Extended Garden Route Tour

DAY 1
Cape Town - Cape Agulhas

The extended Garden Route Tour departs from Cape Town and heads for the False Bay coastline following Clarence Drive all the way to Hermanus via the Harold Porter Botanical Garden and Stony Point(African Penguin colony) in Betty's Bay. In Hermanus we look for the gentle giants of the ocean before proceeding to some of the most southerly vineyards in the country for a tasting and lunch. After lunch we turn in land for the rolling wheat fields passing through a small village (Elim) and continuing down to Cape Agulhas via the farm roads we check into our guest house.(Approx 300km).

DAY 2
Cape Agulhas - Oudtshoorn

After breakfast, its off to the lighthouse and a walk to the top for a view over the two oceans. We leave Cape Agulhas, stopping at the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp and the travel along some gravel roads between the farm lands to Malgas and the last man operated pont in South Africa. Once on the other side, we continue towards Oudtshoorn travelling via the sleepy but quaint village of Suurbraak before traversing the Tradouws Pass. Once on the R62 we pass through some small towns and stop for lunch at one of them, before arriving at Oudtshoorn where we head for the mountains to the Cango Caves and return to the Cango Wildlife Ranch in the late afternoon (optional Cheetah encounter and crocodile Cage diving) before checking into our accommodation for the evening.(Approx 390km).

DAY 3
Oudtshoorn - Plettenberg Bay

First tour of the day is an ostrich farm before we bid farewell to the Ostrich Capital of South Africa and head for the coastal town of Mossel Bay via the Robinson Pass. Here we visit the Diaz Museum complex and Bats cave.  Afterwards we start the Garden Route proper having lunch en route. We pass various towns along the way before arriving in Knysna where we make our way up to the summit of the Eastern Knysna Head for a view over the town before continuing onto Plettenberg Bay via the Garden of Eden (walk through an indigenous forest). (Approx 220km).

DAY 4
Plettenberg Bay - Tsitsikamma

Today we do a small amount of mileage but lots of activities: Monkeyland and the Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre ending with a zipline tour either through the forest or over a river gorge. We check into our accommodation close by. (Approx 80km).

DAY 5
Tsitsikamma - Addo Elephant Park

We leave the Tsitsikamma Forest area behind for Addo Elephant Park. We bypass Port Elizabeth and make our way to the park where we get settled into our accommodation (availability dependent otherwise accommodation on the outskirts of the park will be used) before departing on a game drive in the late afternoon. Animals that can be seen are: elephant, Cape Buffalo, hyena, Zebra, Warthog and antelope such as: Red Hartebeest, Eland, Kudu and bush buck. (Approx 240km).

DAY 6
Addo Elephant Park - Plettenberg Bay

You have the choice of an early morning or a mid morning  2 hour game drive. Upon returning, we leave the park and head for Plettenberg Bay travelling via the towns of Willowmore and Uniondale. We come over the Prince Alfred's Pass, through Die Vlug. Here the scenery is absolutely fantastic in the mountains and nobody around for miles. Rest of the afternoon at leisure. You can take one of the paddle ski's out on the lagoon, walk along the beach or just relax at the guest house. (Approx 330km).

DAY 7
Plettenberg Bay - Riversdale

There is the option of doing a boat based whale trip (weather dependent) launching from the beach. We depart the guest house for Riversdale, passing through the Tsitsikamma Forest area and through the town of Knysna. Shortly after crossing the estuary, we turn right and take the original road between Knysna and George - the 7 Passes Route. It takes a while longer than the modern national road but we pass through little villages en route and wind our way through forest enclosed mountain passes to reach George. Then its back onto the N2 passing Mossel Bay and stopping at Albertinia for a tour of the Aloe Factory and a chance to purchase some of the products. Later in the afternoon we arrive in Riversdale where we check into our accommodation. (Approx 260km).

DAY 8
Riversdale - Cape Town

Today you can sleep in a bit later. We leave Riversdale making our way back to Cape Town. As we pass through the town of Swellendam, we also turn of the national road for the wine routes. At Ashton we stop at the wine co-op for a leg stretch and to taste some of the wines available from the surrounding farms. These can be purchased from the co-op at cellar prices. Back on the road, we pass through the town of Worcester for one of the oldest mountain passes in South Africa (Bain's Kloof Pass) and wind our way through the vineyards and farmlands back to Cape Town, stopping at Blouberg Beach for a picture postcard photo opportunity of Cape Town. (Approx 360km).