Discover the beauty of South Africa’s Garden Route on this five-day private tour, winding along the coast and into the Klein Karoo. From the beaches of Mossel Bay to the lagoon town of Knysna, the forests and wildlife around Plettenberg Bay and the caves and ostriches of Oudtshoorn, this trip captures the variety that makes the Garden Route world-famous.
Travelling with your own guide and vehicle, you move at a relaxed pace with time to enjoy each town, its scenery and its activities. Comfortable overnight stays along the way let you settle into the rhythm of the route rather than rushing through it.
Perfect for couples, families and nature lovers who want to experience the Garden Route’s coastline, forests and wildlife in depth.
Departing Cape Town, you travel east along the N2 highway, leaving the city behind as the landscape opens into the farmlands and mountain passes of the Overberg. The drive is broken with scenic stops, and your guide shares the history and geography of the regions you pass through on the way to the coast.
Your destination is Mossel Bay, a sunny harbour town on the Indian Ocean widely regarded as the gateway to the Garden Route. With a mild climate, sandy beaches and a maritime history dating back to the first European landings in the late 1400s, it makes a relaxed first stop on the journey east.
On arrival there may be time to explore the waterfront, the beach or the town’s historical sites before settling in for the night. You overnight in Mossel Bay.
After breakfast you continue along the coast toward Knysna, one of the best-loved towns on the Garden Route. The drive passes through changing scenery of forest, farmland and coastline, with the Outeniqua Mountains rising inland and the ocean never far away.
Knysna sits on a large tidal lagoon that opens to the sea through two dramatic sandstone cliffs known as the Knysna Heads. The town is surrounded by indigenous forest and is known for its relaxed atmosphere, its waterfront and its oysters.
There is time to take in the lagoon, the forest or the town itself before the day winds down. You overnight in Knysna.
Today you explore Plettenberg Bay, a short drive east of Knysna and one of the Garden Route’s premier coastal destinations, with golden beaches, a sweeping bay and a backdrop of forested hills.
The area around Plettenberg Bay is well known for its wildlife attractions and conservation projects. Your guide can share the stories behind the region’s forests, coastline and wildlife.
The day offers a mix of scenery and wildlife before you return to your accommodation. You stay overnight in Knysna or Plettenberg Bay.
Leaving the coast, you head inland over a scenic mountain pass into the Klein Karoo, a semi-arid region with a strikingly different landscape of wide plains, rugged mountains and big skies. The change of scenery from green coast to dry Karoo is one of the highlights of the route.
Your destination is Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world, where you visit the spectacular Cango Caves. Guided walkways lead through vast underground chambers of limestone formations that have built up over hundreds of thousands of years, kept cool deep beneath the Karoo surface.
You also visit a local ostrich farm to learn about the birds and the feather-boom heritage that made the town famous. You overnight in Oudtshoorn.
After breakfast you begin the return journey to Cape Town along the famous Route 62, often described as one of the most scenic drives in the world, winding through the Klein Karoo between mountain ranges.
The route passes farm stalls, vineyards and quiet country towns, with plenty to see along the way.
Your guide shares the stories of the region as you travel, and you arrive back in Cape Town later in the day, dropped at your accommodation at the end of a five-day journey through the coast, forests, wildlife and Karoo landscapes of the Garden Route.
It travels from Cape Town along the Garden Route to Mossel Bay, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, then inland to Oudtshoorn for the Cango Caves, before returning via the scenic Route 62.
The tour includes four nights’ accommodation along the route. Please confirm the specific lodges or hotels and the standard of accommodation before publishing.
Around Plettenberg Bay there are wildlife and conservation attractions, and near Oudtshoorn you see ostriches and giraffe.
The tour is paced over five days with an overnight stop in each main area, so daily drives are relatively short and broken up with sightseeing, rather than long single-day transfers.
This tour uses private transport and a guide, with a shared boat cruise. We can also arrange a private boat charter on request – see private vs shared whale watching tours.
Yes, the relaxed pace and variety of coast, forest and wildlife suit families well.
