Garden Route South Africa: garden route tours and accommodation

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Tamba Africa specialises in tours and accomin modation on the Garden Route, South Africa, guest houses, lodges, B&Bs, self drive tours and sight seeing, wildlife safaris, transport and activities. Experience the beautiful Garden route in style, let us arrange your trip.

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Garden Route, South Africa

The Garden Route is one of the most famous and picturesque routes in South Africa, located about three hours drive east Cape Town. Scattered along this beautiful stretch of coast are fashionable seaside resorts, tiny coastal villages, tall indigenous forests, endless bays, inland lakes and lagoons, white sandy beaches and mountains that crowd close to the shoreline. Between Heidelberg and Storms River, the Garden Route runs parallel to the coast where views over the ocean transfix the eyes.

The delightful town of George, known as ‘the Gateway to the Garden Route’, lies in a fertile area of lush greenery at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains. Oudtshoorn, ‘Capital of the Klein Karoo’, is set inland in a semi arid valley, providing the ideal habitat for ostriches which are farmed here on a grand scale. Past wealth accumulated from the popularity of ostrich feathers a century ago have left a grand colonial feel to this appealing town.

Wilderness lies 15 km east of George and is renowned for its vast stretches of beach, its tranquillity and its placid lagoon, the Serpentine, which meanders between the Touw River, Island Lake, Langvlei and Rondevlei. Island Lake is a favourite water sport venue, drawing enthusiasts from far and wide.

Plettenberg Bay - Courtesy: Hog Hollow Country Lodge

Further up the coast lies Knysna, with its many craft shops, arty people and laid back cultural atmosphere. Situated inside a vast lagoon, the town is a delightful seaside cluster of galleries and flea markets, workshops and buskers to delight and entertain every visitor. The vast lagoon, the amphitheatre of mountains that surround the town, and the gentle weather gives this town a character like no other.

Just 30km away, Plettenberg Bay is a holidaymaker's paradise with expansive lagoons, wild forests, and pristine dune lined beaches with the rugged Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains in the background. The area encompasses fifteen nature reserves, namely Robberg Reserve, a peninsula that juts out into the sea boasting numerous walking trails, exquisite beaches and the best sundowner spot in the area.

Tsitsikamma - Copyright: South African Tourism

Mossel Bay offers unspoilt north facing beaches, and a wide variety of cultural, adventure and eco attractions. Sail off to Seal Island in the bay – home to a large breeding colony of seals and their cubs. The Tsitsikamma, known as ‘big tree’ country, has indigenous forests with giant yellowwood trees, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, deep gorges and a rugged coastline.

Tamba Africa recommends:

Hiking: the Otter Trail along the Tsitsikamma coast is probably the most popular hike in the area, but there are plenty more.

Tree canopy walking: fly through the trees on one of only three treetop canopy tours in the world.

Bungee jumping: Bloukrans is the highest bungee jump in the world at 216m. Face Adrenalin, the same company, also offers a range of jumps on the much lower Gouritz River Bridge. Here you'll also find South Africa's only bridge swinging operation, run by Wildthing Adventures.

Canyoning or kloofing: is the art of following a mountain stream down its course by floating, jumping and swimming. Stormsriver, on the Garden Route, is a great location for kloofing with towering cliffs, wonderful plants and lots of birds.

Hangliding/ paragliding: further up the coast, near the Garden Route town of Wilderness, you can fly over the sea, often seeing dolphins and whales.

Dolphin boat trips: Plettenberg Bay is widely considered to be the best destination worldwide for boat based marine mammal watching. Cape fur seals live in a colony on Robberg peninsula and can always be seen. Bottlenose dolphins play in the surf almost every day.