Itineraries, timeframes, excursions and start and end destinations are flexible and crafted around your personal requirements, available days and required pace

Your knowledgeable, friendly and professional South African guide will share a wealth of interesting stories and conversations with you and choose the best routes and local jewels to match your interests:

Day 1 : CAPE TOWN TO OUDTSHOORN (meandering along the R62, longest wine route in the World)

• Dramatic du Toit’s Kloof Pass - mountain views, steep cliffs, gorges, waterfalls (in rainy season)

• Ever-changing colours of majestic Mountain ranges, fruit orchards and Vineyards

• Kogman’s Kloof Pass with its rugged sandstone formations

• Through the fertile Tradouw Valley with its tapestry of fruit orchards and vinyards

• Over the Huisriver Pass with its sandstone formations

• Charming Oudtshoorn, Ostrich Capital of the World

• Cango Caves with its chambers with magnificent limestone formations

• Optional : Guided tour on the Cango Ostrich Ranch with the opportunity for close interaction with the ostriches

Overnight Venue : Guest House / Hotel in Oudtshoorn

(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or

Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)

Day 2 & 3: MALARIA-FREE SAFARI in the EASTERN CAPE

• Arrive at a malaria-free Big 5 Eastern Cape Game Reserve in the afternoon. Game Drive and Overnight on the Game Reserve

• The Eastern Cape has a remarkable natural diversity and is steeped in culture and history

Addo National Elephant Park Game Reserve Option

• 164,000 hectares with plans to expand

• Accommodation : Modest Value-for- Money Options and 4-star Elegant Luxury Options and Premium 5-star Luxury Camps

• Rated best elephant-viewing in the world and home to one of the densest African elephant populations on the planet

• Day and Evening Game drives in search of the wildlife including the Big 5, some in the Park’s open 4x4 vehicles and some in our tour vehicle

• 450 Elephant ; 400 Cape Buffalo ; 3 prides of Lion and many more animal species

• More than 150 recorded Bird Species

Various Private Game Reserve Options

• Sizes of game reserves vary between 6000 and 25000 hectares

• Accommodation : Elegant Luxury 4-star and exquisite Premium 5-star Game Lodges and Accomodation (including Luxury Safari Tents)

• Options :

  • Lantern-lit Dinners under the African Sky or around a campfire in a Boma

  • Private viewing decks overlooking watering holes

  • Sundowners in scenic locations to experience romantic and blazing Africa sunsets

  • Day and Evening Game drives in search of the wildlife including the Big 5 in open 4x4 vehicles

  • Bush walkes with an armed game ranger

Day 4 : TSITSIKAMMA

• Via Port Elizabeth, the friendly city

• Tsitsikamma Coastal Park with its startling beauty is located at the foot of the Tsitsikamma Range and is cut by rivers that have carved deep ravines into the ancient forests with its centuries-old trees such as Yellowwood, Stinkwood, Hard Pear, Ironwood and Kamassi.

• Optional excursions include:

  • Leisurely stroll in the Tsitsikamma Coastal Park to the Suspension Bridge at the mouth of the Storms River

  • Tsitsikamma Coastal Park: Boat trip to view the otherwise inaccessible Storms River Gorge.

Overnight Venue : Guest House / Hotel in Tsitsikamma or Plettenberg Bay

(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or

Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)

Day 5 : KNYSNA, PLETTENBERG BAY AND TSITSIKAMMA

• Plettenberg Bay with its wonderful ambience and weather and its beautiful golden beaches

• When open again : Groot River and Bloukrans Passes through the indigenous forests descending deep into the gorges following the old wagon trails

• Optional excursions include:

  • Tree-top Canopy Tours in the Tsitsikamma Forest

  • Boat-based Whale Watching (mostly seasonal July to November) and Dolphin Watching in Plettenberg Bay

  • Woodcutters Trail at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma Forest: Journey down the old Storms River Pass, and experience the indigenous forest from the comfort of a specially-designed vehicle.

  • Guided River Ferries and Boat cruises

  • Forest and Beach hikes in the Tsitsikamma Forest

  • Enjoy the Golden beaches

  • Bungi Jumping at Bloukrans Bridge

  • Oyster Tasting at Knysna, oyster Capital of South Africa.

  • Snorkelling and Scuba diving at Storms River in Tsitsikamma Coastal Park

  • Knysna Elephant Sanctuary – opportunity to interact with the six tame African Elephants : touch and feed ; elephant-back riding and “walking with Elephants”

  • Monkeyland, the world’s first free roaming multi-specie primate sanctuary

  • Birds of Eden, the Garden Route’s very own world class free flight bird sanctuary

• Arrive in beautiful Knysna, Jewel of the Garden Route, situated on the Knysna estuary, surrounded by lush ever-green forests.

• The Knysna Heads is one of the most striking geological features along the entire southern African coastline. 

Overnight Venue : Guest House / Hotel in Knysna

(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or

Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)

Day 6 : KNYSNA AND ARNISTON

• Featherbed Eco-excursion in Knysna : A boat trip on the Knysna Lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve followed by a buffet lunch ; then a drive in a Unimog up to the top of the Western Head and an easy hike down the head with spectacular views over the Knysna Lagoon and the Indian Ocean

• Through Lake District with its six lakes

• Through Wilderness with its beautiful sandy beaches and rivers

• Kaaiman’s Pass

• Mossel Bay, stopping at Dias Museum and the old Post Office Tree

• Through Swellendam, an 18th century frontier town

• We have now entered the Overberg Region with its rolling farmlands, wheat fields and stretching along the African South Coast

• Arrive in the sleepy little coastal town of Arniston with its azure sea, cobalt sky and peace and quiet; where the practices of generations of fishermen quietly continue without interruption.

• Leisure time on Arniston Beach or exploring the magnificent limestone cave which can be accessed at low tide.

Overnight Venue : Elegant Luxury Guest House in Cape Agulhas or Hotel in Arniston

Day 7 : CAPE AGULHAS, HERMANUS & CLARENCE DRIVE

• We then head for Cape Agulhas, southernmost tip of Africa, the official meeting place of the two oceans (Atlantic and Indian)

• Visit the Cape Agulhas lighthouse, the second oldest working lighthouse in South Africa – erected in 1848. The lighthouse provides a panoramic view of where the two oceans meet, ships pass and Southern Right whales play in spring and early summer.

• Travel along the Whale Coast (Seasonal : Spot whales along the journey - from July to November)

• Hermanus, one of the top holiday villages in South Africa during summertime with options :

  • Seasonal (July to November) : Whale Watching - Hermanus is considered to be the “Whale Capital of the world”. Hermanus provides the best land-based whale watching spot in the world and the intelligent graceful Southern Right Whales, as large as 10 elephants, can be seen up to 20 metres from the rocky shores and cliff paths.

  • Wine Tasting in Walker Bay

• Return to Cape Town via scenic Clarence Drive, considered one of the top 10 scenic drives in the world. It hugs the coastline and its magnificent sea cliffs on the one side and is snug against the majestic mountain slopes on the other. This road travels via the coastal villages of Gordon’s Bay, Rooi Els, Kleinmond and Betty’s Bay.

• Optional : At Betty’s Bay we visit Stoney Point with it’s Jackass penguins (Jackass penguins, these days known as the African Penguin, the most Northern of all penguin species in the world)

• Arrive back in the “Mother City” (Cape Town)

Some of the alternative or additional Options to personalize your tour and enhance your Garden Route experience :

• Extend your Garden Route Tour with an additional night in Knysna or Tsitsikamma if you would like to do several of the optional excursions

• and activities on Day 5

• Extend your Garden Route Tour with an additional night in Oudtshoorn and add a day of spectacular mountain passes

• Shark Cage Diving at Mossel Bay