The Garden Route, spread out along the coast like a giant natural theme park, is a rich tapestry of very large trees, freshwater lakes and deep gorges.
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Whether you’re paragliding over sandy white beaches, spotting dolphins and whales or exploring the indigenous forests, it’s a place where nature rules and it does so beautifully. Just inland is the starkly beautiful Little Karoo region, centre of the world’s ostrich farming industry.
It is very easy to combine the Garden Route with an African safari. At the Garden Route’s far end is the Eastern Cape province – malaria-free, Big Five safari country with luxurious lodges.
Highlights of the Garden Route
Knysna
A historic town lazing by a warm, shallow estuary, Knysna’s highlights include sampling legendary oysters, shopping for beautiful wood-carved birds and a spectacular eco-experience at the Featherbed Nature Reserve.
Plettenberg Bay
The enormous horseshoe of Plettenberg Bay is one of the most glamorous and beautiful spots along the Garden Route, with attractions like hiking, whale watching and Monkeyland, the world’s first free roaming, multi-species primate sanctuary.
Tsitsikamma National Park
Some of the region’s most pristine scenery can be found within the Tsitsikamma National Park, which stretches from the resort village at Nature’s Valley to the dramatic Storms River Mouth.
Klein Karoo
A beautiful semi-desert valley encircled by soaring mountains, in the Little Karoo you can visit an ostrich show farm and the sensational Cango Caves, taste world-class port and interact with wild meerkats (suricates).
Eastern Cape
The ancestral land of the Xhosa people and birthplace of Nelson Mandela, the malaria-free Eastern Cape offers fabulous game viewing against a rich cultural, historic and scenic backdrop.
Recommended accommodation on the Garden Route
The Plettenberg
The Plettenberg is a 5 star, Relais & Chateaux hotel built on a rocky headland with breathtaking vistas of the sea, mountains and miles of golden sand in one of the most spectacular resort towns in Africa – Plettenberg Bay. The 37 luxury rooms and suites are all air-conditioned and offer a truly idyllic and indulgent experience. The two swimming pools, one of which is heated, visually flow into the ocean below.
Experience fabulous sightings of dolphins and whales in the bay from the hotel terraces. For the more adventurous there are numerous excursions and activities within close proximity to the hotel. Hotel facilities include an award winning wine cellar, stocked with a selection of the best local wines and available for special occasion private dining.
Pezula Resort Hotel
Located on dramatic cliffs overlooking miles of spectacular coastline near Knysna on the Garden Route, the luxurious Pezula Resort Hotel offers 80 opulent suites, a gourmet restaurant, indoor pool and health spa. Each suite has been designed with seclusion and rest in mind and is a 21st century cocoon with a private balcony for you to enjoy a massage or aromatherapy treatment in sensuous seclusion. All suites are sumptuously decorated and generous with space, making your stay unforgettable.
Pezula features an abundance of sport and leisure activities set in the heart of nature. The Championship Golf Course is a sweeping spectacle of fairways and greens rolling through the pristine southern Cape landscape. Activities also include horse-riding, tennis, mountain biking, kayaking, diving and fishing.
Gorah Elephant Camp
The Addo region of the Eastern Cape province has all the country’s major ecosystems and is host to the greatest diversity of fauna and flora in the country. Gorah Elephant Camp is a 12 500 acre malaria-free sanctuary in the heart of the Addo Elephant National Park, home to the densest elephant population on earth. The gracious main house, built in 1856, has been immaculately restored and period furnished, recalling the opulence and romance of safari life. Lazy colonial verandahs spill out onto the African plains and 11 luxury tented suites with thatched canopies, comfy king-size beds and private terraces perch over the panoramic landscape – personalised, warm and unobtrusive service with meticulous attention to detail is the hallmark of Gorah.
Together with the thrill of close-up elephant encounters, arguably the best in South Africa, you can see lion, black rhino, Cape buffalo, numerous antelope species, a wealth of bird life and Addo’s endangered flightless dung beetle. With superb boma and candle-lit dining, guided bush walks, horseback rides and open vehicle drives, this exciting game experience perfectly complements your Garden Route adventure.
