Cape Town & the Garden Route

Day 1  Port Elizabeth        
Welcome to South Africa, our tour begins in Port Elizabeth. Depending on your arrival time, spend the day exploring or relaxing. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening to discuss the adventures to come.      

Day 2  Port Elizabeth        
This morning, we head to Addo Elephant National Park, home to some 550 elephants, plus black rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalos, hyenas, zebras, various antelopes and dung beetles. We enjoy a game drive in our own vehicle and have the option of a second (at extra cost).      

Day 3  Port Elizabeth to Tsitsikamma      
Today we head west to the official start of the Garden Route at Storms River and Tsitsikamma National Park. Stretching along the coast, the park, which comprises rocky coastlines, fairytale forests, waterfalls and rivers, gets its name from a local word meaning ‘place of abundant water’. We can hike in the forest and along suspension bridges. The area is also a great place for bird enthusiasts with a variety of sea, forest and fynbos species present.      

Day 4  Tsitsikamma        
We spend the day at Tsitsikamma, where several hikes are available plus other activities (some are weather dependent, such as canoeing).  

Day 5  Tsitsikamma to Oudtshoorn    
We start our day with a visit to Knysna Heads, two tall sandstone cliffs that form a channel through which the turbulent Indian Ocean enters the calmer Knysna Lagoon. We have a bit more time to relax in town before leaving for Oudtshoorn after lunch.      

Day 6  Oudtshoorn      
We spend all day in and around Oudtshoorn. We start by visiting the Cango Caves, an extensive complex of caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. We then enjoy lunch at Buffelsdrift, where we overlook a waterhole occasionally visited by elephants, giraffes and springboks. In the afternoon, we visit the beautiful Meiringspoort Waterfall and enjoy a short walk in the area.    

Day 7  Oudtshoorn to Hermanus      
Returning towards the coast, we stop at Mossel Bay and the Dias museum complex, which reveals the influence of early Portuguese sailors on South Africa and is home to the Post Office Tree (an old milkwood tree where seafarers once left letters to be taken home by Portuguese sailors). We then continue to Hermanus, the whale capital of the world.

Day 8  Hermanus      
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy Hermanus. From July to November, southern right whales are easily spotted from shore as they frolic in Walker Bay. Those who want can also do a boat-based whale-watching trip. There are also several other activities available from hikes to river cruises and lagoon kayaking, which are available year-round.    

Day 9  Hermanus to Cape Town        
Our next destination is the much-celebrated South African wine region. The industry here, which dates to the 17th century and was heavily influenced by French Huguenots, produces some of the best wines in the world. We can taste some of these before continuing to Cape Town, the Mother City.

Days 10-11  Cape Town      
We spend the next two days in and around Cape Town, the most exciting city in South Africa. On one of the days, we head down the Cape Peninsula. The highlight is our visit to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to elands, bonteboks, springboks, wildebeest, baboons and ostriches. Rugged cliffs, unspoiled beaches, shipwrecks and beautiful flora are the main features of the reserve. Once we leave the park, we stop at the former Royal Navy base at Simon’s Town and visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach.      

Day 12  Cape Town        
On our final day, we have the option of doing a township tour, strolling along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront or exploring various other parts of Cape Town.