Andrea Durrheim

Have you always dreamed of adventures in the African wilderness? Perhaps you were put off by political instability, security concerns, or a fear of stepping outside your comfort zone. If so, it’s time you considered a holiday in South Africa’s Garden Route. Never heard of it? Here’s why you should add this beautiful part of the world to your bucket list.

World-Class Tourist Facilities

The Garden Route offers superb tourist facilities ranging from five star hotels to cheap but well-maintained guest cottages. Visitors are almost always impressed by the high standard of service and value for money that the area has to offer.

Admittedly, you can find fabulous game lodges elsewhere in Africa, but you may find yourself limited to a strict itinerary that keeps you off the streets with the exception of a few carefully-vetted “cultural experiences.”

While there are excellent Garden Route tours available, even the most inexperienced traveller will be able to manage their own holiday – and it will offer an unbelievable range of activities and experiences.

Massive Diversity Packed Into a Relatively Small Area

If there’s one problem about visiting South Africa, it’s that it’s a very large country. How can you hope to gain a good sampling of what it has to offer without spending days on the road instead of days relaxing? The Garden Route offers a simple solution.

Whether you love miles of pristine, sandy beaches, forest adventures featuring glorious waterfalls, birding in one of the world’s most species-rich wetlands, game viewing, world-renowned caving, magnificent mountains, trips into the savanna or the harsh yet beautiful landscapes of a semi-desert region, the Garden Route has what you’re looking for. Best of all, you can reach all these attractions and more as a series of day trips from a coastal location.

Nature lover? Adrenaline junkie? Foodie? This area is for you. The only thing the Garden Route lacks is a busy nightclub scene. Locals see that as an advantage. Perhaps you will too.

Activities? You’re Spoiled for Choice

Most hotels and B&Bs offer guests a selection of leaflets they can use when choosing activities to enjoy. And choosing is just what you’ll have to do. There’s no way on earth that anyone can do it all in an average holiday.

Apart from game viewing, a must for anyone hoping to enjoy an African experience, there are wine-tasting tours, shark cage diving, surfing, abseiling waterfalls, canyoning, canoeing, horse trails, art tours, township tours, hiking (guided or otherwise), zip-lining, paragliding, whale watching, yacht chartering, helicopter or microlight flights, bungee jumping and much, much more to enjoy. And let’s not forget: chilling out in a scenic setting is also among your options.

Excellent Safety and Security Profile

There isn’t a place in the world that can promise you a crime-free stay. However, the Garden Route is a fairly safe destination by almost any standards. Crime is low, there’s rarely any form of civil unrest, and most locals feel perfectly comfortable strolling on deserted beaches or quiet forest trails.

Most people will be aware of the problems that beset South Africa’s larger cities, particularly Johannesburg, and to a lesser degree, Cape Town, but the Garden Route is seldom in the news.

When it is, it’s usually because there’s a festival, or because one of our towns has won an award. For example, the “city” (it’s pretty small) of George often wins awards for its clean drinking water and unpolluted beaches, and Knysna frequently wins prizes for its beauty and livability.

Fairly Good Infrastructure and Good Shopping

Good roads and internet connectivity are a given in most parts of the Garden Route. And although the national power utility is unreliable, most places you’ll stay offer backup power so that you’ll barely notice the inconvenience.

Shopping deserves a mention since there’s an impression that “Africa” means doing without fully-stocked supermarket shelves and the finer things in life. The truth is that you can access a western-style shopping experience just about anywhere you may go. Perhaps the local shops won’t stock all the brands you’re familiar with, but you’re sure to enjoy access to everything you need plus a few luxuries.

How to get There and Costs

Many international flights land at Cape Town International airport and you might want to spend a few days in Cape Town to experience the city lights plus a few iconic sights like Cape Point. If you enter the country via Johannesburg, it’s easy to get a local flight to Cape Town and take it from there.

Although you can book intercity bus journeys or “hop on, hop off” tourist micro-bus services with a ticket that lasts up to three weeks, hiring a car is advisable. Alternatively, you can take a flight from Cape Town to George, arriving within an hour of your departure, and hire a car there, since it will save you a not-unpleasant but time-consuming five-hour drive from Cape Town.

South Africa is a relatively cheap destination despite the long flight from Europe or the US. Visitors generally experience far greater luxury than they could afford in their home countries and they love the low price of world-class cuisine. When booking through travel platforms like Expedia, they often find discounted deals that include hotels and car hire. In many instances, the cost will be lower than that of a package-tour deal.

When to Visit

The Garden Route enjoys year-round mild weather, but it can be rainy from July to October. The sea can also be chilly between May and October, so your best chance of good weather and warmer seas is to plan your visit between November and April. To benefit from off-season rates, choose a time between mid-January and March or time your visit for the quiet season between May and the end of November.

If you do choose to visit in the rainy season, you’ll find that the norm is for short spells of rain and relative chill, so you can still enjoy many outdoor activities – and even a sea swim if you don’t mind the water being a slightly chilly average of 15 to 16 degrees centigrade.

Are you ready for your African adventure? One thing is certain: the Garden Route will give you a holiday to remember and hospitality to match.