Garden Route travel guide

More like Alice’s adventures in Wonderland than a garden, this Garden Route travel guide hopes to introduce you to the myriad landscapes, from bush to beaches, Winelands to wilderness, this South African coastline has lots to offer. Just like its fine wines, you shouldn’t gulp down the Garden Route in one go – you’re best to breathe it in, swirl it around and see how it tastes and then you sip it slowly.

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Garden Route travel guide

Stretching from Western Cape to Eastern Cape along one of the world’s most dramatic coastlines, this is far from the world of gardens that many imagine. Think Chelsea Flower Show. On steroids. You can hop from the chi chi beach garden of Port Elizabeth to the wild garden of Addo Elephant National Park, home to the Big Five. Making that one grandiose garden. For the eco garden, Tsitsikamma National Park protects an eclectic mix of gorges, waterfalls and rugged coastline, with a natural playground for canopy tours, river tubing and other outdoor adventures. In total contrast, the semi-arid garden that is Klein Karoo has a sparse, wild feel.

A trip from the mother city, through Mother Nature and then toasting it all with many of this mother's favourites in the Winelands.

But for many, it is the produce garden that wins the gold medal, with prolific grape growers nurturing the mountain gardens of the Drakenstein and Hottentots Holland ranges for fine wines. As you will see from our Garden Route travel guide, this is no common or garden region of South Africa.

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The Garden Route is...

much more than a driving route. The real adventures happen when you get out of the car and hike, go on safari or in search of whales.

The Garden Route isn't...

like a collection of National Trust gardens. Its landscapes range from forest, rocky coves, wildlife filled bush, lagoons and mountain passes.

Things to do on the Garden Route...

Head to Addo Elephant National Park to see rhino, lion, buffalo, zebra and, leopard. Other wildlife spots on the Garden Route include African penguins at Boulders Beach, whales and dolphins around Hermanus, primates in Tsitsikamma Forest, and magnificent birdlife just about everywhere. So bring binoculars to keep an eye out for everything from kingfishers to cuckoos, just a couple of the 500 species here. The Garden Route is one big adventure playground, making it a wonderful family holiday destination, especially if you have older children. Go surfing or sea kayaking in Plettenberg Bay, hiking and camping in Tsitsikamma, on a walking safari in Klein Karoo, horse riding in Hermanus or cycle out to a meerkat community in Oudtshoorn. Plus it is malaria free, and great for school holidays in terms of timing. Township tours can be controversial, because some of them are handled insensitively. However, we do recommend including one or two into your itinerary, with responsible operators. Ask if the guides are from the township, if a percentage of the fee goes to community projects and spend money in a shebeen or art shop while you are there. Cape Town’s Uthando and Langa townships have great social enterprise initiatives. It seems almost unfair that a world famous driving route is peppered with wineries, so if you are hiring a car, have more than one designated driver if you enjoy a tipple. The Winelands are a full bodied place and although it is hard to choose a favourite, Pinotage is unique to South Africa, and a fine signature grape it makes too.

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Things not to do on the Garden Route...

Ride the elephants, or cuddle them. Most captive elephants in this region are only there for the pleasure of tourists, and are often beaten or maltreated into submission. Knysna has a ghastly example of this. The best way to see elephants is in Addo Elephant National Park, where protection and care of the animals, and keeping them wild, is paramount.

Ignore the history. It is easy to be seduced by the gorgeousness of the ‘garden’ and put your head in the sand about politics and conflicts. Recent and not so recent. And local people talk openly about issues and politics too, with varying opinions of course. Also, don’t be afraid to call people white, black or coloured. These terms are used freely and without prejudice here.