South Africa – Garden Route & Cape Town

With your arrival at George airport, your trip along South Africa’s Garden Route begins. You are greeted by your transfer driver and taken to Mes Amis Guest House in Wilderness. After checking in, you have time here to rest a little and freshen up. Via a private access path you reach the fine sandy beach of Wilderness and can use the afternoon for a long beach walk. For dinner you visit a restaurant with a breathtaking view of the ocean together with your guide and fellow travellers (at your own expense).

Today is at your leisure. Take a beach walk or hike through the dense forest of Wilderness National Park along the Half-collared Kingfisher Trail. If you wish, your guide will gladly accompany you. The trail leads to a waterfall – treat yourself to a refreshing dip here! Of course, you can also simply switch off and relax. Make yourself comfortable on the beach or on the terrace with a fantastic panoramic view over the Indian Ocean. With a bit of luck you may see dolphins playing in the waves. Let the day end nicely with a shared dinner (optional). You spend another night at Mes Amis Guest House.

After breakfast you set off for Knysna and explore this pretty little town, nestled against a picturesque lagoon, together with your guide. Two steeply rising cliffs, the so-called Knysna Heads, separate the calm lagoon from the open sea. From a viewpoint on the eastern cliff you are offered fantastic views over the town, its lagoon and the rough ocean. You then continue via Nature’s Valley to Tsitsikamma National Park, which captivates above all with its steeply falling coastline and the colour contrast between the green belt of land and the deep blue ocean. Here you can cross the mouth of the Storms River on a spectacular suspension bridge or take a walk on the first section of the Otter Trail, South Africa’s best-known hiking trail. You reach Tsitsikamma Village Inn in the late afternoon.

The day begins with a leisurely breakfast at the guesthouse. You then travel along the scenically impressive Route 62 into the Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn. In the afternoon you visit the famous Cango Caves. More than 10,000 years ago, parts of this impressive cave system served the San as a dwelling. Today the cave’s remarkable stalactite formations can be admired on various tours. At your accommodation for today, Thabile Lodge, you have dinner together.

In the morning you visit one of the many ostrich farms in Oudtshoorn. On a guided tour, important aspects of ostrich farming and the marketing of the various products are explained to you. Finally the journey continues through impressive landscapes to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Between June and November, Hermanus is South Africa’s official whale capital, but a visit to this former fishing village with its neighbouring beaches and nature reserves is worthwhile outside the whale season too. You spend the night at Auberge Burgundy.

During whale season, you walk along the coastal path in the morning with your guide to watch these huge mammals. Alternatively, you have the option of taking a morning boat trip for whale watching (optional). You then leave Hermanus and visit a colony of African penguins at the edge of a picturesque coastal road. Watch the little fellows on land and playing in the water before continuing to what is probably South Africa’s best-known wine-growing region around the charming town of Stellenbosch. On arrival, you first explore the historic old town of Stellenbosch with its variety of Cape Dutch architecture. Afterwards you head for a wine estate in a dreamlike setting to taste wines that have matured in the barrels in the wine cellar. After dinner at one of the good restaurants in the area (at your own expense), you spend the night at the beautifully situated Cultivar Guest Lodge.

Today the day begins with a visit to a farm typical of the Cape. Idyllically situated at the foot of the Helderberg, it gives you the chance to become a little more active again after the longer drives of the last few days. Hike to a viewpoint from which you can survey the whole of False Bay as far as Table Mountain and the mountains of the Cape Peninsula, and on a clear day even as far as Cape Point. A little surprise then awaits you at lunch. The journey continues along the picturesque coast to Noordhoek on the Cape Peninsula. This quiet little place impresses above all with its kilometres-long sandy beach, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches at the Cape and invites you to take a walk. You spend the night at the Noordhoek Village Hotel.

An excursion to the Cape of Good Hope is as beautiful as the Cape itself is notorious. On the way to the world-famous viewpoint, admire the rugged rocks in the middle of the stormy sea, which inspired more terror than admiration in the seafarers of the time, as many ships were driven by unpredictable winds onto invisible underwater cliffs, where they were smashed to pieces. It became the Cape of Good Hope because the coast here swings to the east and opens the passage to the Indian Ocean. Between 1 and 2 pm, your impressive trip through the Western Cape comes to an end. You are taken to accommodation of your choice in the city centre or to the airport. Totsiens – until next time.
Breakfast

Cape Town is packed with sights whose visit does not necessarily require a guide or your own vehicle. Talk to one of our South Africa travel experts and extend your stay in Cape Town individually according to your own wishes.