The Garden Route

The Garden route is a beautiful stretch of coastline in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces. It runs from Cape Town in the west to Port Elizabeth in the East and is hemmed in by the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains, a picturesque back drop. As well as beautiful beaches, lagoons and coves, there is also indigenous forest, beautiful flowers (hence its name) and quaint towns. Off shore there is the chance to see Southern Right Whales, dolphins, great white sharks and African penguins. On sure there are nature reserves, vineyards and a host of attractions and museums.

There is a string of pleasant places to stay on the Garden route, all enjoying a pleasant temperature throughout the year that ranges from 13-25 degrees. Mosselbay is small and atmospheric, with excellent beaches and a museum about Bartholomew Diaz, the Portuguese explorer who discovered the route around the Cape. A stay in Oudtshoorn allows the chance to explore the flanking mountains, a trip up to the Swartberg Pass being well worth the effort. For the less adventurous you can look at the Ostriches; the town is the centre of the South African Ostrich industry with several large farms producing feathers for the world's hats.

The small town of Wilderness lies about 10 miles from George and is home to the Wilderness National Park. This 26,000 acre reserve contains 5 rivers, 5 lakes and nearly 12 miles of rugged coastline, making it a wetland reserve of international importance. The most famous town on the Garden Route is Knysna. Situated on the edge of a huge estuary it is flanked by swathes of indigenous forest, it is laid-back and a great place to dwell for a couple of nights to enjoy the many activities and attractions on offer. Finally there is Tsitsikamma, an area in the Eastern Cape of rugged beauty. Sandy beaches and rocky crags, gorges, forests and rivers all combine to make an unspoilt landscape that forms part of a marine National Park.

A week allows the visitor to enjoy a Garden Route holiday at a leisurely pace, staying in the main towns and exploring though the day the coastline and passes of this beautiful area. It can be combined with a stay in Cape Town, or a stay at a safari reserve in the Eastern Cape. Our favourite reserve is Kariega, offering the Big 5 for a variety of lodge accommodation, from private lodge to riverside luxury.