Garden Route Classic Tour
4 Days ; 3 Nights
Our Garden Route Classic Tour covers all the highlights, natural beauty and diverse wonders of the Garden Route in South Africa.
It is located on a narrow belt between the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains on the one side, and the Southern Coast of Africa on the other. The Garden Route is loved for its unique diversity and includes a blend of charming towns, dramatic & scenic landscapes, tall trees, deep gorges, shimmering lakes, majestic mountain ranges, golden beaches and lush indigenous forests.
The Classic Garden route Tour starts from Cape Town, enabling you to experience the longest wine route in the world and fabulous rugged mountain scenery on Day 1 while traveling to Oudtshoorn. Day 2 & Day 3 explores the scenic splendour of the Garden route, especially the areas of Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Tsitiskamma and provides many wonderful photographic opportunities.
The variety of activities along the Garden Route is so diverse and so many, you will have the opportunity to select those that fits your unique interests. Examples are leisurely activities to experience the scenic wonder, or leisurely boat cruises, water-based activities, adventure activities, wildlife experiences and hiking activities. We return to Cape Town on Day 4 with a leisurely exploration via Mossel Bay and Swellendam.
The Garden Route, perennially green, has a mild Mediterranean Maritime climate. It is one of the top highlights in South Africa and should be added to your travel bucket list of must-do experiences. To ensure you experience the very best of the Garden Route, join one of our fabulous Garden Route Tours, conducted by our friendly and knowledgeable Tour Guide professionals, who will ensure you leave with wonderful holiday stories and travel experiences.
All aspects of our private tours can be customised : start and end destinations (e.g. Cape Town / George / Port Elizabeth), the routes, itineraries, duration, highlights and accommodation venues. Our small-group Garden Route Tours allow lots of flexibility and choices within the tour itinerary.
Our guests love our tours. Read what our Guests say about our Tours on Tripadvisor or click here for comments on our website or ask us for client references whom you can contact.
Garden Route Classic Tour Itinerary
Our fabulous itinerary is the following. Then we customise around your requirements. on our private tours. And provide you with flexible options within the itinerary on our small-group tours.
Day 1 : CAPE TOWN TO OUDTSHOORN (meandering along the R62, longest wine route in the World)
- Dramatic du Toit’s Kloof Pass – mountain views, steep cliffs, gorges, waterfalls (in rainy season)
- Ever-changing colours of majestic Mountain ranges, fruit orchards and Vineyards
- Kogman’s Kloof Pass with its rugged sandstone formations
- Through the fertile Tradouw Valley with its tapestry of fruit orchards and vinyards
- Over the Huisriver Pass with its sandstone formations
- Charming Oudtshoorn, Ostrich Capital of the World
- Cango Caves with its chambers with magnificent limestone formations
Overnight Venue : Guest House / Hotel in Oudtshoorn
(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or
Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)
Day 2 : OUDTSHOORN & KNYSNA
Optional: Guided tour on the Cango Ostrich Ranch with the opportunity for close interaction with the ostriches
- Breathtaking Outeniqua Mountains – lush green carpet of indigenous Fynbos (Fine Leaf Bush), the smallest of the six plant kingdoms in the world
- Arrive in beautiful Knysna, Jewel of the Garden Route, situated on the Knysna estuary, surrounded by lush ever-green forests.
- The Knysna Heads is one of the most striking geological features along the entire southern African coastline.
- Featherbed Eco-excursion in Knysna : A boat trip on the Knysna Lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve followed by a buffet lunch ; then a drive in a Unimog up to the top of the Western Head and an easy hike down the head with spectacular views over the Knysna Lagoon and the Indian Ocean
- Overnight Venue : Guest House / Hotel in Knysna
(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or
Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)
Day 3 : KNYSNA, PLETTENBERG BAY AND TSITSIKAMMA
- Plettenberg Bay with its wonderful ambience and weather and its beautiful golden beaches
- When open again : Groot River and Bloukrans Passes through the indigenous forests descending deep into the gorges following the old wagon trails
- Tsitsikamma Coastal Park with its startling beauty is located at the foot of the Tsitsikamma Range and is cut by rivers that have carved deep ravines into the ancient forests with its centuries-old trees such as Yellowwood, Stinkwood, Hard Pear, Ironwood and Kamassi.
- Optional excursions for the day include:
- Leisurely stroll in the Tsitsikamma Coastal Park to the Suspension Bridge at the mouth of the Storms River
- Tree-top Canopy Tours in the Tsitsikamma Forest
- Boat-based Whale Watching (mostly seasonal July to November) and Dolphin Watching in Plettenberg Bay
- Tsitsikamma Coastal Park: Boat trip to view the otherwise inaccessible Storms River Gorge.
- Woodcutters Trail at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma Forest: Journey down the old Storms River Pass, and experience the indigenous forest from the comfort of a specially-designed vehicle.
- Guided River Ferries and Boat cruises
- Forest and Beach hikes in the Tsitsikamma Forest
- Enjoy the Golden beaches
- Bungi Jumping at Bloukrans Bridge
- Oyster Tasting at Knysna, oyster Capital of South Africa.
- Snorkelling and Scuba diving at Storms River in Tsitsikamma Coastal Park
- Knysna Elephant Sanctuary – opportunity to interact with the six tame African Elephants : touch and feed ; elephant-back riding and “walking with Elephants”
- Monkeyland, the world’s first free roaming multi-specie primate sanctuary
- Birds of Eden, the Garden Route’s very own world class free flight bird sanctuary
Overnight Venue: Guest House / Hotel in Knysna
(Classic Modest or Elegant Luxury 3 and 4-star Value for Money Options or
Exquisite Premium 4 and 5-star Ultimate-in-Luxury Options)
Day 4 : KNYSNA TO CAPE TOWN
- Through Lake District with its six lakes
- Through Wilderness with its beautiful sandy beaches and rivers
- Kaaiman’s Pass
- Mossel Bay, stopping at Dias Museum and the old Post Office Tree
- Through Swellendam, an 18th century frontier town
- Through Houhoek Pass
- Via Apple Country
- Sir Lowry’s Pass provides beautiful views of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, Somerset West, False Bay, Strand and the Cape flats and Table Mountain in the far distance.
- Arrive in the “Mother City” ( Cape Town)
Some of the alternative or additional Options to personalize your tour or enhance your Garden Route experience:
- Extend your Garden Route Tour with an additional night in Knysna or Tsitsikamma if you would like to do several of the optional excursions and activities on Day 3
- Extend your Garden Route Tour with an additional night in Oudtshoorn and add a day of spectacular mountain passes
- Shark Cage Diving at Mossel Bay
- If you do not have time to visit the Eastern Cape & Kruger where the Big 5 roam for an authetic African Safari exceriences, we recommend that you add a small taste of Wildlife and Nature on the Garden Route Tour (see Garden Route and Wildlife Tour). The smaller size of the game reserves and responsible conservation as well as the location (Little Karoo) determines the smaller number of large animals and less species. Predators are usually kept separate in large enclosures (average 100 hectares) and do not hunt. This is therefore not comparable with the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Kruger Safaris but still a great and relaxing nature experience. Options available at Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay, Albertinia, Plettenberg Bay and in the Little Karoo between Barrydale and Montagu
- Return via Arniston in the Overberg Region (overnight destination) , a quiant Fishing Village and / or Hermanus, Whale Capital of the World (Whale Season : July to November) – see Garden Route and Two Oceans Meander Tour
- Add an authentic malaria-free Safari experience with a few additional days at a malaria-free Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, natural extension to the Garden Route – (see Safari Tours – Garden Route and malaria-free Big 5 Safari Tour)
Why tour with us?
- Complete flexibility with itineraries, routes, timeframes, start and end destinations to suit your pace and unique requirements on our private tours
- Superb Tour Guides ensuring unforgettable travel experiences, insights and interesting conversations
- Comfortable Air-conditioned Tour Vehicles
- 24x7x365 Travel Support to guests booked on our tours and safaris
- Excellent Service and Value and proven track record – ask us to show you where you can read our guests’ reviews
