The Garden Route
Running along a scenic stretch of coastline, the Garden Route is an ever changing landscape. Beginning in Cape Town and ending in Port Elizabeth, the Garden Route offers many spectacular sights, from fields of colourful wild flowers to shorelines dotted with beaches and bays.
After the bustling cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, the Garden Route has become the most popular South African destination to visit. With fantastic year round weather the Garden Route boasts spectacular lagoons, indigenous forests, wetlands, freshwater lakes, beautify long beaches and hidden coves.
Highlights of the Garden Route
Hermanus: Just a short drive from Cape Town and at the start of the Garden Route, you'll find the delightful seaside town of Hermanus. This is called home to the Southern Wright Whales and offers the best land based viewing of the whales in the world.
Mossel Bay: Half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth on the Garden Route, Mossel Bay is well known, not only for its sea food (namely mussels), but for the adrenaline pumping sport of cage diving with Great White sharks. This is definitely not for the faint hearted.
George: A little further up the Garden Route from Mossel Bay you'll find George, South Africa's golfing paradise. Apart from its many top class golf courses, George is also the southern base for the old Outenique Choo Tjoe steam train. If you have a little time to spend in George, it is recommended that you take a train ride on the Outenique Choo Tjoe which will take you through some of the most spectacular scenery along the Garden Route.
Oudtshoorn: This is the ostrich capital of South Africa and is situated in the Klein Karoo area, in the northern part of the Garden Route. Oudtshoorn is also famous for the Cango Caves, a massive tunnel system that features the largest stalagmites in the world.
Knysna: This has got to be one of the most beautiful parts of the Garden Route. With lush forests and stunning lagoons, it is easy to be one with nature here at Knysna.
Plettenberg Bay: Known as the Jewel of the Garden Route, it is easy to see why with its unspoilt golden beaches. Plettenberg Bay is also the gateway to the Outeniqua-Tsitsikamma indigenous forest, where you will find the local elephants in their natural habitat.
Port Elizabeth: This is the last stop on the Garden Route. Port Elizabeth is an exciting coastal city with plenty to offer in the way of watersports, including diving and wind surfing. If you have some time to spend in Port Elizabeth, it recommended that you take a day trip up to the Shamwari Game Reserve where you can enjoy an exciting african safari and experience an up close encounter with the Big Five.
With a fantastic Mediterranean coastal climate, the Garden Route is ideal for many outdoor activities and watersports. |
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