do I need a visa for this trip?

This depends on your country of origin. In some cases, your visa is free and you can collect it when you arrive in South Africa. In others, if you’re travelling from New Zealand for example, you’ll need to arrange your visa ahead of time. Click here  to find out visa requirements based on your home country.

What should I pack for a Garden Route road trip?

It’ll change slightly depending on what time of year you’re visiting, but some essentials will include:

• Your camera
• Comfortable shoes & clothes for walking (including a beanie, gloves and warm jacket for open-top safari drives in the winter)
• Your swimming costume & towel
• Sun cream, a hat, sunglasses
• Insect repellent 
• A portable phone charger
• Binoculars (crucial for game drives to see animals in the distance)
• Day bag for daily activities
• Torch/Headlight
• Reusable water bottle

Read our full guide to visiting Africa here .

What is the best time of year to travel the Garden Route?

The Garden Route summer occurs between October to April, with the best beach weather coming in December to February. July to December is Whale Season, so this is the best time to visit if you’re keen to admire the Garden Route’s awesome marine life. May - September usually sees the coolest weather, so these months are ideal for hiking, outdoor activities, and safaris. 

What are my chances of seeing wildlife on this trip?

Excellent. We visit wildlife reserves, so you’ll have a decent chance of catching the elusive Big 5 – plus giraffes, warthogs and other famed species. You’ll also have a great chance of seeing elephants in Addo, plus the myriad marine life on our marine activities – including whales, dolphins, penguins and more.

What transport is used on this trip?

You’ll be journeying around in your very own Contiki coach or minibus, equipped with AC (for a much-needed cool down from the tropical heat.) You’ll have the company of your Trip Manager, who’ll give you all the juicy info you need about the incredible spots you see en-route. And of course, we’ll keep it groovy on the coach with some music.   

What kind of accommodation do we stay in?

This Garden Route & Addo trip is studded with incredible stays. This includes centrally-located beachside resorts and waterfront hotels, with scrumptious buffet breakfasts to kickstart your day. You’ll also have access to all amenities like restaurants, bars, and pools. 

General FAQs

What is contiki.

Contiki are the world leaders in organized youth travel. We’ve been providing amazing travel experiences for young travellers, from 18-35 years old, since 1962. Imagine how good you would be at something if you had been doing it for more than 60 years?

Everything about Contiki is deeply rooted in our two values ‘Make Every Moment Count’ and ‘We’re About People’. We don’t just talk, we walk the walk and live by our brand philosophy of ‘ Travel.Together. ’ which means to travel with one another, with the destinations we visit, the people and cultures we enjoy and the environment.

You’ve never experienced travel like this.

Why only 18-35?

Focusing on 18-35 year olds allows us to tailor a dramatically more powerful travel experience and an itinerary so fun it feels like all of your best Friday nights combined.

Tailoring to select ages brings together like minded, likeable people, and allows us to use Social Travel planning to build great groups of people so fast you’ll wonder if you’ve been friends forever.

What destinations can I go to with Contiki?

A sunrise, shoreline or bright light for every whim. We are proud to offer more than 350 Global trips, intelligently designed for a seamless and simple social travel experience. Visit our search page to discover your perfect travel destination.

How does it work?

We’re reinventing hassle free travel. Whether you are a solo traveller or group you can be rest assured that there has been tonnes of planning behind every trip.

Booking with Contiki means you are saying yes to a smile inducing trip where the typically stressful elements just seem to magically happen.

No one does trips like Contiki, essential accommodation, transport, reservations and so much more is all taken care of. You can multiply the magic with trip add ons and numerous customisations for your free time.

Every single Contiki social travel trip is managed by one of our expert Trip Managers, who are there to provide hands-on support and ensure your trip runs smoothly whilst you stay in the moment.

From 2022 your good time will be good for the planet as all Contiki trips are carbon natural. Find out more here.

How many other travellers are on each trip?

Group sizes are completely dependent on where and how you choose to travel with Contiki. 

In Europe and in most of North America and New Zealand, group sizes can range between 24 – 53 awesome travellers. 

In regions like Asia, Australia, Africa and Latin America, and on some North America and New Zealand trips, our group sizes are considerably smaller – as low as 12 or up to 30 travellers max.

Detour trips offer a different type of experience and max out at 16 people led by a local host.

Wondering what is so great about travelling together? Check out the Contiki Social travel page.

Each group is administered according to our strict Covid policies which can be viewed here.

What’s included?

All essential trip elements have been catered to ensure a great time, with great people in great places. But you mean more specifically right?

Your accommodation, essential trip transport, and a good handful of meals are included in the cost of your Contiki trip (on most trips we offer breakfast every day, plus a hand-picked selection of authentic and tasty meals). 

To fill your days and Insta feeds we have Included Experiences, which are basically the sights and activities we think you just can’t afford to miss. Of course you also get our expert and highly trained team of Contiki staff to support throughout.

A day by day breakdown of inclusions and Free Time Add-Ons are available on the trip specific pages. 

We always try to accommodate special requests such as birthdays, proposals etc. Please chat to our team and we can explore how we may support the request.

What’s not included?

Contiki social travel trips have a large degree of flexibility built into them to enable you to truly own your experience. This means that some trip elements are not included in the initial cost and may require additional budgeting. 

Flights to and from your starting and ending points are not included in the cost of your trip. These can be added on during the booking process either online or via our contact center or booked independently by you.

Each trip contains the right amount of free time for you to explore or indulge your travel desires. We offer Free Time Add-Ons, which are additional experiences that are not included in the overall price. These add ons are highlighted on the specific trip page. Your Trip Manager will highlight these to you and organise their booking on trip. Exceptions may apply where pre booking is required but this will be made known to you in your pre departure information.

A number of meal times are left open for you to explore a region and its foodie offerings in greater detail, so budgeting for your taste in non-catered meals is important. 

Travel insurance and visas are also not included in the cost of your trip, and should be booked separately.

What are Contiki's sustainability credentials?

Travel comes with responsibilities. That’s why we’re determined to travel sustainably and consciously, and that’s why we’re willing to take a stand on issues closest to our hearts. Find out more details here . With the help of our four-point Climate Action Plan, we're now on a journey to Net Zero - committing to carbon reductions and evolving to support the transition to a low-carbon future. Find out more details here .

Do I need to purchase travel insurance for this trip?

Yes! It’s a requirement of traveling with Contiki that you take out comprehensive insurance cover for cancellation, personal injury, death, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, evacuation expenses, personal liability & loss of personal property and Covid related expenses before you travel with us. It’s also super important to check that your insurance covers all of the activities you’ll be trying out, particularly any adventure activities (for all you adrenaline junkies). For more information check out our full travel insurance FAQs.

Can I stay in my destination a few days before/after the trip starts/ends? And can Contiki help me arrange this?

Yes and yes! You can add pre- and post-trip accommodation to your booking in one of three ways:

When booking your trip online

In the 'My Travel Portal' after you've made your booking

By calling us any time on 0808 281 1120

In certain cities, you may even be able to secure a preferential rate for you pre- or post-trip accommodation.

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An Ultra-efficient Garden Route Itinerary for 5 Days

Streching for more than 300 kilometers (or 190 miles), South Africa’s Garden Route is perhaps the most popular road trip in the entire country. In some ways, the Garden Route is a condensed version of South Africa: it has forests, mountains, lagoons, grasslands, and deserts. This Garden Route itinerary is perfect for both the adventurous as well as the laid-back traveler, with plenty of activities to mix and match. And since there are so many things to do in the Garden Route in South Africa, you can let yourself be occupied from morning until night!

Personally, I loved South Africa’s Garden Route and could’ve spent twice the number of days here than I could. Especially if you love outdoors activities, you’ll be spoiled for choice with the fabulous national parks in this region.

Here are the highlights of my Garden Route trip, some tips on driving it yourself, extra activities I missed but wish I’d had time for, plus guided tours to the Garden Route from Cape Town in case you’re not renting a car.

Enjoy this beautiful slice of paradise ✨

Garden route accommodation

In general, you can stay in most towns along the Garden Route and not go terribly wrong. There are a lot of Garden Route itineraries that recommend a bunch of different locations, ranging from guesthouses to full-blown luxury lodges. These are the places I personally stayed at that ended up being excellent, both in terms of facilities and logistically, and won’t blow your budget.

• Hermanus – We loved our stay at The Nantucket . It’s a three-story guesthouse, and the owner will give you decades-worth of tips for the Garden Route. He even printed out a list of recommended stops for us! Great ocean views, our neighbors staying here saw whales from the balcony! Super clean and bright.
• Knysna – Another guesthouse, Cloud 9 has stunning views over the sea and the lagoon from its high vantage point. The cost per night is a steal, though access is along a weird dirt road Google doesn’t know about so be prepared.
• Port Elizabeth or Jeffreys Bay – We stayed at Brighton Lodge in Port Elizabeth, which ended up being very lucky as they gave us SUPER helpful tips for our trip to Addo Elephant Park, including where best to enter the park and which roads to avoid. Besides Port Elizabeth, you can also base yourself in Jeffrey’s Bay.

Garden Route Itinerary for 5 days

Day 1: cape town to hermanus.

• Day 2: Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysn

Day 3: Plettenberg Bay, Nature’s Valley, Tsitsikamma National Park, Port Elizabeth

Day 4: addo elephant park, day 5: return through klein karoo to cape town.

While not technically part of the Garden Route, Hermanus is a town that a lot of people (us included) build into their Garden Route itinerary. And why not? It’s on the way from Cape Town to Mossel Bay (the official start of the Garden Route), and is famous as the best land-based whale-watching capital of the world . From June to December every year, the Southern Right whale comes to the bay to give birth to its calves. That’s right – you can see baby whales!

Apart from seeing whales, you can also often see the Cape Fur Seal as well as dolphins.

Things to do in Hermanus

• Take a whale-watching boat tour – While Hermanus is famous for its excellent land-based whale-watching, you can get within 50m of these gentle giants by boat. Must-do if you are visiting during the whale season from June to December (there were still whales in the bay during our trip in early December).
• Hermanus Whale Festival – September is peak season, even if the whales can be seen for many more months. This three-day festival includes street food, activities for kids, live music, and whales obviously.
• Cliff Path – Another place you can watch whales from, this easy 10km coastal hike is a great way to spend time in Hermanus. You don’t need to stay long to enjoy the view and breathe in Hermanus’ famous “champagne air”.
• Go for oysters at locales’ favorite oyster joint – Recommended to us personally by our host in Hermanus, Lemon Butta has excellent seafood, especially oysters.

Day 2: Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna

Mossel Bay marks the official start to the Garden Route, even though many people make sure to stop in Hermanus on the way here. Its name literally means “Mussel Bay”, like the mussels you might like to eat! If you’re trying to do this as a day trip, that probably means mussels for breakfast or lunch. Based on some reviews (and our trusty South Africa guidebook ), we ended up at Oyster Bar , which offered 3 oysters for under $10.

Things to do in Mossel Bay

• Eat oysters – You’ll notice this is a theme on the Garden Route! Oysters and other seafood are extremely popular here and you can find them ultra-fresh in Mossel Bay.
• Visit the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex – Remember how we talked earlier about how sailors used to crash against the southern tip of Africa? You can visit a musem named for the explorer who was the first European to sail around it. It’s got ships inside.
• Diaz Beach – The biggest beach in Mossel Bay, with beautiful sand and has a restaurant and surf school nearby. You can go swimming here, just not too far because the area does have sharks.
• The Point – A popular surf point and beach, complete with both a small and a large tidal pool. Entry point to the St. Blaize hiking trail.
• St. Blaize Hiking Trail – A 15 kilometer long stretch of hiking trail along the coast of Mossel Bay.

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Knysna is famous for having both a beautiful coastline as well as an inland lagoon. Depending on your vantage point, you can actually see both sides of Knysna at the same time. Its unique geography also means it was famous as a dangerous place to sail (this seems like a theme, no?). The Knysna Heads has been called the single most dangerous ocean mouth in the entire world. Sounds like a place you want to hang out, eh?

Truth be told, Knysna is one of my top picks for places to visit on the Garden Route and you’ll soon see why!

Things to do in Knysna

• Eat oysters at the Knysna Oyster Festival – If you’re in Kynsna in June, you can eat oysters at the most famous place to eat oysters in the entire country! You can check the exact dates on the Kynsna website .
• Go for a boat ride – Just after telling you how dangerous it is to sail, I’m going to give you the idea to go for a boat ride! Often these are canceled owing to wind, but it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. You can do a Whale Watching Boat Tour in case you didn’t get a chance to see whales in Hermanus!
• Knysna Elephant Park – You’ve got a lot of chances to see elephants on this trip, and if you won’t make it to Addo Elephant Park (which, by the way, you SHOULD!) – you can also see elephant in Kynsna.
• See the Knysna Heads at the Eastern Viewpoint – One of the best spots to get a view over the lagoon in Kynsna!

This stretch is a very pretty drive, including stops in a national park and plenty of chances to see babboons! If you have more time, you can break this stretch up for this garden route itinerary into several days. We met people during our South Africa road trip that spent several days in Tsitsikamma National Park alone.

Plettenberg Bay

Also known as “Plett”, Plettenberg Bay is a city famous for its beaches. It’s a popular place especially for families who want to spend time together on the beach. You can come here and grab a drink overlooking the beach, or jump in the water. Keep reading for more information about things to do in Plettenberg Bay!

Things to do in Plettenberg Bay

• Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve – If you’re looking for somewhere to go on safari during your time on the Garden Route, my top recommendation is Addo Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth. However, there are plenty of spots to do it before reaching the far end of the route, such as Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve .
• Go to Monkey Land – If you want to walk among the monkeys, this is the place to do it. This park has free-roaming monkeys you can interact with as you experience Monkey Land. Bring your camera but hold onto it tightly 😉
• Drive through Nature’s Valley – After Plettenberg Bay, you’ll have the option to veer off the N2 onto the R102. It’s a scenic drive and plenty of changes will arrive to see babboons crossing the street! Read more about Nature’s Valley in the next section.
• See the Bloukrans Bridge – Bloukrans Bridge is the highest bungie jumping point in the world. It’s set up in such a way that you need to zipline to the bungie jumping point, so it’s not for those who are afraid of heights! If you want to do it, definitely book your bungee jump slot in advance – when we went they were sold out for the day!

Nature’s Valley

Nature’s Valley is a small resort village along the Garden Route. Even if you don’t decide to stick around for long, you can drive through the area by taking a detour off of the N2 (The Garden Route) onto the R102. As you drive through be careful as babboons cross the road!

Tsitsikamma National Park

Tsitsikamma National Park is a marine reserve most famous for its suspension bridges you can walk to in about 15 minutes across wooden walkways. For the more adventurous and prone to outdoors activites, kayaking through the gorge or ziplining through the canopy of trees are two of the most popular things to do in Tsitsikamma.

Port Elizabeth

I honestly didn’t spend a lot of time in Port Elizabeth itself, and found the city relatively vanilla compared to most of the other places in the Garden Route. But it’s a great place to base yourself if you’ll he heading to Addo Elephant Park the following morning! We stayed at Brighton Lodge which was super easy to find, secure, and had a good location for driving to Addo the next day.

Addo Elephant Park

Addo Elephant Park is the third largest national park in South Africa after Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It has more than 600 elephants, and is really special because it’s a place where you can see immense herds of elephants altogether. There are numerous watering holes (many man-made) which often attract elephants in large numbers.

When we were there we also saw zebra, buffalo, hartebeest, and a number of other animals. There are even plans to expand the park to include a marine area, making it the only park in South Africa to be home to the “Big 7” (elephant, rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, leopard, whale and great white shark).

Addo Elephant Park was one of the highlights of our South Africa trip! Keep reading for my top tips for visiting.

Tips for visiting Addo Elephant Park

Here are a couple of practical tips for your trip to Addo.

• Enter through the north entrance. Addo is an enormous park, you won’t have time to loop around. If you enter through the North, you can exit through the South and head back to wherever you’re staying.
• Roll down your window and talk to other self-drivers. Drive slowly and if you see other drivers and have a tip for them, or want to ask them something, don’t hold back!
• Go on a guided tour. Addo is an awesome place to experience budget safari in South Africa , because you can do both a self-drive safari (where you drive your own car around the park) and you can join a group guided safari (which will educate you and show you more of the smaller animals too!).
• Get plenty of gas in advance. There is gas available close to the entrance, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t run the risk of running out because obviously there is just anywhere to get gas inside.
• Bring water and snacks. You’re going to be in an air-conditioned car, but you’ll turn it off and wait at certain viewings and it can get toasty! Plus you’ll want to spend at least a few hours driving yourself around. Be prepared!
• Bring your binoculars! If you haven’t used them for real, binoculars are AWESOME when you’re on safari. It’s even better than looking through a zoom lens. We bought these binoculars by Olympus and they were so great everyone else on our later safari asked to brorow them!

If you’re flying back out of Cape Town, go ahead and loop back through the Klein Karoo. If you’re flying out of Port Elizabeth to go elsewhere in the country, like Johannesburg or Kruger National Park, you can do the Klein Karoo in between Hermanus and the other parts of the trip. In any case, this is a special area with open landscapes and rolling hills of farmlands.

Klein Karoo

Klein Karoo means “Small Karoo”, and it’s a desert region that stretches above the coastal region of the Garden Route. The most famous road through this area is called Route 62, considered one of the best roadtrips in South Africa as a whole.

Things to do in Klein Karoo

• Drive the famous Route 62 – Along this route you’ll find a number of towns serving up great wine or hosting ostriches!
• Go to an ostrich farm – One of my regrets in my South Africa trip that I didn’t get to visit an ostrich farm! Just please do not ride the ostriches , it puts the birds under stress.
• Follow the Klein Karoo wine route – Officially, the Klein Karoo wine route goes through Montagu, Barrydale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, De Rust, and Herold. Check out this website on the Klein Karoo wine route for suggested itinereries.
• Stop in Calitzdorp for a glass of Port – Our host in Hermanus explicitly recommended stopping at De Krans , though there are a number of different options in the area for port wine.
• Hike through the Swartberg Pass – There’s literally a valley in this area called Hell ! If you want to see a side of South Africa most people miss, you can do a guided hike through Swartberg Nature Reserve .
• Go on safari – If you only have a day away from Cape Town, you can still go on a big 5 safari in the Klein Karoo, the Big 5 being lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. Naturally, on safari, it’s not possible to ensure what you see, but the Klein Karoo is the only area near Cape Town that has all of the big five!

Safari in Klein Karoo

There are two main reserves in the Klein Karoo, both of which are home to the Big 5. If you drive yourself on this day trip from Cape Town you can save a lot of money on the transfer (which takes about two hours).

• Aquila Private Game Reserve (does not include transfer) – As you might know, sunset is one of the best times to see animals on safari. If you can, booking either a sunrise or a sunset safari a great idea, because that’s when the animals are most active.
• Inverdoorn Game Reserve (includes transfer) – You can go on a day trip to this game reserve, including a 3-hour game drive. Unlike many public drives, you only share the open-top jeep with up to 8 other people. Inverdoorn is unique because of its cheetah rehabilitation program!

Reach the Garden Route from Cape Town

While it’s possible to reach the start of the Garden Route from Cape Town on a day trip, your best option is to spend several days on the Garden Route. Personally, we loved driving ourselves down the Garden Route because it gave us a ton of flexibility. That said, driving in South Africa can be a little scary sometimes, and not just because of driving on the left. Roads aren’t always in the best condition and there is a lot of speeding. That said, we obviously survived 😉

As for guided tours, after a lot of research, I think the 5-day Garden Route + Addo Tour is the best value . You’ll have a better chance to see rare animals the more often you go on safari, and this tour gives you three safari opportunities. While it doesn’t visit Hermanus, you can easily do that as one of your day trips from Cape Town if you’re visiting in the whale-watching season from June to December.

Here are the pros and cons of the top two highest-rated Garden Route tours for different durations. Both of them have 4.9 out of 5 ratings or higher based on customer reviews.

Highlights not to miss: Addo Elephant Park (famous for having huge herds of elephants), Hermanus (best land-based whale-watching the world, June-Dec), Tsitsikamma National Park (kayaking and suspension bridge), Knysna (just plain beautiful).

How long does it take to drive the Garden Route?

The Garden Route itself (from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth) from a pure driving standpoint could be done in one day, but when you include stops, the main route requires at least 3 or 4 days to see it properly. That said, many people spend an entire week on the Garden Route and still do not see it all!

This Garden Route itinerary spends 3 days on the official route, plus one day in Hermanus and one day driving back to Cape Town through the Klein Karoo for a total of five days . If I were to do it again, I would spend more time in the Tsitsikamma National Park and more time in the Klein Karoo!

Best time to drive the Garden Route

We drove the Garden Route in early December, and it was warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt basically everywhere. It’s also really important, even in early Summer before peak season starts, to wear bug spray and sunscreen anytime you go outdoors. The peak season in South Africa is mostly the end of December through February, so be aware of that when booking accommodation!

Have you ever been to South Africa? Where’s the best place you’d like to visit in the Garden Route? Let me know in the comments if you have any extra tips for me!

About the author

Hi there! I'm Monica, an American expat living in Germany for over six years and using every opportunity to explore the world from my homebase in Berlin. My goal is to capture my memories in photos and posts that show how easy it is to start from scratch and travel the world by working abroad.

Follow along on Instagram , Twitter , Bloglovin , & Facebook .

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5 Day Garden Route & Addo Group Tour

5 day garden route & addo group tour, one way, cape town to gqeberha (port elizabeth).

Join us for the road trip of a lifetime! Earthstompers Adventures has been operating the Garden Route & Addo tour since 2006. Our 5-day group adventure tour is a safe and affordable way to explore the Western Cape, Little Karoo, Whale Route, Addo Elephant National Park, and Route 62. The tour has a good mix of nature, culture and adventure, so you can experience the best the Garden Route has to offer. This tour starts in Cape Town every Monday, and ends in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) every Friday.

5 Day Garden Route & Addo group tour includes:

• Services of a professional tour guide/driver
• Pick up and drop off
• Air-conditioned transport
• All transportation, as described in the itinerary
• 4 nights’ accommodation (backpacker or guesthouse options)
• Dinners and breakfasts (except day 5)
• Visit to the Southern Tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas
• Entrance to Stony Point penguin colony
• Local wine tasting
• Klein Karoo ostrich farm tour
• Canoeing and hiking in Wilderness National Park
• Game viewing safari in Addo Elephant National Park
• Hiking in Tsitsikamma National Park

Itinerary for 5 Day Garden Route & Addo group tour

We depart from Cape Town early on Monday morning for Hermanus. (Shark cage diving clients will be picked up very early in the morning by the diving operator, and will miss the first half of Day 1). We follow the scenic coastal road, stopping at Betties Bay to view a colony of endangered African penguins. You can spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for hundreds of Southern Right Whales during the whale season (July to November) and many shops, restaurants and markets. In the afternoon we will drive on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of Africa, where we visit a viewpoint known as the “real” place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

Day 1 highlights

We travel to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the Ostrich Capital of the World, via the spectacular Route 62, which is South Africa’s longest wine route. We will have a lovely lunch and wine tasting at a local winery, before checking into our accommodation, which is on a working game farm in the Little Karoo. As the sun goes down, we can enjoy a tour of the ostrich farm, taking in the views of the Outeniqua and Swartberg mountain ranges in the background.

Day 2 highlights

After breakfast we head over the marvellous Outeniqua Mountain pass where we will explore Wilderness National Park with some canoes. Enjoy a paddle up the Touw River through indigenous forest, enjoying the abundance of bird life. After about 40 minutes, the canoes will be left for a 2 km hike along a boardwalk, which will take us to a lovely waterfall and rock pools. Late afternoon you can spend exploring Sedgefield, with its expansive views and beaches.

Day 3 highlights

Today, we will head to the famous town of Knysna via the Lake District of the Garden Route. We will visit the Knysna Heads viewpoint, for some magnificent views over the Knysna River estuary and the Indian Ocean. After Knysna, we will stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge (216 meters). There is plenty of time for the adventure seekers among you to test their courage. Midday will be spent in Tsitsikamma National Park with its unique combination of indigenous forest and beautiful Indian Ocean coastline. The Park has a wide choice of activities for all, including hiking, crossing a suspension bridge and swimming. In the afternoon, we will leave the Garden Route for Big 5 country, Addo.

Day 4 highlights

We will spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. We will spend up to 2-3 hours exploring the 28,000 hectare National reserve with approximately 600 elephant and some Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino, warthog, zebra, eland, kudu, hartebeest and many more animals. After an exciting morning of game viewing we will drop you off in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) at approximately 1-2pm.**

Day 5 highlights

See more info about our typical Garden Route and Addo tour accommodation here

Pricing for 5 Day Garden Route & Addo small group tour

• Prices quoted are in South African Rand (R).
• Tour is suitable for adults over the age of 18. Teens between the ages of 14-18 may join the tour if accompanied by an adult. Please see our private tours for children aged 13 and under. 

Please read our Garden Route group tours terms and conditions 

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5-Day Group Garden Route & Addo Adventure Tour (one-way)

• Wildlife Trekking
• Fully Guided
• Christmas & New Year

Places You’ll See

• Introduction
• Day 1 Cape Town – Hermanus – Cape Agulhas
• Day 2 Cape Agulhas – Oudtshoorn
• Day 3 Oudtshoorn – Wilderness – Sedgefield
• Day 4 Sedgefield- Knysna - Tsitsikamma - Addo
• Day 5 Addo – Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

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What's Included

• Accommodation
• Additional Services

Where You'll Stay

Accommodation details are subject to availability and may change

Customer Photos

Operated by Earthstompers Adventures

Earthstompers Adventures is a South African tour company, established in 2006, specializing in tours of the Garden Route & Addo Elephant National Park. The offering includes a scheduled group tour departing every Monday from Cape Town. Earthstompers is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Hendrik & Chrissy Human

Customer Reviews

• Overall Rating Excellent 5.0
• Itinerary Excellent 5.0
• Guide Excellent 5.0
• Transport Excellent 4.9
• Accommodation Excellent 4.8
• Food Excellent 4.9
• Tour Operator Earthstompers Adventures 4.9
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• KS Kim · 20th June 2023 You never know who you're going to get on your tour! We had a few hiccups with one terrible guest but overall dynamics with the rest of the gang was phenomenal and our guide, Gareth's humor and professionalism definitely helped smooth things over. The... Show more Trip date: June 2023

• MP Maria · 15th November 2022 We had an amazing time with the team of Earthstompers and we would highly recommend this tour! The staff contacted us upon booking and always kept us updated until the day of departure. Organisation and communication were excellent. During the tour, our... Show more Trip date: October 2022
• JM Jennifer · 19th October 2022 Automatically translated. View in English Rate this translation Automatic translation available in English. View in English Essen, Unterkünfte, Tourguide (Christine) super, tolle Infos im Vorwege. Eine richtig gute Tour Trip date: October 2022
• TW Tom · 9th August 2022 Automatically translated. View in English Rate this translation Automatic translation available in English. View in English Christine was fantastic, we had a wonderful time. Everything was very well organized and we were well taken care of.... Show more Trip date: August 2022
• DL Danielle · 5th July 2022 Great tour with Christine! She is so friendly and informative and helped me so much while on the tour! I would recommend this tour company to others and the sights are beautiful Trip date: June 2022

Dates & Availability

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• Upcoming departures
• August 2024
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes: we welcome underage as of 14, given they travel accompanied by their parents.

There will be space for each passenger to have one suitcase/backpack and one “carry-on”-sized piece of luggage – a laptop bag, backpack, or similar. There are generally not porters or staff available to assist with luggage – your luggage should be of a size and weight you can comfortably manage. Hard or soft suitcases are fine.

See luggage suggestions from the Tour Operator: "Luggage: We have space for each passenger to have one suitcase/backpack and one “carry-on”-sized piece of luggage – a laptop bag, backpack, or similar. There are generally no porters or staff available to assist with luggage – your luggage should be of a size and weight you can comfortably manage. Hard or soft suitcases are fine. If you have more luggage than this, please contact us in advance to make alternative arrangements."

This tour starts between 7-8 am in Cape Town every Monday.

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Good to Know

• Currency R Rand South Africa

As a traveller from USA, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand you will need an adaptor for types D, M.

• These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.
• Typhoid - Recommended for South Africa. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Hepatitis A - Recommended for South Africa. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Cholera - Recommended for South Africa. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Tuberculosis - Recommended for South Africa. Ideally 3 months before travel.
• Hepatitis B - Recommended for South Africa. Ideally 2 months before travel.
• Yellow fever - Certificate of vaccination required if arriving from an area with a risk of yellow fever transmission for South Africa. Ideally 10 days before travel.
• Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
• Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
• For any tour departing before 2nd July 2024 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after 2nd July 2024, a minimum payment of 20% is required to confirm your booking with Earthstompers Adventures. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 35 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
• Some departure dates and prices may vary and Earthstompers Adventures will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
• The following cards are accepted for "Earthstompers Adventures" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
• Insurance Unless otherwise mentioned, TourRadar does not provide travel insurance. We do however recommend purchasing it through our tried and trusted partner, World Travel Nomads .
• Accessibility Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveller, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team , who are ready and waiting to help you.
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The Ultimate Garden Route Itinerary (with map) (2023)

This post may contain compensated links. Find more info in our disclosure policy

Stretching from Storms River Mouth in the Eastern Cape to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape the Garden Route is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world and, having driven the Garden Route from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth on numerous South Africa trips, we’ve put together our recommended Garden Route itinerary. This is our guide to the Garden Route and includes things to do, where to stay and where to stop along the way. It’s the route we used when we visit South Africa and is the perfect guide for planning your Garden Route Itinerary.

Table of Contents

The Ultimate Garden Route Itinerary

We’ve listed our itinerary in a loop coming from and returning to the Cape Town/Western Cape. Reverse the order if you are starting the journey coming from Port Elizabeth or the east of South Africa !

How long for the Garden Route

Having driven the Garden route a number of times we recommend 2 weeks for exploring the Garden Route. We find 2 weeks to be the perfect length of time as you can explore everything the Garden Route has to offer at a leisurely pace, with short drives between each destination.

Best Stops on the Garden Route

The Garden Route begins at Storms River Mouth and the nearby Bloukrans Bridge is the perfect spot to brave one of the world’s highest bungy jumps! Plettenberg Bay, a beautiful coastal town on the Indian Ocean is the next stop followed by Knysna, famous for its sea cliffs, the Knysna Heads. The Map of Africa in Wilderness is the perfect short detour of the Garden Route followed by Mossel Bay where the Garden Route comes to an end.

Extending the Garden Route Itinerary

Most visitors join the Garden Route either from Cape Town or Port Elizabeth and there are some fantastic stops at either end to extend your Garden Route itinerary including safari, Route 62 and the Cape Winelands.

Renting a Car

Renting a car in South Africa is the best way to explore the country and the Garden Route, plus driving is relatively easy in the country. Having your own car gives you the flexibility to travel at your own pace a see place that are simply not possible on group tours or public transport.

We’re huge fans of road trips and have driven rental cars in almost 50 countries so we have a lot of experience renting cars in foreign countries. Book your car now with RentalCars.com , where you will find great rental car prices

Book your rental car for South Africa now

Garden Route Itinerary Route Map

Our recommended route for the Garden Route is as follow:

Cape Town (1) – Hermanus (2)/Gansbaai (3) – Cape Aghulas (4) and Mossel Bay – Wilderness (5) – Knysa (6) – Plettenberg Bay(7) – Storms River (8) – Addo Elephant Park  (9) – Amakhala Game Reserve (10) – Oudtshoorn (11) – Stellenbosch/Franschhoek (12) – Cape Town (1)

Click here for the Google Maps version of the route

Day 1 and 2: Hermanus/Gansbaai

Hermanus and Gansbaai are stunning stopovers en route from Cape Town to the Garden Route and their natural beauty is mesmerising. The rugged coastline is as spectacular as the sea life in its waters: whales, seals, penguins and sharks are abundant in the area and it’s known as the Great White Shark capital of the World.

Things to do: in Hermanus and Gansbaai

• Whale watching is a must do in Hermanus
• Gansbaai is one of the most popular spots for cage shark diving if you so desire!

Drive time: 90 mins Cape Town to Hermanus, 30 minutes from Hermanus to Gansbaai

Where to stay in Hermanus and Gansbaai

• Misty Waves Boutique Hotel – beautiful boutique hotel where it’s often possible to spot whales from the balcony! – check prices now!
• Bellavista Country Place – If you’re visiting the Garden Route you have to stay in this  – incredible –  check prices now!
• Bellamente Serene – A stunning hotel located right on the beach in Gansbaai –  check prices now!

  Click here for Hermanus Hotel prices

Day 2: Cape Aghulas (optional) and Mossel Bay

Cape Agulhas requires an optional detour down to the coast between Hermanus and Mossel Bay before driving to Mossel Bay to spend the night and explore the town the following morning.

Cape Aghulas

Cape Aghulas is the most Southern point in the African continent (it’s often touted as the Cape of Good Hope but it is the most South Westerly point in Africa) and marks the dividing point of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. The rugged wilderness, the crashing waves where two oceans meet and the stunning African sunset took our breaths away – after all it’s not every day you stand at the most Southern tip of Africa!

The seaside town of Mossel Bay is a step back in time and our highlight was the Post Office Tree. The story goes that in 1501 a Portuguese sailor sought refuge in Mossel Bay during a storm and he left a written account, with an address, in an old boot. The report was found by the person it was addressed to and the tree then served as a post office – it’s still possible to post letters at the old tree today!

Drive time: 90 minutes from Gansbaai to Cape Aghulas and 3 hours from Cape Aghulas to Mossel Bay. Driving directly from Gansbaai to Mossel Bay will reduce the journey time to just over 3 hours.

Where to stay in Mossel Bay

• Bar-t-nique Guest House : panoramic views of the harbor and Outeniqua mountains with nice home made breakfast – check prices here!
• African Oceans Manor on the Beach – great guest house, rooms have beautiful views of the Indian Ocean – check prices here!

  Click here for  Mossel Bay hotel prices

Day 3: Wilderness

The coastal town of Wilderness is home to two of our favourite sights on The Garden Route, the Map of Africa and Kaaimans River Bridge. The sleepy little village of Sedgefield, close to Wilderness, draws visitors to its lagoon.

The Map of Africa is a viewpoint where the flow of the river has formed a piece of land shaped exactly like a map of the African continent. It has a spectacular view overlooking the Kaaimans River Basin and is as intriguing as it is beautiful. The mix of mountain, forest and river is a beautiful sight!

Close to the Map of Africa sits the Kaaimans River Bridge in Wilderness. The curved bridge passes over the amber coloured water at the mouth of an estuary and is a beautifully photogenic stop on the Garden Route. A steam train operated on the line until 2009 but the railway bridge is iconic even in its absence.

The sleepy little village of Sedgefield, about 20 minutes from Wilderness, is surrounded by lakes, vegetated sand dunes, an Estuary and the beautiful Indian Ocean. Its lagoon is popular for fishing, swimming, canoeing, bird watching and riverside walks and the Saturday morning Wild Oats farmers market is unmissable.

Drive time: 45 minutes from Mossel Bay to Wilderness, 20 minutes from Wilderness to Sedgefield

Where to stay in Wilderness

• Oceans Wilderness: a beautiful beachfront guesthouse with an amazing design, great breakfast and magnificent views, our favourite! – check prices here!
• Lodge on the Lake: amazing lakeside views, great rooms and an infinity pool – check prices here!

Click here for Wilderness hotel prices

Day 4 and 5: Knysna

Famous for its oysters Knysna, a waterfront town along the Garden Route, is home to the Knysna Heads and is a beautiful spot to relax for a few days on the Garden Route. The Knysna Heads are two imposing sea cliffs which protect the entrance to the Knysna lagoon from the unrelenting Indian Ocean. The boat journey to view the heads often results in a sea drenching but it’s spectacular to watch the sea thrash through the narrow gap amid the stunning scenery.

Things to do in Knysna:

• Take a boat trip on the lagoon and check out the Kynsa Heads
• Take the ferry to the Featherbed Nature Reserve with spectacular viewpoints and a nice hike

Drive time:  40 minutes from Wilderness to Knysna

Where to stay in Knysna

• Villa Afrikana Guest Suites:  Offering panoramic views across the bay this is one of the best options for staying in Knysna and close to the restaurants –  check prices now!
• Augusta Bay Guest House:  Beautiful guest hotels with views over Knysna Bay –  check prices now!

Click here for Knysna Hotel prices

Day 6 and 7: Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay, or Plett Bay as the locals refer to it, is a South Africa hidden gem overlooking the Indian Ocean and the perfect base for a few nights along the Garden Route.

The architecturally stunning Bloukrans Bridge is close to Plettenberg Bay and, at over 200 metres, is the highest in Africa and arches dramatically over the gorge below. As well as being visually stunning, it is also home to one of the highest bungy jumps in the world. Dave immediately signed up, leaped off that bridge like a pro and had the time of his life so if you’re feeling brave … bungy jump!!

Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary and the Birds of Eden free flight bird sanctuary are both great places to visit while in Plett Bay.

Drive time:  30 minutes between Knysa and Plettenberg Bay

Where to stay in Plettenberg Bay

• Singing Kettle Beach Lodge: We stayed at this gorgeous beach lodge and toasted the beautiful sunset from our balcony – check prices now!
• The Plettenberg Hotel: 5 star luxury on the Garden Route with infinity pools and ocean views – check prices now!

  Click here for Plettenberg Bay hotel prices

Day 8: Storms River

Storms River Mouth is the dramatic starting point of the Garden Route where the Storms River enters the Indian Ocean. Tucked away off the main road in the Tsitsikamma National Park sits this breathtaking stretch of coastline where the Indian Ocean relentlessly pounds the headland. There are some amazing hikes up through the gorge and a stunning rope bridge for the adventurous types!

Drive time: 45 minutes from Plettenberg Bay to Storms River

Where to stay in Storms River

• The Fernery Lodge & Chalets – located at the base of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, The Fernery boasts amazing views over the Sandrift River gorge –  check prices now!
• Misty Mountain Lodge and chalets – surrounded by ocean, forest and mountains this property is a real treat on the Garden Route –   check prices now!

Click here for Storms River hotel prices

Safari (Optional)

Safari is always a good idea in South Africa! Kruger and Sabi Sands are our safari favourites but they’re a long drive or a flight away. If you want to squeeze in some safari while exploring the Garden Route we’d recommend making extra stops at the Addo Elephant Park and the Amakhala Game Reserve.

Day 9: Addo Elephant Park

Addo Elephant Park, just outside Port Elizabeth, is home to one of the densest elephant populations on earth as well as rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard. With 450 elephants the elephant encounters can be truly magical – we will never forget the moment a family of elephants walked alongside our car in the setting sun.

Drive Time: 3 hours from Plettenberg Bay to Addo Elephant Park

Where to stay in Addo Elephant Park

• Gorah Elephant Camp – You can stay right in the park with the elephants at Gorah elephant camp –  check prices now!
• River Bend Lodge – another option for staying in Addo park itself! –  check prices now!

Day 10 and 11: Amakhala Game Reserve

A malaria-free safari option, just outside Port Elizabeth, the Amakhala Game Reserve is home to the safari big 5 of lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino as well as cheetah, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and plenty of antelope species.

Where to stay in Amakhala Game Reserve

• HillsNek Safari – on the banks of Bushman’s River the luxurious tented chalets have panoramic views of the plains – check prices now!
• Woodbury Tented Camp: in the heart of Amakhala, the accommodation comprises en suite canvas tents with views of the valley – check prices now!

Book your safari stay now

Returning to Cape Town

Many visitors return to Cape Town via Route 62 after exploring the Garden Route. Here are some extra stops to add some variety to the drive back.

Day 12 and 13: Oudtshoorn

Known as the ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn is home to Ostrich Farms, the spectacular underground Cango Caves and the Swartberg Mountains which are part of the Cape Floral UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also home to the Meerkat Adventures, a dawn tour to hopefully see some adorable meerkats waking up to a new day.

Be sure to stop at Ronnie’s Sex Shop in Barrydale en route to the Cape Winelands. Despite the name it is actually a famous dive bar with graffiti plastered walls on Route 62 and a fun stop for a cold beer and a stretch of the legs.

Drive Time: 4 hours 30 minutes from Amakhala Game Reserve to Oudtshoorn

Where to stay in Oudtshoorn

• Hlangana Lodge: a small lodge in a beautiful setting with great breakfast – check prices now!
• Earthbound B&B: quiet, well equipped and spacious guest rooms at an excellent price – check prices now!

Click here for Oudtshoorn hotel prices

Day 12 and 13: Cape Winelands – Stellenbosch and Francschhoek

The Cape Winelands are a collection of historic towns famous for their wine production and are the perfect stopover on the way back to Cape Town.  Wine tasting, delicious food, incredible landscapes and beautiful architecture are synonymous with the region.

Stellenbosh and Franschhoek are its two most popular stopovers and the heart of its wine industry. Stellenbosh, South Africa’s second oldest town, is a charming university town and Franschhoek a charming village filled with galleries, restaurants and wine shops. Hop on the wine trams to explore the vineyards and indulge in some wine tasting and admire the whitewashed Cape Dutch architecture prominent in the region.

Drive time:  4 hours 15 minutes from Oudtshoorn to Franschhoek and 4 hours 30 minutes from Oudtshoorn to Stellenbosh

Where to stay in Cape Winelands

• Asara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch: Beautiful location in the rolling hills of Stellenbosch, lovely rooms and good value for money with wine tasting on site – check prices now!
• The Corner House, Francschhoek: amazing value with excellent rooms and a great location – check prices now!
• La Residence, Franschhoek: set in a private estate, La Residence is the ultimate in luxury . Luxurious rooms and peacock’s roaming around the grounds, this is one for the bucketlist – check prices now!

Click here for Cape Winelands hotels

24 thoughts on “The Ultimate Garden Route Itinerary (with map) (2023)”

Hello, Fabulous itinary! Could you give a rough idea of budget please? Thx in advance

Hi Geraldine, I’m not sure how much we spent in total but, depending on the hotels you pick, food, drinks, gas etc are quite cheap so it was quite reasonably priced overall. We’re Europe based so have a strong exchange rate on our side at the moment!

We are planning a 4-day tour of the Garden Route in September and we are coming from the US. We are not sure if we should go with a tour company or rent a car and do it on our own. I think if we rented a car we would miss the cultural and historic info about the region. Would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Hi Charmaine

We really enjoy the independence of having our own transport – we picked up some Cape Town and Garden Route guide books to give us the context and history which helped! It’s an awesome trip, hope you enjoy!

loved reading your itinary and we are going to base our own route loosely around yours as we have been to Cape own twice before and stayed in De Kelders and Pearly Beach we have been to Cape Aghulas we have bits we can change but your whole concept is one of the best I have seen

In reply to Geraldine once you are in South Africa everything is so cheap, Food, drinks, car hire, fuel and of course accommodation whale watching is a must a sight so worth seeing

In reply to Charmaine what Elaine has said the flexability of your own transport really cant be faulted being able to come and go as you please is so much better

Hi Kaz, so glad you found the itinerary useful. I hope you have an awesome trip, I can’t wait to return!

Good work guys. I am thrilled for my upcoming trip. Thanks very much

i love layout of your itinerary, im planning on using it for my upcoming trip in December with my family( spouse and 3 kids). we are planning a 15day trip and i was wondering if you can give to some advise on where we should stop and spend the night. For example are the places we should spend stay 3 nights in a lodge /resort and use that as a mini base to visit a couple of the stops at a time… it will be difficult sleep in a new hotel every night with kids…

any suggestions will be welcomed.

thanks alot.

delighted to hear you like the itinerary. You could base yourselves in Knysna and explore the Garden route from there for a few days. From here you could visit Mossel Bay, George, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Kysna itself. Knysna was one of our favourite stops on the route. Check out family friendly hotels here

Are 4 days enough for Garden Route?

We are planning to do the Garden Route from Cape Town. If we rent a car, are we able to return the car at George airport or should we drive back to Cape Town? Is driving your own car doable if coming from the States?

Any info will be useful.

4 days would allow you to do some of the Garden route and with that time we’d recommend returning the car the George airport. This will give you the most time on the route. With 4 days you could aim to see Mossel Bay, Kysna and Plettenberg Bay. The initial drive from Cape Town will take one day, with the rest for sightseeing. Driving a rental car in South Africa is very straight forward. We’ve driven in over 40 countries and the Garden Route in South Africa relatively easy. Check out our post here for tips on driving in South Africa

Hi, Really enjoying your blog we have found it really informative. We have 14 days booked in South Africa in April 2019. We have four nights in Cape Town which we are basing our itinerary on yours.We then have three nights in the wine region staying near Stellenbosch.

We have 3 days to plan before staying for the remainder of our holiday at Pettenberg Bay for the remainder of our holiday.

Of all the places that you have visited where would you recommend that we visit and stay for the days between Stellenbosch and Plettenberg. We have a rental car and fly home from Port Elizabeth.

Great to hear you are enjoying the content. Cape Town and Stellenbosch are fab, I hope you enjoy! I’d probably stop in Mossel Bay or George for 1 night to split the drive and see some of the sights. Then I’d follow up with two nights in Knysna. Safari would be another great option – you could spend two nights in somewhere like this Gondwana lodge on the way to the Garden Route and then spend one night in Knysna.

Hope that helps, have a great trip! Elaine

Hi, thanks for the great itinerary. We are planning a trip from PE to CT over 4 nights. Not as much time as we would like but that’s life! Just wondering if you’d recommend 1 night in Plettenberg Bay AND 1 night in Knysna or just 2 nights in Knysner, given they are so close? Both towns look great. Also, if we plan our last night to be in Hermanus, which town between Knysna and Hermanus you recommend for our 3rd night? Something like Wilderness or Mossel Bay?

Thanks very much

Hi Adam, glad the itinerary is useful! I’d spend two nights in either Knysna or Mossel Bay (to avoid having to pack up and move!). My personal preference is Plett Bay as it’s really nice and laid back but you’ll probably spend a whole day in Knysna so I’d actually stay there – you’ll have more choice of restaurants etc as it’s much bigger. Knysa is beautiful and has a really nice vibe for tourists. We’ve stayed in Swellendam to split the journey before (but definitely stop by Wilderness for the map of Africa en route!). We stayed in Arumvale Country House . Mossel Bay would also be fine but you still have a longish drive to Hermanus after.

Hope that helps Elaine

We are two ladies in our late 50’s planning on hiring a car to go from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in June. We have heard lots of horror stories about hiring a car in South Africa and are a bit concerned. What is your opinion on our safety should we hire a car? Thanks

We found it quite safe, you can read our driving tips here . Avoid driving after dark for sure and don’t park anywhere remote. Don’t leave anything in your car. The tourist sites are usually busy in Cape Town and along the Garden Route.

Great blog, very helpful!

What time of year did you go? I am planning on going in mid July and I’m not sure if it will rain everyday.

Our trips have all been Christmas time or March, I’m not sure on July

Hi, everything here is really useful. We are trying to put together an itinerary.

Leaving Cape town With Stop at Oudtshoorn,then Plettenberg Bay and onto a safari,before returning to Cape Town. We had thought about then stopping at Knysna.

Are Plettenberg Bay and Knysna to close together and can you suggest another stop off point

They’re about 30 minutes drive – we’ve stopped in both on previous trips as they’re both lovely. From Plet Bay you can visit Storms River, Bloukran’s Bridge etc and the leave the Knsyna sights until you return. We stayed in a Protea in George before – it’s a little closer to Cape Town if you want to shorten the drive.

hi thanks so much for this information. We will be in Cape Town for three days in January, before an overland tour from Victoria Falls back to Cape Town. Then we have 12 days to do the garden route, probably self drive. Thanks for the ideas

So glad it was useful! Victoria Falls is one of the most magical places we’ve visited, I do hope you enjoy!

12 days is plenty of time for the Garden Route, you could maybe look into a safari or another few days in Cape Town depending on which you prefer.

Enjoy! Elaine

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