Route Suggestions
CAPE TOWN:
Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, most visitors will dedicate three to five days to Cape Town and its environs.Table Mountain Robben Island, the Waterfront, The Peninsula and Cape Point, Boulders Penguin colony, Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens, shopping, great beaches and many excellent museums and art galleries as well as some of the world’s finest restaurants. Many visitors also incorporate the winelands of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek etc in their Cape Town stay, as they are only a 40-50 minute drive from the city. You may choose to stay in the City or the foothills of Table Mountain (vibey, views of the bay, stroll to restaurants), on the Atlantic seaboard, (also very hip, great sunsets over the sea or on the Peninsula (far more laid back and country but just 20 minutes from the City.
Places to Stay: (click to go to these sites):
An
African Villa , Leeuwenvoet
House & Table
Mountain Lodge
CAPE WINELANDS:
Wine lovers and/or those appreciating the countryside might consider a day or so less in Cape Town in favour of a day or two dedicated to the Winelands. We recommend one or two different wine experiences (or both) if you take your glassful seriously! The first is centred on the Stellenbosch/Franschhoek Paarl area and the second in the Robertson wine region over the Hottentots Holland Mountains. Stellenbosch is closer to Cape Town (40km) and resultantly considerable busier that the Robertson area. It is however more historical, boasting the oldest wine estates dating back more that 300 years. Robertson area my favourite is much more “country” – friendly and laid-back. As for quality of wines, both are excellent with winemakers from both claiming superiority and winning awards!! Maybe fit Stellenbosch into the Cape Town part of your trip, and the Robertson area into your travels east. It’s easily done.Places to Stay: FRANSCH HOEK Auberge
Bligny
WEST COAST:
Flower lovers will want to fit in a day or so on the West Coast during the spring flower season (late August to September) The normally drab countryside is then, for a few weeks transformed into a floral wonderland with sheets of vividly coloured blooms stretching to the horizon. Truly an awesome sight. You may do a day trip out of Cape Town but for the real thing then a full day much further north is required with an overnight stay – Extremely advanced bookings required for those trips as accommodation becomes rarer than the tooth of the hen!! Flower season dovetails beautifully with the whale season so do consider both if you are that way inclined.HERMANUS:
Whale-watching & Shark Diving: Considered one of the finest land based whale-watching sites in the world, Hermanus should be high on your list if you are in the country during the August – September/October period. Whales from the Arctic area move north to the warmer waters off the South Africa’s coast to calve and the best place to see this is Walker Bay. Get up close and personal as the whales and their calves move to within metres of the shore. OR take a boat for a really awesome encounter (a totally environmentally aware activity) Half an hours drive around the bay brings you to Gans Baai (Goose Bay) home of cage diving with the Great White sharks or, as a registered coward myself watch and learn about these protected predators at close quarters from a boat. A truly fantastic experience. Hermanus warrants at least one day but two to do it justice.Cape Agulhas The southern most part of Africa…many consider it a must and equally as many think it is just a head thing as the coast looks similar in many other places and, if you were told, you would not know that it was what it is. (If you know what I mean) It is a bit out of the way (will add about 160km to your trip) which, of course, has its own charm and it is a lovely drive. My tip: do it if you have the time, if you are a bit tight as most people are, then leave it.
Places to Stay: Hermanus www.hortensialodge.co.za
ROUTE 62 or N2?
The N2 national road links Cape Town in an easterly direction with Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban, and roughly follows the coast but certainly does not hug it all the way. The R62 (or Route 62) as SA Tourism markets it, also leads you east but inland. Route 62 is marketed as starting roughly at Tulbagh (North of Stellenbosch) and continuing to Oudtshoorn. Strictly speaking, it starts in Robertson and continues East to about 90 kms west of Port Elizabeth. All very confusing, so lets say you can easily employ a part of Route 62, which is really very beautiful, an excellent road and contains the Robertson and Klein (little Karoo wine regions as well as the town of Oudtshoorn, the capital of the Ostrich industry. If you are choosing the Circular Garden Route you will traverse both the N2 and the Route 62 so no thinking required. If you are doing the Garden Route One Way you will go mainly via Route 62 but also a bit of the N2. All as clear as mud so lets crack on (becomes clear if you look at the Routes on the Map)ROBERTSON Wine Region and MONTAGU
Part of the Overberg Region, this area abounds with excellent wine estates and fruit farms in a beautiful area hugged by the mountains and bisected by the Breede (broad) River. Dotted with little villages and farm stalls along the road, you drive through the lovely Kogmans Kloof to the quaint village of Montagu. Excellent little restaurants and Victorian Cape architectureMake this the ideal stopover. However, if you share even a nodding acquaintance with Bacchus you might consider two days here to enjoy the wonderful wine estates and the spectacular scenery of the area.
Places to Stay:, Montagu
Hotel, Robertson Ballinderry
Guest House,Calitzdorp: Retreat at Groenfontein
SWELLENDAM
The third oldest permanent (western) settlement in South Africa, Swellendam abounds with historic Cape Dutch architecture and history. Situated on the N2 the town is well worth a visit with come interesting shops and good restaurants. Of particular interest is the Drostdy Museum and complex and the Bontebok National Park with several species of small game. Some will argue thatit is best to save the game experience for the reserves further east at Addo etc. A day generally suffices here.
Places to Stay: Swellendam
Klippe Rivier Lodge , Roosje
van der Kaap
OUDTSHOORN & ENVIRONS
(pronounced Oats Horn) Well worth two days of your precious time. In the heart of the Little Karoo this area has much to offer; Dramatic scenery, amazing mountain passes, the quaintest of Karoo villages, zillions of ostriches, spectacular cave systems and South Africa’s finest Port (sipping not shipping) coupled again with fine restaurants serving traditional Karoo cuisine and great town, farm or country accommodation. This area has a charm unique to itself and you will be the poorer for not experiencing it.MOSSEL BAY & GEORGE
Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias landed here in 1488 setting the trend for further European visitors. Interesting Maritime Museum, post office tree (Don’t ask! - we must maintain some mystery for you) and shark cage diving make this worth a stop although most visitors with a bit of time constraint will not overnight here. The town of George although quite pretty as towns go with some good stores and so on is still just a town with a lovely mountain backdrop. However, if you are a keen golfer you would be naturally interested in a round of golf at the spectacular Fancourt, home to the President’s Cup and Ernie Els (who has a place just down the road at Herolds Bay) In that case you may just want to spend some hours here. – Or even a day or two!!WILDERNIS
Just a 15 minute drive from George and situated on a beautiful stretch of golden beach, this village is a must if you want to relax in a small laid back spot surrounded by forest and sea. Close enough (15 minutes) for that round of Golf at George but miles away in terms of tranquillity and natural beauty. Most visitors agree at least a day is needed. Again very good Restaurants.Places to Stay: Moon tide
KNYSNA
P ronounced nize (as in size) – ner. If you visited Knysna 10 – 15 years ago you will not recognise it! What was once a sleepy lagoon town has become a thriving bustling tourist hub. If you like to stay clear of throngs of tourists during the busy season - which seems to get longer and longer -, then avoid Knysna. However by far the greater number of Tourists do stay in Knysna as there are just so many things to do, a boat cruise to the Knysna Heads and feather bed Nature reserve, great art and craft shops and stalls, superb restaurants and museums and a lagoon side waterfront. Many tourists are advised to go no further east than this and many do not. It is their great loss and a shame that Tour Operators and information centres choose to dispense this advice, often for the simple purpose of holding onto visitors for their own financial gain DO NOT BE FOOLED! It is not a good idea to do a 250 -350 Km round trip day excursion out of Knysna to the Tsitsikamma, Plettenberg Bay or Addo areas. You will simply be rushing like a mad thing driving endlessly and missing some of the finest area South Africa has to offer and saying “ If only we had known” Say No to rushed pressured tourism!Places to Stay: Leisure
Isle Boutique Lodge
PLETTENBERG BAY
Both Knysna and Plettenberg Bay (or Plett as it is known locally) have exploded from a development point of view over the past few years. DO avoid over December and January when millions (or so it seems) South African from up north converge on these towns for their annual summer school holidays. You do NOT want to be there believe me. Other than that Plett has some of the most splendid beaches around and offers fantastic boat based whale and dolphin watching (Hermanus is still the premier site for whales though) if you’re a Polo buff, this is the place to come for a chukka or two with some international standard polo centres. Prince William & Co have fallen off here on the odd occasion. A lovely village just beware those tourist crowds in the summer.Places to Stay: Southern Cross Beach House , Corner way House
TSITSIKAMMA
You are now in the Eastern Cape, although this is till part of the Garden Route. This is the name of the region 40 kms beyond Plett and it lies between the Tsitsikamma Mountain Range and the sea.. The Tsitsikamma National Park stretches along the coast (It is in fact a Marine Park) and together with the indigenous forests, rugged coastlines, mountains and spectacular gorges makes up one of the most scenically stunning areas on the garden route. Great hiking and trailing, some of S A ‘s best adventure activities (world’s highest BUNGY, treetop canopy tours, newly re-introduced black-water tubing, abseiling, scuba diving) birding or just relaxing in the eco wonderland. Natures Valley, at the western end of the national park has one of the finest (and least visited beaches) along the coast. Then there is an excellent primate reserve (a natural sanctuary provided for many rescued primates) and a free flight aviary (biggest in the world). The Elephant Sanctuary also provides the most wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal with the elephants. All of the sanctuaries are in the same area namely the Crags. Most visitors spend two days here if time allows although nature lovers will definitely want to stay a lot longer.Places to Stay: The Armagh - of course!
