Please note that this Garden Route tour can operate in two different orders, as described below. The routes are called the Overberg Route and the Klein Karoo Route. Both routes include the exact same destinations and attractions, but are conducted in a different order to avoid overbooking the accommodation establishments.
Overberg Route
Day 1: Cape Town - Hermanus - Cape Agulhas (249 km, approx. 3 hours)
Tour departs from Cape Town / Stellenbosch early on Monday morning for Hermanus. (Shark cage diving clients will be picked up very early in the morning by the diving operator, and will miss the first half of Day 1 which includes the visit to the African Penguin Colony and Hermanus). You will follow the scenic coastal road, stopping at Betties Bay to view a colony of endangered African penguins. You can spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for hundreds of Southern Right Whales during the whale season (July to November) and many shops, restaurants, and markets.
In the afternoon, you will drive on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of Africa, where you visit a viewpoint known as the “real” place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.
- Included meals: Dinner
- Included activities: Penguins at Betties Bay
- Optional activities: Shark cage diving, 2880 ZAR and whale watching boat trip (in season, July - November), 900 ZAR
- Overnight: Cape Agulhas/ Struisbaai
Day 2: Cape Agulhas - Route 62 - Oudtshoorn (330 km, approx 4 hours)
You travel to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the Ostrich Capital of the World, via the spectacular Route 62, which is South Africa’s longest wine route. You will have a lovely lunch and wine tasting at a local winery, before experiencing the subterranean beauty of the Cango Caves on a guided adventure tour.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Included activities: Local wine tasting and Cango Caves tour
- Overnight: Oudtshoorn
Day 3: Oudtshoorn - Wilderness - Knysna - Sedgefield (144 km, 2 hours)
After breakfast, you head over the marvelous Outeniqua Mountain pass where you will explore Wilderness National Park with some canoes. Enjoy a paddle up the Touw River through indigenous forest, enjoying the abundance of birdlife. After about 40 minutes, the canoes will be left for a 2 kilometers hike along a boardwalk, which will take you to a lovely waterfall and rock pools. After the canoeing, you will head to the famous town of Knysna via the lavish Lake District of the Garden Route. This up-market little town is filled with curios, restaurants, and a waterfront, where you will be able to relax and do some shopping. After Knysna, you will head to the Knysna Heads viewpoint for some magnificent views over Knysna River estuary and the Indian Ocean. Late afternoon you can spend exploring Sedgefield with its expansive views and beaches.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Included activities: Canoeing and hiking in Wilderness National Park
- Overnight: Sedgefield
Day 4: Sedgefield - Tsitsikamma - Addo area (320 km, approx. 4.5 hours)
After breakfast, off to Tsitsikamma National Park. En route you will stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge (216 meters). There is plenty of time for the adventure seekers among you to test their courage. The late morning will be spent in Tsitsikamma National Park with its unique combination of indigenous forest and beautiful Indian Ocean coastline. The park has a wide choice of activities for all, including hiking, crossing a suspension bridge and swimming. Early afternoon you will leave the Garden Route for Big 5 country, Addo.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Included activities: Entrance to Tsitsikamma National Park
- Optional activities: 216 M Bloukrans bungee jump, 1400 ZAR and Zipline Adventure, 695 ZAR
Day 5: Addo - Port Elizabeth - Wilderness / Mossel Bay (415 km, approx. 5 hours)
You will spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. You will spend up to 2-3 hours exploring the 28,000-hectare national reserve with approximately 600 elephant and some Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino, warthog, zebra, eland, kudu, hartebeest, and many more animals. After an exciting morning of game viewing, you will drive back to the heart of the Garden Route where you will overnight in Wilderness or Mossel Bay.
- Included meals: None
- Included activities: Entrance and 2-3 hour drive with tour vehicle through Addo Elephant National Park
- Optional activities: 2-hour open vehicle game drive with Addo field guide, 420 ZAR
- Overnight: Wilderness / Mossel Bay
Day 6: Wilderness / Mossel Bay - Cape Town ( 450 km, approx. 4.5 hours)
After breakfast, you will stop in Mossel Bay to spend some time on the spectacular beaches, hike the Cape St. Blaize trail along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, or visit the famous Diaz Museum complex, commemorating the first known European exploration around the tip of Africa. The more adventurous can try a 10,000-foot tandem skydive or sand boarding on the longest dune in South Africa. You will arrive back to Cape Town / Stellenbosch in the early evening.
- Included meals: Breakfast
- Optional activities: 10,000 foot tandem skydive, 3300 ZAR (extra 600 ZAR for video), Sandboarding the longest dune in South Africa, 500 ZAR
Klein Karoo Route
Day 1: Cape Town - Barrydale - Oudtshoorn ( 422 km, approx. 5 hours)
You depart from Cape Town / Stellenbosch early on Monday morning. Your tour takes you to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the Ostrich Capital of the World, via the spectacular Route 62, which is South Africa’s longest wine route. Enjoy a lovely lunch and wine tasting at a local winery, before experiencing the subterranean beauty of the Cango Caves on a guided adventure tour.
- Included meals: Dinner
- Included activities: Cango Caves adventure tour and local wine tasting
- Overnight: Oudtshoorn
Day 2: Oudtshoorn - Wilderness - Knysna - Sedgefield (144 km, approx. 2 hours)
After breakfast you head over the marvellous Outeniqua Mountain pass where you will explore Wilderness National Park with some canoes. Enjoy a paddle up the Touw River through indigenous forest, enjoying the abundance of birdlife. After about 40 minutes, the canoes will be left for a 2 km hike along a boardwalk, which will take you to a lovely waterfall and rock pools. After the canoeing, you will head to the famous town of Knysna via the lavish Lake District of the Garden Route. This up-market little town is filled with curios, restaurants, and a waterfront, where you will be able to relax and do some shopping. After Knysna you will head to the Knysna Heads viewpoint for some magnificent views over Knysna River estuary and the Indian Ocean. Late afternoon you can spend exploring Sedgefield with its expansive views and beaches.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Included activities: Canoeing and hiking in Wilderness National Park
- Overnight: Sedgefield
Day 3: Sedgefield - Tsitsikamma - Addo area ( 320 km, approx. 4.5 hours)
After breakfast, off to Tsitsikamma National Park. En route you will stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge (216 meters). There is plenty of time for the adventure seekers among you to test their courage. The late morning will be spent in Tsitsikamma National Park with its unique combination of indigenous forest and beautiful Indian Ocean coastline. The park has a wide choice of activities for all, including hiking, crossing a suspension bridge and swimming. Early afternoon you will leave the Garden Route for big 5 country, Addo.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Included activities: Entrance to Tsitsikamma National Park
- Optional activities: 216 M Bloukrans bungee jump, 1400 ZAR, Zipline Adventure, 695 ZAR
Day 4: Addo - Port Elizabeth - Wilderness / Mossel Bay (415 km, approx. 5 hours)
You will spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. You will spend up to 2-3 hours exploring the 28,000 hectare national reserve with approximately 600 elephant and some Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino, warthog, zebra, eland, kudu, hartebeest, and many more animals. After an exciting morning of game viewing you will drive back to the heart of the Garden Route where you will overnight in Wilderness or Mossel Bay.
- Included meals: None
- Included activities: Entrance and 2-3 hour drive with tour vehicle through Addo Elephant National Park
- Optional activities: 2-hour open vehicle game drive with Addo field guide, 420 ZAR
- Overnight: Wilderness / Mossel Bay
Day 5: Wilderness / Mossel Bay - Cape Agulhas ( 338 km, approx. 3.5 hours)
After breakfast you will stop in Mossel Bay to spend some time on the spectacular beaches, hike the Cape St. Blaize trail along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, and visit the famous Diaz Museum complex, commemorating the first known European exploration around the tip of Africa. The more adventurous can try a 10,000 foot tandem skydive or sandboarding on the longest dune-ride in South Africa. In the afternoon you will drive on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of Africa, where you will visit a viewpoint known as the “real” place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.
- Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
- Optional activities: 10,000 foot tandem skydive, 3300 ZAR (extra 600 ZAR for video), Sand boarding the longest dune-ride in South Africa, 500 ZAR
- Overnight: Cape Agulhas / Struisbaai
Day 6: Cape Agulhas - Hermanus - Cape Town (248 km, approx. 3 hours)
You depart from Cape Agulhas after breakfast. You will visit the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for hundreds of Southern Right Whales during the whale season (July to November) and many shops, restaurants, and markets. You will finish off on the scenic coastal road, stopping at Betties Bay to view a colony of endangered African penguins.
- Included meals: Breakfast
- Included activities: Penguins at Betties Bay
- Optional activities: Whale watching boat trip (in season, July – November), 900 ZAR, Shark Cage Diving 2880 ZAR
