Garden Route

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Garden Route on the N2.
Garden Route on the N2.

The Garden Route in the Western Cape is one of South Africa's main tourist attractions and is generally thought to stretch from Mossel Bay to St Francis along the Indian ocean and also includes parts of the inland.

[edit] Regions

The central part of the Garden Route is formed by the coastline of the Indian ocean. To the north it is bordered by the Little Karoo, a semi-desert region.

[edit] Cities

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] Understand

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

South African Airways has regular flights to George. The nearest international airport is in Cape Town

[edit] By car

The Garden Route is easily reached from

Cape Town : east on the N2 highway
Durban, Port Elizabeth : west on the N2 highway
Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein : south on the the N1 then the N9
Kimberley : south on the N12

The N2 is the main highway that passes through the Garden Route, connecting Cape Town with Port Elizabeth.

[edit] By bus

The main companies offer regular services along the Garden Route from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The region is also on the Baz Bus route.

[edit] Get around

As local public transport between the towns is rare (except minibus services), the best way to tour the Route is by car. You can hire a car all along the Garden Route, be aware though that there is a fee if you drop the car off somewhere else from where you have picked it up.

[edit] By car

Substantial roadworks are in progress on the N2 with the current single lane sections being upgraded to double lanes in both ways. Imagine the intro photo on this article with two extra lanes being constructed on the left of the current road. Some sections are restricted to single direction traffic flow with manned stop/go control points. Typical delay at these points are 20 minutes each. Expect delays and plan your travel accordingly.

[edit][add listing] See

Tsitsikamma Forest walkway at the Big tree
Tsitsikamma Forest walkway at the Big tree
  • The Big Tree (In the Tsitsikamma forest, just off the N2 between the Storms and Bloukrans Rivers. You will see the signboards). One truly massive old yellowwood tree. edit

[edit][add listing] Do

Tsitsikamma.
Tsitsikamma.
  • Bridge Walking Tour, ☎ +27 (0)42 281-1458, [2]. Take a walk on the catwalk under the deck of the Bloukrans Bridge, 216m above ground and see how it is build. edit
  • Wolf sanctuary, ☎ +27 (0)82 33-9799, [3].  edit
  • Go on a ride with the famous Outeniqua Choo-tjoe Train [4], the last steam train in Southern Africa, from George to Mosselbay or back and enjoy the coastal scenery.
  • Quad Adventures, ☎ +27 (0)723 03-9011, [5]. Camp under the stars in the wild after a day of winding through dramatic mountain terrain of the Garden Route to the vast open spaces of the Little Karoo. Choose between 4 wheels or 2 and enjoy hours or even days of adventure. Tours range from a 25 minute introductory route through beautiful valleys to overnight all-out action deep in the wild. The adventure is here – you decide when. edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

As a main tourist destination there are many restaurants for every taste. Enjoy superb fish from the ocean ; Knysna is the place to taste some oysters.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There is no shortage of all kinds of accommodation but book ahead on weekends / holiday. Especially during the summer the Garden Route is a popular holiday destination, not only for foreign tourists but also for South Africans.

[edit] Stay safe

Compared with the larger cities the towns along the Garden Route are quite safe. As always use your common sense. Driving at night is fine.

[edit] Get out

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