8 Days – The Natural Beauty of the Garden Route to Cape Town

We will be staying in Tsitsikamma for two nights and beauty and adventure is all around. The Crags is nestled in a gorgeous part of the Garden Route – right by the border of the Eastern and Western Cape. There are so many activities to do here, it will be hard to keep track and make sure you get it all done. You’ll have the opportunity to experience the world’s highest bungy bridge at Bloukrans and explore nearby ocean, scenic sandy beaches, rugged mountains, river gorges and estuaries, as well as numerous varied wildlife attractions. Whether you want to skydive, zip-line over waterfalls, hike a nature trail, check out 100 different snakes at the Lawnwood Sanctuary or even go shopping in Plettenberg Bay, there is something for everyone.

Some people might give you the impression that the Little Karoo region is dry and desolate and boring. Let us assure you that it is quite the opposite. We’ll visit Oudtshoorn for a full day of learning about ostriches, exploring an old caves system and getting to know African animals from close up. The town is home to the world’s largest ostrich population, with a number of specialized ostrich breeding farms.

Swellendam is the third oldest settlement in South Africa, after Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and was founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1745. It is a stunningly quaint town that lies at the foot of the Langeberg (Mountains) and is well known for its youngberries (a complex hybrid between three different species – raspberries, blackberries and dewberries. We’ll pick up some mouthwatering cheeses from a local shop, you can play 9 holes of golf and for the horse fanatics and hikers there are many trails in the spectacular mountains.

Hermanus lies along Walker Bay on the south coast of the Western Cape. It is located about 115 km southeast of Cape Town. On the way to Hermanus we will drive to the southernmost point of Africa at Cape Agulhas. Hermanus has some of the best land-based whale watching in the world but when the season doesn’t allow for it you can still go cage diving with Sharks, horse riding, paragliding, kayaking, fishing, hiking or simply swimming and sunbathing at one of many gorgeous beaches. There are a lot of beautiful shops and art galleries in town and the restaurants are well worth a visit if you are a food lover.

From Hermanus we drive the alluring Clarens Drive and visit the African Penguins at Stony Point on our way to The Mother City. Cape Town was established in 1652 as the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Not only is it the most popular international tourist destinations in South Africa but Africa as a whole. The New York Times has named Cape Town as the number one place to visit and once you see the city with Table Mountain as backdrop, you’ll quickly understand why people are drawn here. We will spend 2 days in Cape Town but seeing that it’s our final destination you can easily book your outbound flight to spend a few more days. There’s so much to see in this area from Cape Point Nature Reserve to the Winelands in the Constantia area, from the South African Naval Base in Simon’s Town to the spectacular view of the harbour and Table Bay from the top of Table Mountain.