The Garden Route is an amazing area with many highlights and things to do. The suggested top 10 places based on our experience (we’ve travelled the Garden Route 4 times including 1 time with our toddler daughter). Every trip added new favorite places. Your list of top places might be different from ours. If you have any suggestions or places to add, don’t hesitate and comment at the end of the post.
The easiest way of traveling the Garden Route is by car. If you don’t want to rent a car you can join a small group tour or use hop-on-hop-off bus.
St.Blaize hiking trail, Mossel Bay
Hiking the trail along the rugged cliffs from Mossel Bay to Point of Human Origins Cave is a great way to start your Garden Route adventure. St.Blaize is a 13 km linear trail. You can walk it as a return hike or take an Uber to get back to Mossel Bay. The route starts/ends (it can be walked either way) at Cape St.Blaize Lighthouse in Mossel Bay. The entire 13 km are on a footpath along the cliffs with spectacular views of the coast.
Make sure to take enough water (1,5l per person) and snacks, wear a hat, and comfortable shoes. There is no place to stop for food or water between the start and the end of the trail. The route finishes at Point of Human Origins Cave, next to Pinnacle Point Golf Club. If you want to visit the cave you have to make a booking.
Places to stay in Mossel Bay
Botlierskop Private Game Reserve
A visit to South Africa is not complete without a safari drive. If you don’t have time to visit Kruger National Park or Addo Elephant Park you can see wild african animals at one of the game lodges on the Garden Route.
Botlierskop Game Reserve is one of the most famous on the Garden Route. This family-run reserve occupies 4500 ha. On a safari trip you can see free roaming African animals such as elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, lions, cheetahs, and more. Guides usually know where to find different animals. Your chances of seeing most of them are high. You can do a traditional drive in an open safari vehicle, a horseback safari, or a guided walk.
The game farm is a malaria free area which is great especially if you travel with small children.
You can visit the reserve for a day or stay here overnight.
Ebb and Flow, Wilderness
Ebb and Flow Rest Camp is the Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park. It’s one of our favourite campsites on the Garden Route. Don’t worry, it’s open to day visitors. You don’t have to stay here though camping is highly recommended by us.
The rest camp is situated on the banks of the river, surrounded by the hills covered in lush green forest. The place is a real paradise. During your visit you can do several hiking trails, swim or kayak in the river, or have a picnic with the amazing view.
If you like good coffee go to Green Shed Roastery which is on the way to Ebb and Flow.
Admission fee – ZAR 209/US$11 (adults), ZAR 105/US$6 (children). Nationals pay a reduced fee.
Things to do
- Hiking. You can follow one of the forest trails. We highly recommend the Bosduif Loop and the Kingfisher Trail.
- Swimming in the river
- Kayaking and paddling on the river
Places to stay in Wilderness
Another personal recommendation from us to stay in Wilderness is AfriCamps at Oakhurst, an amazing glamping place hidden in the forest.
Beaches of Sedgefield
Garden Route has many amazing beaches but the ones in Sedgefield are our favourites. Long white-sand beaches with dunes are just perfect. If you’re looking for a tranquil place to spend a couple of days Sedgefields is a perfect option. The town is very small; it has a couple of nice coffee shops and restaurants. In Sedgefield you have everything; sandy beaches and ocean for tanning and swimming, a picturesque lagoon for kayaking and paddling, and green forest and mountains for hiking.
The three main beaches in Sedgefield are Cola Beach, Myoli Beach, and Swartvlei Beach. All three are spectacular. Watching the sunset from the beach in Sedgefield is one of the highlights of the Garden Route.
Things to do in Sedgefield
- Surfing and SUPing in the ocean
- Relaxing on the beach
- Kayaking on the lagoon
- Fishing
- Paragliding
- Horseback riding
Places to stay in Sedgefield
Cango Caves, Oudtshoorn
Visiting Cango Caves is a unique unmissable experience on the Garden Route especially for travellers with children. The network of caves ranging from big halls to tiny spaces is truly impressive. Gigantic stalactites and stalagmites, bizarre rock formations, shinning minerals, and remains of prehistoric animals can be seen in the caves.
You can do a standard walking tour that takes you through the bigger caves or an adventurous tour where you have to squeeze through narrow passages and tunnels. Remember to wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
You can book your tour in advance.
After the caves you can visit an ostrich farm, another fun place for kids. Several farms in Oudtshoorn offer interactive tours. Kids can learn about the natural habitat of ostriches, feed them, see gigantic ostrich eggs and their little chicks. Safari Ostrich Farm offers a tractor tour.
Knysna Heads
Knysna is a beautiful town known for fresh seafood and spectacular views of the lagoon from the Knysna Heads. The headlands of two peninsulas separated by the Knysna River make for perfect lookout points. East Head View Point is the best place for taking photos.
Knysna Heads and Leisure Island are the best areas to stay in the town. You can swim in the tranquil waters of the Knysna Lagoon and relax on the beach.
Knysna Forest is another amazing place to visit here. It’s an ancient forest that once was inhabited by the Knysna elephants. You can explore the forest following several hiking trails, visit King Edward VII Big Tree, and get breathtaking views from Spitzkop Viewpoint (you might need a jeep to get there).
Popular tours in Knysna
Places to stay in Knysna
Our personal recommendation for Knysna is Under Milkwood Resort, a fantastic place with a private beach and cozy wooden chalets in the forest.
Robberg Nature Reserve, Plettenberg Bay
Robbers Nature Reserve is another highlight of the Garden Route with fantastic hiking routes and spectacular views. Robberg means “seal’s mountain” in Afrikaans. You can guess from the name that you can see seals there. There are many seals in the water and on the rocks along the cliffs. For a closer encounter you can swim with seals or do a boat tour to see them in the water.
The reserve is a World Heritage Site. Rocks found in the area date back 120 million years. Needless to say that the scenery is breathtaking; rugged cliffs, fynbos vegetation, dramatic drops, and sandy beaches.
I highly recommend staying at Fountain Shack inside the Nature Reserve. It’s only one wooden house on the side of the hill overlooking the ocean. After closing time you’ll have the entire peninsula for yourself.
Conservation fee – ZAR 64/US$4 (adults); ZAR 45/US$2 (children).
Popular tours in Plettenberg Bay
The town has many amazing things to do.
Places to stay in Plettenberg Bay
Bloukrans Bridge
The famous bridge is one of the highlights of the trip. The height of the bridge is 214 m. It’s known as the highest bungee jumping bridge in the world. Bungee jumping from Bloukrans Bridge is probably the most thrilling thing to do on the Garden Route. We did it once but are thinking of doing it again. The free fall with spectacular views of the canyon and ocean is something to remember.
Even if it sounds too extreme for you, the bridge is worth a stop. The view of the bridge and the canyon from the restaurant are impressive. As an option you can do a skywalk on the bridge and watch others jumping. You’re not allowed to stop or walk on the bridge, the skywalk is the only way to see the views.
Birds of Eden and Monkeyland
The two places are situated next to each other. It’s easy to combine them. Both places are great for travellers with children. We visited the parks with our daughter when she was 2 and she loved it.
Monkeyland is a park with walking trails in the forest. It’s a free roaming sanctuary with different kinds of primates living in the forest. Some of them are native to the area, some not. 3 kinds of lemurs, squirrel monkeys, vervet monkeys, howler monkeys, and capuchin are just some of the species you can see here.
You can visit the place only with a tour. Guides are very knowledgeable and know how to spot and where to find monkeys. The tour is not long so the kids don’t get tired.
Birds of Eden is a peace of paradise filled with tropical birds in the lush green jungle. It’s a free-fly aviary. There are no cages, just a big net-ceiling (to prevent birds from flying away) that covers the entire area of the forest. You walk on wooden bridges and boardwalks that go through the jungle.
If you visit both places with small children a carrier or a backpack will work better. The grounds at Monkeyland are not nice for pushing a stroller nor stairs at Birds of Eden.
You can buy a combined ticket and visit two sanctuaries (Monkeyland and Birds of Eden).
Storms River Mouth, Tsitsikamma
The Storms River Mouth Section of the Garden Route National Park is one of our favorite places on the Garden Route. The scenery in the park is spectacular; lugged cliffs, hills covered in lush green forest, unspoiled sandy beaches, breathtaking lookout spots, deep river canyons, big and small waterfalls, and rocky pools. The park has plenty of things to do for the whole family.
Things to do in Storms River Mouth
Hiking is a popular activity here. Several short routes and one multi-day trek takes visitors to the most picturesque parts of the park.
Walking on the suspension bridges with amazing views is a not-to-miss thing on the Garden Route.
Kayaking and lilo in the Storms River Gorge is an exciting thing to do. The gorge is spectacular; high cliffs, lush green forest, small caves, and pools.
Snorkelling can be done alone or with a tour. If you’re inexperienced and don’t have a wetsuit it’s better to join a tour. Currents can be strong and water is cold.
Watching wildlife which includes otters, dolphins, whales (during the season), genets, bats, and a variety of birds. These are the animals we saw there on different occasions. The official list of mammals is longer.
Swimming in rocky pools or the ocean. The best pool for swimming is at the end of the waterfall trail. It’s a big fresh water pool with a beautiful waterfall.
Places to stay
Camping or staying at one of the cabins is the best way to experience the park. Camping spots are situated at the seafront. You can watch dolphins and even whales (if you’re lucky) sitting in your tent. Wooden cabins and bungalows offer great views and more comfort. They sit behind the camping spot. Book your accommodation online.
Admission fee – ZAR 326/US$18 (adults), ZAR 163/US$9 (children). Nationals pay a reduced rate.
The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.
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