Things to do in Garden Route

The Garden Route is famous for road tripping, beach lounging and hiking opportunities, with hiking the phenomenal Otter Trail being arguably the best way to experience the region. The five-day trek stretches from the beautiful Storm's River estuary to the much-loved Nature's Valley and is highly recommended. Numerous shorter walking trails also traverse the coastal strip, and there are many picturesque campsites.

The National N2 Highway runs the length of the Garden Route. Travellers can simply stay on this highway and stop at most of the main towns and villages for which the route is known.

The N2 takes travellers from Cape Town past Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and the Bloukrans Bridge (famous for bungee jumping). It continues all the way up past Jeffrey's Bay to Port Elizabeth, though it's recommended that tourists leave the highway to explore some of the more unspoilt areas if they have the time.

The route is a fun pilgrimage for surfers, with Mossel Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Cape St Francis, and Jeffrey's Bay all providing spectacular surf breaks. Knysna and Nature's Valley are two of the highlights along the Garden Route and shouldn't be missed.

Tsitsikamma National Park photo

Tsitsikamma National Park

Tsitsikamma is a word of the indigenous Khoi-San people meaning 'place of many waters'. It accurately describes the beautiful 50-mile (80km) stretch of coastline that makes up the …

Knysna photo

Knysna

The beautiful town of Knysna is clustered around a vast tidal lagoon that opens to the sea through a narrow inlet guarded by two sandstone cliffs known as 'The Heads'. Arguably the…

Plettenberg Bay photo

Plettenberg Bay

The upmarket holiday town of Plettenberg Bay lies about 380 miles (600km) from Cape Town and 125 miles (200km) from Port Elizabeth, and was originally called Bahia Formosa (Beautif…

St Francis Bay photo

St Francis Bay

Located at the gateway to the Garden Route, St Francis Bay is a picturesque holiday village and one of South Africa's premier holiday destinations. It was first sighted in 1575 by …

Mossel Bay photo

Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is the largest city on the Garden Route and is situated roughly half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It is renowned as the Adventure Capital of the Garden Rout…

Wilderness photo

Wilderness

Set on the Touws River estuary, the beautiful town of Wilderness is fast developing into a plethora of luxury holiday homes. The Wilderness National Park surrounds the destination …

Nature's Valley photo

Nature's Valley

One of the most beautiful nooks of a decidedly beautiful country, Nature's Valley is an enchanting and relatively undiscovered holiday resort on the Garden Route. Located about 18 …

Oudtshoorn photo

Oudtshoorn

Situated in the heart of the Little Karoo and locally referred to as the Klein Karoo, Oudtshoorn is a lovely town that makes a popular stop on any holiday in the Western Cape of So…

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