Private Garden Route Uncovered - 5 nights
Port Elizabeth
The Garden Route begins a few hours outside of Cape Town and is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline. It is a wildly popular route, that consists of a series of towns that each offer diverse and unique experiences, some favourited and others, off-the-beaten track.
The Garden Route Uncovered package is a collection of all the experiences that make this region celebrated. You will follow the path from Cape Town, through the ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn, also home to the Cango Caves, and then enjoy the splendour of Knysna and the Tsitsikamma. A world of natural wonder beckons.
Highlights
- Visit a farmstall packed with locally produced products from the Overberg region
- Visit Cape Agulhas (the southernmost tip of Africa)
- Travel via the scenic Tradouw Pass
- Guided tour of the Cango Caves and a guided tractor tour of a working ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn
- Wine tasting, sampling top quality wines of the Klein Karoo region
- Afternoon sunset cruise on the Knysna Lagoon
- Visit to Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary & Birds of Eden Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay
- Visit to Tsitsikamma National Park and scenic Storms River MouthEnjoy carefully chosen MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences that positively impact our travellers and the communities we visit
- Meals included in this trip support sustainable food production with at least 30% of the food on the menu being sourced locally (within 50-80km) of where it’s prepared
- Day 1 - Cape Town - Cape Agulhas - Oudtshoorn
- Day 2 - Oudtshoorn
- Day 3 - Oudtshoorn - Knysna
- Day 4 - Knysna
- Day 5 - Knysna - Tsitsikamma
- Day 6 - Tsitsakamma - Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- Additional Information
This morning you will be met by your local tour guide and depart for the scenic Garden Route. Travel along Sir Lowry’s Pass, with its magnificent views, to Grabouw and Elgin, a lush landscape surrounded by majestic mountains. Stop en route at a farmstall packed with locally produced products from the area. Our journey continues to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The area has largely been untouched and unexplored with its rugged coastline being the graveyard for many a ship. The historic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is considered the icon that signifies the tip of Africa. After this thrilling experience, we continue via historic Swellendam and the Tradouw Pass to Barrydale and the famous Route 62. Continue to Oudtshoorn, known as the ‘ostrich feather capital’ and centre of the world’s Ostrich farming industry. Enjoy dinner at an Ostrich Farm, dining on local specialities such as Ostrich Steak. Overnight in Oudtshoorn. [Dinner]
Distance travelled today: 550 kms
Meals Included: DLa Plume Boutique Guest House
La Plume is a Boutique Guest House on a working ostrich, alfalfa and cattle farm with spectacular views of the Swartberg Mountains and the Olifants River Valley. A warm welcome awaits you at this charming 1902 Victorian homestead with its tranquil surroundings where Karin, the owner, has combined old-world charm with modern comforts to ensure extraordinary service and personal attention.
After a leisurely breakfast take a tour of the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves, one of the world’s great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages. Join a fun filled interactive guided tractor tour at a working Ostrich Farm, followed by a wine tasting, sampling top quality wines of the region. Overnight in Oudtshoorn. [Breakfast]
Distance travelled today: 90 kms
Meals Included: BreakfastLa Plume Boutique Guest House
La Plume is a Boutique Guest House on a working ostrich, alfalfa and cattle farm with spectacular views of the Swartberg Mountains and the Olifants River Valley. A warm welcome awaits you at this charming 1902 Victorian homestead with its tranquil surroundings where Karin, the owner, has combined old-world charm with modern comforts to ensure extraordinary service and personal attention.
After breakfast, travel over the Outeniqua Pass to George, the sixth oldest town in South Africa, with many historical landmarks like the Slave Tree and King Edward VII Library building; said to be the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town. The tour travels via Wilderness, an attractive holiday resort, to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route. Enjoy a delicious lunch en route of traditional cuisine and local treats. The remainder of the day is at leisure until you join an afternoon sunset cruise on the Knysna Lagoon.
Overnight in Knysna. [Breakfast & Lunch]
Distance travelled today: 170 kms
Meals Included: B, laha The Rex Hotel
Knysna is a haven of beaches, forests, lakes and sea, and aha The Rex Hotel is one of this coastal town’s most sophisticated accommodation offerings. A warm welcome and timeless elegance ensure guests enjoy a special experience during their stay at aha The Rex Hotel, as we promise superior service and exceptional comfort time and again.Located on the world-famous Garden Route, aha The Rex Hotel is a celebration of urban style, making it one of the most exhilarating getaway destinations in its class. Expect an eclectic mix of modern and classic comforts that capture the essence of 4-star luxury. The O Bar & Eatery serves Buffet Breakfast daily in a contemporary setting with cuisine that is beautifully presented and prepared using only the freshest ingredients that Knysna has to offer. aha The Rex Hotel offers travellers a gateway to Knysna’s outstanding restaurants, blossoming forests, nature reserves, arts and crafts, and the shores of the serene lagoon.
Today you’ll have the opportunity to further explore the natural beauty of the Garden Route. Visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, where you will be able to see a variety of primates, roaming free in the forest. This award-winning sanctuary is well known for its efforts to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates. A portion of the trip price of this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, goes towards ensuring that these already endangered species can survive and reproduce for a future reintroduction into the wild. The experience directly advances UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land. The tour continues to the famous Eastern Head, where you will enjoy spectacular views of the Knysna Heads (weather permitting). Afterwards you’ll travel to Brenton on Sea, a breath-taking holiday location and a nature lover’s paradise with its unspoilt beaches and peaceful surroundings. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure. Overnight in Knysna. [Breakfast]
Distance travelled today: 110 kms
Meals Included: Breakfastaha The Rex Hotel
Knysna is a haven of beaches, forests, lakes and sea, and aha The Rex Hotel is one of this coastal town’s most sophisticated accommodation offerings. A warm welcome and timeless elegance ensure guests enjoy a special experience during their stay at aha The Rex Hotel, as we promise superior service and exceptional comfort time and again.Located on the world-famous Garden Route, aha The Rex Hotel is a celebration of urban style, making it one of the most exhilarating getaway destinations in its class. Expect an eclectic mix of modern and classic comforts that capture the essence of 4-star luxury. The O Bar & Eatery serves Buffet Breakfast daily in a contemporary setting with cuisine that is beautifully presented and prepared using only the freshest ingredients that Knysna has to offer. aha The Rex Hotel offers travellers a gateway to Knysna’s outstanding restaurants, blossoming forests, nature reserves, arts and crafts, and the shores of the serene lagoon.
Travel to Plettenberg Bay, considered the jewel of the Garden Route, for a visit to the Birds of Eden sanctuary, the biggest single free flight aviary in the world. The sanctuary was developed to create a safe environment in which to release a large collection of free-flight African birds. A portion of the trip price of this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience goes towards protecting genetically pure species of various Taxa in a semi-wild state and to hold the seeds of these Taxa for future reintroduction into the wild. The experience directly advances UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land. Our journey continues to Bloukrans Bridge, currently offering the highest commercially operated Bungy Jump in the world. Visit the Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth (weather permitting). The Tsitsikamma National Park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular sea and landscapes, a remote mountainous region with secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate high forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea. Overnight in the Tsitsikamma area. [Breakfast]
Distance travelled today: 100 kms
Meals Included: BreakfastTsitsikamma Village Inn
The Hotel’s Hunters Pub was a hunting lodge that was built in 1841 to accommodate hunters that walked into the area to hunt game in the surrounding forests. In 1860, Thomas Bain constructed the road from Plettenberg Bay to Kareedouw through the Tsitsikamma. This 184 km road took 4 years to complete with the help of 200 convicts. Just past the Tsitsikamma Village Inn is the original pass – at the time the pass was so narrow, it was only open to traffic in one direction each day. Travellers waiting for their turn used to outspan in the Hotel’s ground.
Head eastwards along the Tsitsikamma Forest to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), affectionately known as the “friendly city”. Enjoy a city orientation tour of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), where the tour ends on arrival.
Guests may disembark, on request, at Chief Dawid Stuurman Airport. [Breakfast]
Distance travelled today: 185 kms
Meals Included: Breakfast
DURATION
6 days/5 nights
ROUTING
CAPE TOWN – GQEBERHA (PORT ELIZABETH)
INCLUDES
- 7 Meals: 5 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner including gratuities
- 5 Nights’ accommodation including porterage
- Transportation including toll fees in air-conditioned vehicles
- Services of a professional English-speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees as specified in the itinerary
- Bottled water in eco-friendly packaging
Accommodation included:
4* La Plume Guest House or similar x 2 nights
4* Rex Hotel or similar x 2 nights
3* Tsitsikamma Village Inn or similar x 1 night
Transportation:
Transportation is in air-conditioned touring vehicles appropriate to the requirements of the tour
• 2-6 guests will travel in a 7-seater Luxury vehicle
• 8 guests will travel in a 13-seater vehicle
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