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The Garden Route, South Africa.
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Our Garden Route is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful Holiday and accommodation destinations in Southern Africa. It is a tourist meander that begins in Mossel Bay and winds its way for some 200 km via George, Wilderness, and Knysna on to Plettenberg Bay to end at Nature’s Valley, winding its way through a fairyland of ferns, giant trees and bird life of the Tstsikamma Forest framed by the Outeniqua Mountains. The magnificent Western Cape with its beautiful stretches of coastline, is an area frequented by whales and dolphins that arrive in large numbers between July and October to amaze visitors watching from the sheer cliffs.
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The name Garden Route stems from the abundant flowers and greenery, forestry, mountain passes and coastal coves and offers an abundance of white sand beaches, blue skies, rolling oceans, dramatic mountain scenery, indigenous fynbos, ostrich antics and local hospitality. |
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| The region provides a stirring study in contrasts; and first on our stop is the port town of Mossel Bay which was discovered by Bartholomeu Dias in 1488 and has many historical buildings built centuries ago that gives it a certain old world atmosphere. The Dias Museum Complex gives visitors a greater insight into the history of this historical town and includes information on South Africa's first post office, a stone placed beneath a Milkwood tree under which letters used to be placed. The Post Office Tree is now a national monument. |
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| The delightful town of George is up next. Known as "The Gateway to the Garden Route", with a reputation as being a premier golfing destination, graces a coastal plateau in a fertile area of lush greenery at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, "Capital of the Klein Karoo", is set in a semi-arid valley, providing the ideal habitat for ostriches which are farmed here on a grand scale as well as home to the, a series of caverns and chambers naturally hewn out of limestone, situated outside the city of Oudtshoorn. |
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| Next up is the Wilderness which lies at the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains and is a tranquil region of lakes, seas and lagoons; the perfect destination to get away from it all. Visitors throng to this breathtaking region, not only to enjoy the Wilderness National Park but also to partake in the host of water-based activities on offer such as canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing and fishing. |
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| Knysna is the most frequented town on the Garden Route and a tourist favourite thanks to its magnificent lagoon which affords many hours of water-based fun in the sun. The lagoon, flanked by two giant sandstone cliffs known as the heads, is popular for cruising, especially to the Featherbed Nature Reserve which is home to the rare Knysna Loerie. It is also known and celebrated for its oysters with the annual Oyster Festival celebrating the tiny shellfish and restaurants throughout the town welcome visitors to sample their dishes during the festival. |
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| Plettenberg Bay is one of the most popular destinations on the Garden Route and has excellent beaches, ideal for land and boat-based whale watching as well as the more conventional beach activities such as swimming and sunbathing. |
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| The Tsitsikamma National Park is a dramatic landscape of coastal cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, indigenous forests teeming with birdlife, rolling fynbos fields and white sandy beaches. The park offers some of the best hiking in the region including the famous Otter Trail which affords participants unrivalled views of the magnificent coastline. Adventure activities are popular in the park, such as scuba diving and abseiling. |
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| Last on the stop is Natures Valley, one the undiscovered treasures of the Garden Route; a sleepy seaside hamlet almost completely engulfed by the Tsitsikamma National Park. The beaches are isolated stretches of white shoreline dotted with dunes and marine fynbos and the surf has been described as some of the best in the region. |
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