Holiday in Garden Route

About Garden Route

The Garden Route is South Africa's most spectacular coastal road and one of the most beautiful road trip routes in the world. Stretching approximately 300 kilometers between Mossel Bay and Storms River, the N2 winds through breathtaking landscapes of ancient forests, dramatic coastal cliffs, turquoise lagoons, and charming coastal towns. Knysna, the heart of the route, lies on a picturesque lagoon separated from the sea by two imposing sandstone cliffs — the Knysna Heads. The oyster farms in the lagoon produce some of the best oysters in the world, and the waterfront with its restaurants and boutiques has an atmosphere reminiscent of the best of Cape Town. The Knysna Forest is the last great indigenous forest in South Africa, home to the elusive Knysna elephants, of which only a handful still exist. Plettenberg Bay — "Plett" for insiders — offers perhaps the most dramatic coastal scenery of the route. The Robberg Peninsula Nature Reserve hiking trail leads around a peninsula with steep cliffs, seal colonies, and views of the endless blue of the Indian Ocean. From June to November, southern right whales pass right off the coast — they are visible to the naked eye from the cliffs. The Tsitsikamma National Park at the eastern end is the highlight of the route. The suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth, where the river flows into the sea through a deep gorge, is one of South Africa's most iconic sights. Additionally, the park offers the world-famous Otter Trail (5-day hike), kayaking tours, bungee jumping from the Bloukrans Bridge (216 meters — the highest bungee in the world!), and canopy tours through the rainforest. The Garden Route can be perfectly experienced as a self-drive road trip — the roads are excellent, the infrastructure top-notch, and the distances short enough to discover a new place each day. Combined with Cape Town and the wine region of Stellenbosch, it creates one of the greatest travel routes on the African continent.