Garden Route Bucket List

The Garden Route is one of South Africa’s most popular tourist destinations, for both international and local visitors alike, and it’s easy to see why! An abundance of spectacular natural beauty, with its lakes, estuaries, rivers, lush forests, mountains, valleys and a 300km coastline with beautiful beaches, bays and coves. It stretches from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, all the way up to Storms River on the border between the Western and Eastern Cape. The route includes the towns of: Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Nature’s Valley and Stormsriver Village. Oudtshoorn is technically part of the Klein Karoo, however because of its close proximity to the Garden Route it is almost always included in a Garden Route itinerary.

Only 4-5 hour’s drive from Cape Town, the Garden Route is the perfect self-drive destination with two different route options from Cape Town – the quicker N2 highway or the more scenic Route 62, making it a perfect circular route. Route 62 is also known as the World’s Longest Wine Route and was recently awarded the title “world’s best road trip”. There is an airport in George which has good flight connections to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

In terms of activities, the Garden Route offers as much variety as its natural settings do. There are adventure options galore, many stunning beaches (important to note that not all of these beaches are suitable for swimming as the current is extremely strong along parts of the coast) and the Garden Route is a very popular golfing destination, being home to 12 of South Africa’s Top 100 ranked Golf courses – including the No. 1, The Links at Fancourt.

The below lists will help to give a better idea about what the Garden Route has to offer, these are in no particular order and in no way complete!

Top 10 Tourist activities

1. Visit an animal sanctuary – Birds of Eden, Monkeyland, Jukani Cats, Elephant Park, Tenikwa Cats, Cango Wildlife Ranch
2. A tour of the Cango Caves – standard or adventure
3. A tour of an ostrich farm to learn more about these giant flightless birds and the history of their farming in the area
4. A leisurely boat cruise on the Knysna Lagoon – The Paddlecuiser for dinner or the John Benn for sunset
5. Sail through the Knysna heads on a catamaran excursion – spot whales and dolphins if lucky
6. Featherbed Eco Experience – includes a boat trip across the lagoon, a tractor ride to the top of the Western Head, easy and scenic hike down to the milkwood forest for a buffet lunch
7. A dolphin and/or whale watching boat trip from Plettenberg Bay
8. Visit the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex in Mossel Bay, a highlight being a replica of the ship/caravel Dias sailed around the Cape, the Shell Museum and Post Office Tree
9. Go on Safari – stay at one of the many private game reserves for the full safari experience, or join a morning or afternoon game drive or walk – Botlierskop offers this
10. Wine tasting in the wineries of Plettenberg Bay - the Plett Winelands region is acknowledged as one of South Africa's 'Wine of Origin' areas, and is also one of the smallest, stretching under 60kms and with 18 picturesque vineyards in the surrounds. A great experience is a horse drawn carriage wine tasting experience

Top 10 Adventure/Adrenalin activities

1. Bloukrans Bungee – highest bungee from a bridge in the world – fall 216m!
2. Mossel Bay Zipline – World’s longest over ocean zipline at 1.1km
3. Kayak and Lilo up the Storms River Gorge in the Tsitsikamma National Park
4. Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour – zip lining in the indigenous forest 30m above the ground
5. Shark Cage Diving from Mossel Bay around Seal Island, only 2km from the harbour. Sheltered bay and most days the sea conditions are calm and comfortable
6. Tandem Paragliding along the magnificent Wilderness coastline
7. Sky diving – from OUdtshoorn, Mossel Bay or Plettenberg Bay
8. Canyoning, Kloofing, Blackwater Tubing or Rappelling adventures are a great opportunity to explore the spectacular gorges and riverine systems
9. Hot Air Ballooning from the Mossel Bay or Oudtshoorn side of the Outeniqua Mountains. View the Outeniqua Range blush in the early morning light from a floating basket.
10. Quad Bike or Segway Tours in the Tsitsikamma forest

10 Other Fun Things to do on the Garden Route

1. Go horse riding on the beach
2. Rent an E-Bike and cycle around Knysna
3. Go Stand-Up-Paddling
4. Enjoy easy walks in the forests
5. Join a meerkat adventure near Oudtshoorn to watch the meerkats wake up and go about the start of their day
6. Eat oysters and drink bubbly at an Oyster bar in Knysna  
7. Walk to the suspension bridges over the Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park
8. Drive a scenic mountain pass and take in the dramatic mountain landscape and scenic vistas. There are many, but the Swartberg Pass near Oudtshoorn is most iconic
9. Attend a festival – the Knysna Oyster Festival is the most well-known, however there are many others throughout the year
10. Eat out at a restaurant with a spectacular view

Top 10 Beaches along the Garden Route

1. Noetzie - 10 minutes outside of Knysna, this remote beach was voted the 16th best beach in the world by Business Insider
2. Brenton Beach – one of the most beautiful Blue Flag beaches, popular with locals and visitors alike for long walks and romantic sunsets
3. Buffalo Bay between Sedgefield and Wilderness is a gem worth discovering, with safe swimming and SUP conditions it is also known for its superb surfing and energetic ones can walk 7km to Brenton
4. Robberg Beach - this blue-flag beach is arguably one of the Garden Route’s finest. Walk for kilometres and look out for dolphins and in the winter months whales.
5. Plettenberg Bay Central Beach – long stretches of white sand and warm, calm waters perfect for swimming
6. Wilderness Beach – unspoilt, expansive and beautiful, offering kilometres of white sandy beach perfect for long walks. Also great for dolphin and whale watching.
7. Santos Beach, Mossel Bay – a wide and sandy Blue Flag beach popular for swimming and water sports
8. Victoria Bay Beach – one of the most popular surf spots on the Garden Route owing to its consistent right point break. Also one of the smallest and most hidden bays along this coastline.
9. Nature’s Valley Beach - ideal for surfing, swimming, sun tanning, paddling, hiking, birding, canoeing, cycling, fishing, sunset picnics and even star gazing.
10. Cola Beach – one of Sedgefield’s 5 beautiful beaches, all running into each other. Cola beach never gets crowded and at low tide it’s easy to walk the 6km stretch.

Play a round of Golf on one of South Africa’s Top 100 courses

1. The Links at Fancourt (1) – also ranked in the Top 100 Courses in the World
2. Fancourt Montagu (8)
3. George Golf Club (14)
4. Fancourt Outeniqua (18)
5. Simola (Knysna) (19)
6. Pinnacle Point (Mossel Bay) (20)
7. Pezula (Knysna)(22)
8. Plettenberg CC (40)
9. Oubaai (George) (44)
10. Mossel Bay Golf Club (87)
11. Knysna Golf Club (91)
12. Goose Valley (Plettenberg Bay) (93)

Top 10 Hikes

1. The Cape Clawless Otter Trail (Sedgefield) is a 6.5km walk in the Goukamma Nature Reserve, along the edge of the Groenvlei Lake.
2. The Kingfisher Trails in the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park, varying in length from 3.8-10km from easy to slightly taxing. Passes through stunning forests to a captivating waterfalls where hikers can enjoy a picnic and even have a refreshing swim.
3. St. Blaize Hiking Trail in Mossel Bay, 13.5km suitable for beginners with a few challenging sections, worth the effort for the remarkable views.
4. Robberg Hiking Trail, Plettenberg Bay, with options from 2-11km. Not suitable for unfit people or young children, with high climbs, rocky terrains and steep declines. Vistas across the oceanfront are breath-taking.
5. Pig’s Head Hiking Trail, Natures Valley, is about a 2km round route including a steep climb to the top, from where there are great views down onto Nature’s Valley and the sea.
6. Circles in the Forest Hiking Trail is a beautiful easy to moderate walk through the forest near Knysna. There is a swimming spot in a cool forest pool and also a beautiful pool with a waterfall.
7. Buffalo Bay Trail – a 2km trail or 4.5km loop, a fun walk through coastal dunes, with beautiful ocean views.
8. Elephant Trails near Knysna through the forest, with clear streams enticing you to stop for a dip or a picnic. The 3 trail options are 7, 8 or 9km circular routes of varying levels, mostly easy.  
9. The Otter Trail – this 42.5km hike begins at Storms River Mouth and goes through thick forests to Nature’s Valley. The hike takes five days to complete and requires moderate to advanced levels of fitness and hiking experience. This is an extremely popular trail and requires booking at least a year in advance!
10. The Dolphin Trail is a luxury and fully portered hiking or slackpacking trail along the Tsitsikamma coastline. It is called a slackpacking trail because all luggage is portered to the two overnight stays, hikers only need to carry a daypack. Accommodation on the Dolphin Trail is of a high quality with four star guesthouses and luxury retreats being used.