Garden Route – Bespoke South Africa Itineraries

For anyone with the itch for a bit of a road trip in South Africa, the Garden Route is an immensely scenic journey and fantastic way to take in the local culture and glittering coastal towns.

Setting off from Cape Town, it’s about 240 miles to Mossel Bay which is the technical start of the Garden Route. Along this initial drive, you’ll want to veer off the N2 for a couple of nights in Hermanus during whale season (July through November) and/or make time to stretch your legs in the DeHoop Nature Reserve. Once you reach Mossel Bay, you can either head inland to Oudtshoorn (the ostrich capital of the world) to take in the scenery of the Klein Karoo and the impressive Cango Caves (Africa’s largest cave system). Or, continue along the coast. If you’ve opted for the N2/coastal drive, make the town of Plettenberg Bay your next stop. Smaller than neighboring Knysna, we think the charm is more in line with the spirit of the drive. Take a break and enjoy the blue-ribbon beaches. Continue along, pausing for a day exploring the Tsitsikamma Forest en route to Port Elizabeth (500 miles from Cape Town). We recommend including a safari in the nearby Eastern Cape Reserves (two hours north of Port Elizabeth), but you can just as easily fly to Kruger or Phinda.

Green fynbos-covered hills descend to a rocky shoreline with ocean and a pale cloudy sky beyond.

Hikers explore a dramatic rocky sea stack rising from green ocean along South Africa's coast.

A turquoise coastal bay flanked by green forested headlands and a pebbly beach in South Africa.

Why visit the Garden Route?

Spanning beautiful beaches, lagoons and coves, indigenous forest, fields of wildflowers and quaint towns, the Route offers spectacular and varied terrain, making each day more interesting than the one before.

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Spanning beautiful beaches, lagoons and coves, indigenous forest, fields of wildflowers and quaint towns, the Route offers spectacular and varied terrain, making each day more interesting than the one before.
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Keep your sights pinned off shore where you might spy whales, dolphins, great white sharks and African penguins.
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Inland offers a bounty of nature reserves, mountains, vineyards, and golf courses aplenty.

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Other areas to explore

A visit to the Garden Route puts you within easy reach of many other beautiful and fascinating parts of South Africa.

Hermanus

Charming Hermanus has earned the status of being the best land-based whale-watching destination in the world.

Cape Winelands

The Cape Winelands demand only that you delight in the rewards of what's been harvested, homemade, and handspun.

Cape Town

Sitting at the bottom of Africa where two oceans meet, Cape Town is one of the world's most captivating cities.

A young lion cub rests in sunlit grass, looking toward the camera while another lion lies softly out of focus behind.

Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is South Africa’s flagship safari destination. A leopard stronghold, it’s one of the best places to spot these elegant cats. With healthy wildlife populations and so many mixed species, every game drive in Kruger has thrilling potential.