South Africa · Southern Africa
The Garden Route.
The Garden Route runs roughly from Mossel Bay to Storms River along the southern coast, and is the country's classic self-drive stretch.
It is driven rather than flown, usually over four to seven nights, and it links forest, coastline and lagoon in a way that suits travellers who want to slow down between a city and a safari. Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are the usual bases; Tsitsikamma is the scenic high point.
The Route is often combined with a malaria-free reserve in the Eastern Cape at its far end, which is what makes it work as a family itinerary.
How do you get to the Garden Route?
Most people drive from Cape Town along the N2, about four hours to Mossel Bay at the Route's western end. George has an airport with flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, is the airport at the eastern end, which allows a one-way drive in either direction.
What is there to do on the Garden Route?
Forest and coastal walks in the Garden Route National Park, the Knysna lagoon and the Heads, whale and dolphin watching from Plettenberg Bay, and the Robberg Nature Reserve peninsula. Tsitsikamma has the suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth, and the Bloukrans Bridge nearby is the site of one of the highest bridge bungee jumps in the world.
Is the Garden Route worth a detour inland to Oudtshoorn?
For many travellers, yes. Oudtshoorn lies over the Outeniqua Pass in the Little Karoo, about an hour from George, and is the centre of South Africa's ostrich farming. The Cango Caves, a limestone cave system open to guided visits, are just north of the town.
Is the Garden Route malaria-free?
Yes. The whole of the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape is free of malaria, which is why the Garden Route is so often combined with a safari in one of the Eastern Cape's private reserves on a family trip.
What is there to see in the Garden Route?
What does the Garden Route pair well with?
- Cape Town and the Cape PeninsulaCape Town is the city most itineraries are anchored to, and the Peninsula gives it a coastline, a mountain and a wine region within an hour of the centre.
- The Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape's private reserves are malaria-free and sit within reach of the Garden Route, which is why they so often close a family itinerary.
- The Cape WinelandsStellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl form the classic winelands triangle, about an hour inland from Cape Town.
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Elsewhere in South Africa
- Greater Kruger and the LowveldThe Greater Kruger is South Africa's principal safari region: the national park itself plus a belt of private reserves sharing unfenced boundaries with it.
- KwaZulu-Natal and ZululandKwaZulu-Natal combines a warm coastline, the Drakensberg mountains and Big Five reserves that are malaria-free or low-risk.
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