Garden Route

One of the most popular tours in South Africa is the Garden Route. A first stop for many been only 90mins from Cape Town will be Hermanus, where you can watch the whales breach right before your very eyes. The main time to see these phenominal creatues is from September to the end of November but with climate change we are even seeing them in March.

If surfing's more your thing why not try top surf spots such as Victoria Bay, Buffalo Bay and Plettenberg beach, but serious surfers will want to carry on east to Jeffrey's Bay. Surfers flood to J Bay from around the world to tackle the legendary "supertubes" – you'll need a good-sized board for the fast waves. J Bay's mix of surf shops, fast-food outlets, bars and rampant holiday home development makes it an acquired taste; there are plenty of surf shops all along the Garden Route where you can hire boards and get information on local conditions.

For more traditional outdoor activities, the forests and beaches of the Garden Route are traversed by countless hiking, biking and riding trails. Tsitsikamma National Park boasts one of South Africa's best long-distance hikes, the 42km Otter Trail, offering five days of superb coastal walking with rivers to ford and plenty of time to swim, snorkel or just relax. You will find bush-buck and duiker, bushpig, baboon and some brilliantly colourful birds, including the Narina trogon and the Knynsa lourie.

The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe is Southern Africa's last scheduled steam-hauled passenger train which will take you on a memorable day trip. It starts from George at 08.10am and puffs to Knysna at 11.30am, giving you time to briefly browse the quaint shops and possibly have a pub lunch before heading back on the train at 12.55pm.

The Garden Route is famous for its seafood, hosting the Knysna Oyster Festival 2-11th July , and providing entertainment for the whole family with sporting events, arts and crafts and delicious food and wine.

Contact us and we can personalise your garden route tour!