Garden Route Destination Guide

On the west coast of South Africa lies the Garden Route, a coastal corridor rich with wetlands, dunes, rivers, ancient forests, beaches, lakes, mountains, and indigenous flora and fauna. Its great beauty, which has no parallels anywhere else in the world, has bestowed upon it a name it deserves. Here on this magical strip of land you will find the three top hiking terrains of South Africa - the Tsitsikama and Dolphin trails, and the Otter trail. The coastline is rugged and often inaccessible, and this has kept its unspoilt charm intact.

In July, with the Knysna Oyster Festival, comes a succulent oyster feast. On offer are events like oyster tasting, oyster eating competitions, sporting activities, and of course, live entertainment.

Our Garden Route Destination Guide boasts several coastal villages along the Garden Route, and several seaside resorts on its beautiful beaches and craggy bays. Staying in any of these places offers a truly relaxing, laid back experience. You can take a tour driving, walking or hiking through one of the most beautiful parts of The Garden Route. To get some more information on things to see and do in the rest of the country, check out out South Africa Destination Guide.

Things to See & Do along the Garden Route

Amongst the many things to do & see along the Garden Route it is a haven for bird watchers, seekers of solitude, and for those who are ecologically aware and one of the most scenic sections of the Cape. Every tourist to Africa makes it a point to visit this coastal corridor that lies along the Outeniqua Mountains, and looks out over the Indian Ocean. Because of its generally Mediterranean climate, the Garden Route is a highly popular vacation spot during the winter, as well as in the summer months.

A major tourist attraction on the Garden Route is the scenic Knysna with its lovely lagoon, and a magnificent indigenous forest. Every year in May the town bursts into four days of colour, dancing and music with the gay festival known as the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras. The festival is non-stop entertainment for party lovers, and all are welcome.

Follow the links to the right or scroll further down the page for details on some of the many interesting tourist attractions along the Garden Route:

The Cango Caves in the Klein Karoo region have some of the largest stalagmite formations in the world. The stalagmites were created from limestone in the Precambrian era, about 4,500 million years ago. The caves are about 30 km from the small town of Outdtshoorn which is worth visiting for its main attraction - a ride on an ostrich.

The Cango Caves consist of dripstone caverns that lead to enormous halls of tall stalagmite formations which bear fantastic and evocative names such as 'weird cango candle,' ‘the bridal couple', ‘the hanging shawl', and 'glass flower fantasy'. Many parts of the Cango Caves are not open to the public, but you are free to take a subterranean walk through the rest of the caves. Only a quarter of the Cango Caves area is open to exploration via supervised tours like the 'Adventure Tour' which lasts for about one and a half hours.

On your explorations, you will often find yourself crouching on all fours in order to see all the spectacular views offered by one of the world's greatest natural wonders. In all, this system of tunnels and chambers covers an area of over 4 km.

If you fancy getting photographed cuddling a real live cheetah cub, head to Chettahs, one of the only two cheetah breeding stations in the southern hemisphere. This perfect example of eco-tourism has been highly successful in breeding this endangered species.

If you are an eco-tourist, or just love outdoor activities, you will find many interesting challenges on the Garden Route. The region abounds in biking and hiking trails, and covers all sorts of terrain, from the subtropical to the semi-arid. For the sports enthusiast there's Oudtshoorn, with its squash courts and an 18-hole golf course with a complete range of facilities. Among the town's other attractions are bowling, athletics, tennis, cricket, rugby, motor sports, miniature aircraft, and Olympic standard swimming pools.

This park is actually two areas put together - the Wilderness National Park along with the Knysna National Lake Area. The Knysna National Lake Area shelters the endangered Knysna seahorse, which anchors itself by its tail to the plants on the riverbed, and like a chameleon, changes colour to blend with its surroundings. This area also has a plethora of other kinds of marine life.

The sandbanks and salt marshes of the lagoon and river mouth are teeming with all kinds of creatures that are sources of food for countless organisms. Don't be surprised at the sight of whales, those gentle giants of the seas, and fun loving dolphins that visit the Garden Route coastline regularly. The Lake Area has a temperate climate and is a great place to bask in the sunshine.

But Knysna also has a tragic tale to tell. This area once rich in elephants, now has only a few that have managed to escape poachers. Perhaps you will catch sight of the only elephant here - an ill-tempered old matriarch who could not get along with her elephant friends. While her friends have been relocated to a wildlife reserve, she roams the forests, a solitary creature.

As for the Wilderness National Park, the place is an enchanting world of fens, lakes, rivers, estuaries, and beaches that unfold gently against a bewitching setting of luxuriant forests and soaring mountains.

As you walk along nature trails that take you through dense forests, and as you follow alongside serene rivers, you can feast your eyes on the brilliantly hued bird, Knysna Loerie, or spot at least one of the five species of kingfishers that are native to this area. Spring makes this wetland park even more beautiful, surrounding the lakes with flowers.

Fortunately, you will be able to see more than elephants in this region, as several new private reserves are mushrooming along the Garden Route. These reserves have reintroduced to the area the wildlife that once flourished here - zebra, elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, and buffalo. For bird watchers, this park is paradise. It is home to many highly colourful woodland birds such as the red-billed woodhoopoe, the Knysna woodpecker, the paradise flycatcher, the Knysna Loerie, and the lesser double-collared sunbird. If you go to the wetlands, lakes, and lagoon, you may be able to spot cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles, blacksmith plovers, and geese.

This modern sanctuary for primates is situated in a natural high canopy forest, which makes it the ideal refuge for the animals. Part of the significance of this sanctuary lies in the fact that it is home to a multitude of species, and these are allowed to roam freely. Interestingly, Monkeyland, which came into being recently, is completely self-sustaining, deriving its income from tourism revenue. This revenue comes from visitors who are taken on monkey safaris by enthusiastic and dedicated forest rangers. Try the monkey safari. It's entertaining and exciting, and you get to learn everything about primates and the problems they face in a land-hungry world.

Monkeyland has another distinction - it is the only place in the world where you can eat your lunch while primates frolic all around you. These creatures have been gathered from various countries and it is a wonderful feeling to see them enjoying their habitat.

You don't have to pay an entrance fee to Monkeyland, but there is a fee for the guided safaris. The good news is that once you've paid up, you can embark on any number of safaris during the day. Your vacation on the Garden Route will not be complete without a visit to this kingdom of monkeys.

There are numerous rivers, streams and falls on the Garden Route, originating from the Outeniqua, Swartberg, and Kamanassie mountain ranges. Two of the waterfalls you can visit safely are Vrede and Meiringspoort falls.

This week long festival is held annually in March/April, and attracts over 100,000 enthusiasts who gather to enjoy all sorts of arts - dancing, cabaret, films, classical and contemporary music, open air concerts, comedy, plays, the literary arts and poetry.

The festival is an important event in South Africa and has international sponsors. It gives you the rare opportunity to taste all the flavours of the country in one place, from the fine local wines to excellent cuisine, and even a meal of ostrich meat.

This park is situated in the picturesque heart of the Garden Route. The term 'Tsitsikamma' comes from the Khoisan language, and means 'place of much water'. The park has 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular seascapes. It is a remote mountainous region, and its isolated valleys are covered in mountain fynbos and temperate forests. Deep river gorges lead down from the valleys to the sea.

Here the Indian Ocean pounds the rocky shores with 180 m cliffs looming in the horizon. Evergreen forests and fynbos roll down to the sands, and ancient rivers meander to the sea through rocky ravines. No wonder the park attracts thousands of international and local visitors.