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Embark upon South Africa’s most famous road trip: The Garden Route. Named for its lush landscapes, the trail snakes along the Cape, bordered by a toiling topaz ocean fringed with rugged beaches. On the other side, forested national parks and dramatic mountain passes lead to labyrinthine underground cave systems.
Stop along the way to hike through native forests of towering yellowwood trees, cruise sparkling lagoons and take marine safaris where you’ll spot dolphins, migrating whales and sharks drawn by colonies of barking Cape fur seals.
Cape Town is the launching pad for Garden Route road trips and tours. From here, you’ll follow a winding ribbon of road east along the wave-worn coast, to the barren rock fields of Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo. Ostrich farms and game parks dot this semi-desert hinterland, shadowed by the cinnamon-coloured Swartberg Mountains. Here, you can wake early for meerkat encounters, explore the 20-million-year-old Cango Caves, and then spend the evening stargazing beneath smog-free skies.
Further east, the coastal town of Knysna awaits, its glittering lagoon opening to the Indian Ocean through the narrow, shipwrecking Knysna Heads. Gorge on oysters as you cruise this protected marine reserve. More watery adventures can be found in Plettenberg Bay, where eco-boat trips offer a glimpse of the Marine Big Five and you can trek through Robberg Nature Reserve, home to stone age archaeological sites, seagull breeding grounds and never-ending ocean views.
Talk to our South Africa travel gurus about plotting your perfect guided or self-drive Garden Route adventure, complete with luxe hotels, boat trips and nature tours.
The Garden Route Regions
Our recommendations for the best places to visit in The Garden Route
Holidays in The Garden Route

- Knysna
- 5 Star
A former power station transformed into a trendy boutique hotel right on the popular Knysna lagoon.

- The Garden Route
- 4.5 Star
Lairds Lodge is a tranquil Cape Dutch country estate set within the heart of South Africa’s stunning Garden Route.

- The Garden Route
- 5 Star
A chic and lavish hotel in a superb setting with incredible views over two picturesque bays.

- The Garden Route
- 4 Star
Set to a mountain backdrop close to Plettenberg Bay, this spectacular lodge makes the most of its breathtaking surrounds.

- Knysna
- 4 Star
Stay in the natural paradise of Knysna. This tranquil haven is a great base for your Garden Route explorations..

- The Garden Route
- 4.5 Star
Aptly-named, this charming boutique hotel has unparalleled views and a sublime setting

- The Garden Route
- 5 Star
Housed in a National Monument building dating back to 1777, The Old Rectory is a modern boutique hotel close to some of Plettenberg's gorgeous golden beaches.

- The Garden Route
- 5 Star
This graceful period hotel on the outskirts of Oudtshoorn embraces classic style.

- The Garden Route
- 5 Star
Against the backdrop of the Outeniqua Mountains Fancourt is a plush country estate with world-class golf, an award-winning spa and acres of spectacular land.

- Knysna
Family owned and managed, award-winning Kanonkop House is a charming boutique property overlooking Knysna Lagoon.
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Natural wonders, wildlife and wine await in this captivating region that sweeps eastwards along the coast of the Cape; see it with a tour or itinerary
Home to charming towns and villages, pristine beaches scattered along rugged coastlines, mountain ranges and interesting wildlife, an escorted small group tour of the Garden Route is a nature-lover’s dream. You can take a trip to Boulders Beach penguin colony, see ostriches in Oudtshoorn (famed as the ‘Ostrich Capital of the World’), and visit Monkeyland, the world’s first free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. Plus, you can explore some of the beautiful natural wonders – a guided tour through Cango Caves is a must-do, as is a trip to Knysna, surrounded by indigenous forests, tranquil lakes and golden beaches. Self-driving is also a popular choice here as you can set your own pace and weave in smaller stops along the way – a real boon if you like stopping off at vineyards.
Our recommended Garden Route tours
Canopy Tour, Tsitsikamma
Glide among the treetops in this 30-metre-high zip line tour of Tsitsikamma National Park on Africa's first zipline canopy tour. Enjoy unrivalled views as you make your way along ten treetop platforms with guides who’ll teach you about the protected forest, populated by giant Outeniqua yellowwood trees dating up to 700 years old.
After a safety briefing and getting into your harness you will be driven into the forest where your adventure begins. Any fear of heights will soon be lost as you glide along the steel cables above the tree tops to the next platform. On your wired flight, you might even be able get a closer look at the park’s brightly coloured birdlife, including the Narina trogon and Knysna loerie or you encounter a curious vervet monkey, after all you are in their territory now.
Please note minimum age is 7 years.
Whale watching from Plettenberg Bay with Ocean Blue Adventures
Experience close encounters with whales on this ecological boat trip along Plettenberg's coastline. After your safety briefing, you'll be equipped with life jackets and ponchos. The tour begins with an exciting launch through the surf from Central Beach where you will pass a bird sanctuary enroute to Arch Rock where you may encounter bottlenose and rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.
Crossing the bay towards the Robberg Peninsula, you may see whales and pods of dolphins as well as a Cape fur seal colony. Whilst wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed, this tour runs between June and November, giving you more chance to see humpback and southern right whales who both visit around these months, alongside the resident Bryde’s whale.
Robberg Nature Reserve hike
Explore Robberg Nature Reserve on this guided hike along prehistoric cliffs where you can spot marine life in the ocean below. Designated a National Monument, the reserve lies between the Tsitsikamma Mountain range and South Africa’s whale migration route known as the ‘humpback highway’. It’s a beautiful place to experience many different features of the Garden Route.
The peninsula sits about 120 metres above sea level so you’re looking down on the wild ocean on one side and the calm waters of Plettenberg Bay on the other – both have marine protected status. Hiking the circular trail isn’t too strenuous but your guide is happy to tailor the trek to suit your ability level. Your guide will talk you through the history of Robberg and point out the various plant species and their traditional uses. You'll be stepping on bedrock that dates back around 120 thousand years, so it’s almost a spiritual experience walking on this ancient landscape covered by colourful fynbos.
The cliffs overlook a Cape fur seal colony which is often patrolled by great white sharks. Robberg also attracts a number of bird species. As well as seabirds such as the Cape cormorant, you may also see Cape robins, Cape white-eyes, red-winged starlings and orange-breasted sunbirds.
Knysna Oyster Cruise
Take a scenic cruise around Knysna and across its famous lagoon. Pass ‘The Heads’, a pair of cliffs that form a natural opening into the lagoon and out into the Indian Ocean.
Learn about one of the world’s most decadent foods as you try some of the freshest oysters you can find. A famous delicacy in Knysna, you’ll taste both wild and cultivated oysters and, accompanied with some wine, it’s a luxurious way to experience the local cuisine.
Meerkat Excursion, Oudtshoorn
On this tour you will get to watch a group of meerkats that have been habituated over more than a decade. The goal is to keep it as natural as possible and not to interfere with the animals’ lives. You are there to observe and they’re free to roam wherever they want.
Each evening, the guides have to go out to check which burrow system they’re using out of more than 20 they could stay at, so they know where they’ll be the next morning.
It is an early start because you will be taken to the burrow before sunrise so you can be comfortably seated while the meerkats are still sleeping. You will patiently wait for them to wake up and then get to see what the meerkats do on a daily basis. Because it’s nature, you never know what’s going to happen. But the usual routine is that the meerkats will emerge and start warming up using the sun if it is available; if it’s not, they’ll use different methods like cuddling up together - known as the meerkat totem pole. You can observe these activities and their social behaviour: scent marking, sorting out the social hierarchy in the group and then heading off to forage for the morning. The guides will explain what the meerkats are doing and why but very careful not to do anything to make them feel threatened, so you will sit about five metres away so they have the freedom to leave whenever they like. People are fascinated by meerkats, and once you get to learn more about them – their habits, the intense social structure that they have – they become even more relatable.
The magic of the night sky in Oudtshoorn
The Little Karoo, or Klein Karoo, is one of the best places in the world for stargazing due to its huge panoramic landscapes and very low light pollution with just a few small towns. With more than 300 days of sunshine a year – clouds are rare so the night skies are exceptionally clear.
The experience is described as ‘Exploring the High Five’ - the stars, galaxies, globular clusters such as Omega Centauri, planets, and constellations including the Southern Cross. Because the Earth is rotating, the sky looks a little different every night, so the focus will be on whatever the highlights are at that particular time of year.
The stargazing experience is brought to you at some of the most popular guesthouses in town, so after supper just walk outside and meet the guide; the telescope is set up and ready to use right away. The telescope is used to point out the significant attributes of planets or stars that you can’t see with the naked eye and your guide will share some startling facts about them.
Dolphin watching from Plettenberg Bay with Ocean Blue Adventures
Go in search of dolphins and marine life on this eco-friendly boat trip in the protected marine reserve of Plettenberg Bay. The geography of Plettenberg Bay is very special, with the Robberg Peninsula, creating a half-moon shaped bay that stops a lot of open-water swells. There are two marine protected areas that attracts whales, dolphins, seals and sharks.
You will meet 30 minutes before the boat departs for a safety briefing and to be fitted with a life jacket and, if necessary, a poncho. The boat trip lasts around an hour and a half and begins with an exciting beach launch. The boat gets dragged into the ocean by a tractor and then launched into the waters.
As you cruise alongside Keurbooms beach towards Arch Rock, endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins may be seen. There are only about 500 left in South Africa so it’s a special experience if you do get to see them. Bottlenose and common dolphins often surround the boat and occasionally you may see whales.
You will get to see plenty of seabirds such as the Cape gannets that dive into the water after fish. As you sail past the cliffs of Robberg, there is a colony of 7,000 Cape fur seals and where sometimes you may see great white sharks. The tour ends with a thrilling beach landing. A proportion of the cost of this tour goes towards the ORCA Foundation to continue vital conservation and research work.