Destination overview

The Garden Route is one of the most magnificent, awe-inspiring stretches of land in South Africa, if not the world. It has majestic mountains, breathtaking views, a natural garden of rich, colourful vistas with valleys and lakes, rivers and forests. And then there are the miles upon miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches and a million things to do and explore. This is one part of the world you will definitely want to add to your holiday list – it is truly inspiring.

The Garden Route includes one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline that winds its way for some 200 kilometres via George, Wilderness, Sedgefield and Knysna on to Plettenberg Bay, culminating in the Tstisikamma Forest - a fairyland of giant trees, ferns and bird life. And between July and December each year, the scenic and tranquil areas of the region form a spectacular backdrop for a multitude of blooms, such as the proteas, ericas, vygies, bluebells, pin-cushions, aloes, tubers and various other species of fynbos. It is a matter of record that the floral kingdom of this area is among the most varied in the world.

In Albertinia, between the Langeberg Mountains and the Indian Ocean you can find some of the finest examples of Cape Fynbos, a unique collection of about 6,500 different species of plants that grow on South Africa's Cape coast and nowhere else in the world.

If it’s thrills you’re after, you can experience a 65-metre bungy jump on the historical Gouritz River Drift Route, or swing from the old bridge, the original African-bungy site.

Oudtshoorn is the ostrich capital of the world. You won’t find anywhere else where ostriches are found in such great numbers. This small town is the commercial centre of the Klein Karoo, an ancient rolling plain between the Outeniqua and Swartberg Mountains. The Cango Caves are the Klein Karoo's oldest and most popular attraction - hardly surprising, as it is one of the great natural wonders of the world. Three systems of spectacular limestone caverns have been discovered - Congo One is about 760 metres in length and open to the public and is filled with a wonderland of stalactites, stalagmites and helictites (limestone formations that grow in unusual directions).

The Klein Karoo is also a fine wine-producing region, and the Klein Karoo Wine Route lays claim to being the world's longest wine route. The city of George with its sophisticated air is the heart of the Southern Cape. Spectacularly located on a picturesque coastal plateau, George boasts many of South Africa's top golf courses, as well as many fine walks and trails.

One thing you will never forget is your first sighting of beautiful Plettenberg Bay. It is simply astonishing. With a backdrop of majestic mountains stretching from horizon to horizon, the town lies to one side under a sunny sky and among a collage of forests that are separated from the blue of the Indian Ocean by endless white and sandy beaches. This place is truly the stuff of picture postcards.

In Plettenberg Bay, where the weather is eternally set to spring-time, you'll find rest and adventure in equal proportions. This is where the cold and warm waters of the Indian Ocean's great currents meet and mix and the result is a bay unparalleled for its bio-diversity. Plettenberg Bay boasts vast schools of the delightfully playful common dolphins, pods of endangered bottle-nose and shy humpback dolphins, as well as resident orca and bryde's whales and the migratory humpback and southern right whales.

If you prefer your encounters a little more personal, the Bay offers excellent scuba diving and, on the Tsitsikamma shore, brilliant snorkelling and guided snorkelling trails. But the Indian Ocean is just one of Plettenberg Bay's many natural wonders. The rugged Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains form a backdrop to a sub-region that boasts more than 15 private and public nature reserves - an unparalleled wealth of fauna and flora that begs your exploration.

If it's big game you're after, join a guided drive or hike at Buffalo Hills Private Game Reserve - you could spot white rhino, buffalo, bontebok, impala, eland, sable, wildebeest, giraffe or any of a number of other mammals.

Riversdale is the home of the Sleeping Beauty Mountain peak, a landmark of the Langeberg Mountain range. A town full of surprises and contrasts, Riversdale boasts a rich cultural heritage, especially in the fields of art and literature. Impressive examples of South African art can be viewed at the Julius Gordon Africana Centre.

It could be said that Sedgefield is an outdoor lover's paradise - a picturesque seaside village that offers space and peace for those who wish to relax. Sedgefield is surrounded by the lakes of the Garden Route, fynbos-covered dunes, the Swartvlei Estuary and the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by the Goukamma Nature Reserve which has some of South Africa's highest vegetated sand dunes and the Wilderness National Park which is one of the country's most important wetland reserves.

It goes without saying that the choice of water sports here is unlimited - yachting, sail boarding, windsurfing, skiing, swimming, diving and surfing, while anglers will find excellent surf, rock, estuary, or deep sea fishing.
Knysna is the hub of the Garden Route Adventure. It's about enjoying a spectacular environment and natural beauty in a variety of ways, literally whatever you fancy! From cycle races, forest marathons, regattas, bowls and golf tournaments, to adrenaline-thumping extreme sports and more sedate ecological activities. The Estuary, which is known as the Knysna National Lake Area is a biologically rich and fascinating body of water, with salt marshes and deep-water channels that are home to such animals as the endangered knysna seahorse.

Undoubtedly the Southern Cape's most charming and beautiful bay, Victoria Bay has been described by tourists from all parts of the globe as ‘the Gem of the Garden Route'. And it's just nine kilometres from George city centre. Everything at Victoria Bay is close to the sea, which means world-class surfing and superb whale and dolphin watching. And of course, swimming, fishing and snorkelling are at your doorstep during the long, hot days of summer.

With its renowned vast stretches of beach, enclosed by mountains, lakes, valleys, nature reserves and the sea, the Garden Route is an eco-destination of unrivalled excellence.