Garden Route Tour

Cape Town - Port Elizabeth

See the best of South Africa’s scenic Garden Route — with visits to Addo Elephant National Park, Wilderness National Park, Jeffreys Bay and Oudtshoorn — there are different itineraries to follow on this route, during this 3 – 7 day trip from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth or Port Elizabeth to Cape Town route.

Join your expert guide on hikes through lush forests and canoe rides through picture-perfect water. Visit nature reserves to see some of Africa’s endangered species. Kick back and soak in the sun on soft, sandy beaches. This tour offers the perfect mix of guided and self-directed activities or allow us to customise your itinerary to your requirements.

During a typical 5-day tour, you’ll see three national parks, several wildlife reserves and the popular surfing beaches around Jeffreys Bay. Get up close to animals like elephants, lions, and ostriches. Hike through old-growth forests to access stunning views. Canoe or swim in rivers and the ocean. This tour includes round-trip transportation via deluxe mini coach, four nights of lodging in budget accommodation or 3-star hotels and guided tours at many attractions. Some meals are included. For others, feel free to ask your guide for advice on places to eat (own expense). Your guide also offers helpful information and context for the sights you’ll visit and the wildlife you may see.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Cape Town – Wilderness National Park – Wilderness

After pickup from your Cape Town hotel, you’ll travel in a comfortable minicoach for approximately five hours, with lunch and plenty of rest stops along the way. Your friendly guide will answer any questions you may have about your 5-day Garden Route tour, a route filled with outdoor adventures and wildlife encounters in gorgeous and varied landscapes.

You’ll head down the road to Wilderness National Park. Take to the water on a 2-hour canoe ride with a professional guide, paddling on a calm river that winds through lush forests and mountains. After gliding through this paradise, you’ll hop back in your van for a 30-minute drive to your hotel for the night. Have the evening at your leisure to rest and enjoy the ambiance of the South African coast.

Overnight: 4-Star or 3-Star Guest House B&B or Backpackers budget accommodation option in the Wilderness area.

Day 2: Knysna – Tsitsikamma – Jeffreys Bay

Have breakfast at your accommodation and then drive to the lively town of Knysna. Your guide will take you on an easy walk to the Knysna Heads, two eye-catching sandstone cliffs that flank the mouth of the Knysna lagoon. Snap photos of the stunning views from the lookout points along the path. Then you’ll re-board the minicoach for an hour’s drive to the world’s highest bungee jump at Bloukrans Bridge.

tanding 709 feet (216 meters) above the Bloukrans River, the arch bridge is the ideal place to bungee jump! If you don’t want to participate in this optional activity (own expense), you can enjoy vicarious thrills by watching the bungee jumpers take the plunge. Once you catch your breath, enjoy lunch at the jump site.

After lunch, a short 30-minute drive brings you to the spectacular Tsitsikamma National Park where you’ll take a 2-hour guided walk along shady forest paths set against a dramatic coastal landscape. After the walk, you’ll have the option to do a waterfall zipline (own expense) across the nearby Kruis River. The eight ziplines–the longest is 692 feet (211 meters)–zigzag across the river gorge, in some places as high as 164 feet (50 meters) above the water! When you have finished exploring Tsitsikamma National Park, you’ll continue one and a half hour by minicoach to the friendly city of Port Elizabeth. You’ll have the evening to spend at your leisure and enjoy the atmosphere of your accommodation.

Overnight: 4-Star or 3-Star Guest House B&B or Backpackers budget accommodation option in Port Elizabeth.

Day 3: Port Elizabeth – Addo Elephant National Park – Port Elizabeth

Get an early morning start for a day trip to Addo Elephant National Park, the third largest national park in South Africa. It’s home to over 550 elephants, lions, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra species, and the Addo flightless dung beetle. The park is notable for having the largest remaining population of wild elephants on the planet.

You’ll start the day with a safari tour in your minicoach, with knowledgeable park guides along to spot elephants and explain their behavior and habits. You may get lucky and see buffalo and other big animals, and witness the dung beetles keeping the park tidy! You can also hop aboard an additional 4×4 Addo safari (own expense) for further game spotting with a park ranger.

In the afternoon, you’ll return to Port Elizabeth with a tour through the city and have time enjoy your dinner and to relax at your accommodation.

Overnight: 4-Star or 3-Star Guest House B&B or Backpackers budget accommodation option in Port Elizabeth.

Day 4: Port Elizabeth – Oudtshoorn

After breakfast, you’ll travel approximately 4 and a half hours on the famous Route 62 to get to Oudtshoorn with a few stops along the way to take in the scenic views,On arrival in Oudtshoorn, where ostriches have been raised on farms for more than a century. You’ll visit a working ostrich farm where you learn about these fascinating flightless birds – the heaviest fowl in the world – and see their enormous eggs and nests.

After getting familiar with the ostriches, you’ll drive to the nearby Cango Caves. Located in a limestone ridge par allel to the picturesque Swartberg mountains, the caves include over 2.5 miles (4 km) of dripstone caverns, with vast halls and towering formations of stalactites and stalagmites. You’ll walk through some of this subterranean wonderland with your guide on a 2-hour tour of the caves.

You’ll have the evening to spend at leisure in Oudtshoorn. As you explore the town, note the grand houses that were built in the late 1800s when the booming ostrich feather trade brought riches to the area’s ‘feather barons.

Overnight: 4-Star or 3-Star Guest House B&B or Backpackers budget accommodation option in Oudshoorn

Day 5: Oudtshoorn – Cape Town

After breakfast, you’ll have the option to take part in a 45-minute ‘meet the elephants’ experience (own expense). You can also feed and interact with these huge noble creatures and learn about orphaned elephants. Return to the wild for an optional morning bush game drive (at own expense). Spot wildlife from the safety of a 4×4 vehicle in their natural habitat on a malaria-free private game reserve. Led by an experienced game ranger you’ll search for animals rarely seen in Addo – including Hippo, Giraffe, Rhino and Springbok to name a few.

After spending the morning with the wildlife, you can relax in the minicoach as you return to Cape Town along Route 62, ,the world’s longest wine route. You’ll pass through breathtaking scenery and have plenty of rest stops, including a stop for a splash of wine tasting before reaching Cape Town in the evening to end your tour.

Tour Inclusions

Transportation in a full luxury vehicle Driver/guides Transport by minibus Breakfast included if 3* or 4* accommodation chosen 4 nights accommodation Entrance fees to Addo Elephant, Wilderness and Tsitsikamma National Parks Lunch at Addo National Park Entrance fee to Wilderness Canoeing Tour of Addo Elephant National Park Standard or Adventure tour of Ostrich Farm and Cango Caves

Tour Exclusions

Some Lunches, dinner and drinks 4×4 Addo game drive Elephant Bush Walk Waterfall Zipline Bungy jump Optional activities as per itinerary 4×4 Buffelsdrift bush safari

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