Difference between revisions of "Garden Route"

Latest revision as of 20:08, 21 August 2012

Garden Route

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

• George, the largest town along the Route
• Knysna, one of the most popular tourist destinations
• Storms River, the Gate to the Tsitsikamma National Park
• Plettenberg Bay home to Ocean Safaris. Whale Watching Mecca of SA....[1]
• Mossel Bay, this is where Bartolomeu Dias set foot ashore in 1488 and South Africa`s first post office was founded in 1500
• Nature's Valley, One of the few remaining areas of truly outstanding natural beauty along the Garden Route

[edit] Other destinations

• Platbos
• Tsitsikamma National Park: encloses one of the most beautiful coasts in South Africa between Storms River and Nature's Valley.
• Sedgefield
• Tsitsikamma
• Wilderness

[edit] Understand

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

South African Airways has regular flights to George and Port Elizabeth, which is reachable with budget airlines Kulula and 1Time. 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

The best way to tour the Route is by car. You can hire a car all the cities along the Garden Route, but be aware of one-way fees for rental cars.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit][add listing] Do

Ocean Safaris Why not join a boat trip with Ocean Safaris in Plettenberg Bay. Sightings of whales throughout the year. Southern Rights and Humpbacks - July to December. Brydes Whales all year round but more prolific during the summer months. Dolphins include Bottlenose, Humpback and Commons. Cape Fur seal colony on Robberg Peninsula. Our waters are rich in life and we are frequented by visitors of all types. Orca's, Sei Whales, Turtles, Penguins, whale sharks, clawless otters to mention a few.[2] You can contact us on +27 (0) 82 784 5729 or info@oceansafaris.co.za .

Dolphin Adventures. A sea kayaking trip not to be missed. www.dolphinadventures.co.za or contact kayak@dolphinadventures.co.za .

• Quad Adventures, ☎ +27 (0)723 03-9011, [3]. 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
• timberlake, Halfway btw Wilderness & Sedgefield (look out for wooden cabins on left if coming from George direction). 9:00-17:00. Specialist retail cabins including: Confectionary, Cheese, Wine, 100% organic Health Shop, Fairy Gem, Eden Nursery with four fantastic eateries: Cafe d'Afrique coffee shop, Zucchini restaurant, Oyster Shack and Country Deli. Relax in beautiful gardens, see our organic vegetable gardens in action and enjoy the best in local.  edit
• GoVertical Mountaineering Adventures, Knysna, ☎ 082 731 4696, [4]. Guided adventures along the Garden Route - Rock Climbing, Kloofing, Kayaking, Trekking, Abseiling, Hiking, Courses and Teambuilding.  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.

• hot chocolate cafe, HH 32 Holt Hill Plettenbergbay (between Plettenbergbay & Knysna), ☎ 0760544945. 9-5. delectable belguim chocolate products handmade on premises read a book, play a game, relax under our big tree 25.  edit
• La Carla mask atelier, carla@modelvision.co.za (between plett & knysna, on N2, 6km outside plett), ☎ 082 499 6295, [5]. 9am-5pm. The studio specializes in creating Unique Handcrafted Venetian Carnival Masks, next door to the Hot Chocolate Cafe, this is a treat not to be missed. studio and shop open to public R125 - R1500.  edit
• La carla atelier, (N2, between plett & knysna, 6km from plett), ☎ 082 461 7731, [6]. 9am-5pm. the fasinating craft of european mask making in Plettenberbay. unique handmade venetian carnival masks on display in the exiting shop R125 - R1500.  edit

[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. If you are backpacking, the area has numerous hostels. Find a listing of most of them on the Coast to Coast website [7]. Campers will find excellent facilities at sites like the Ebb and Flow campsite in Wilderness, [8]. The Tsitsikamma sites at Storms's River mouth and Nature's Valley are also places of scenic beauty, and out of season can be havens of peace where otters appear on the beach [9]. If its Elephants that you after then the best place to stay in is the Main Camp [www.sanparks.org/parks/addo/] located in the Addo Elephant National Park.

[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

• Go ahead for Cape Town or Port Elizabeth.
• Jeffreys Bay is a well-known for its surfing grounds.
• Visit the Little Karoo just to the north of the Garden Route