The Garden Route in South Africa. Described by travel guides as one of the highlights of the country. And it really is. In the summer of 2018, we explored the magnificent beauty of southern South Africa. From the stunning Cape Town with its majestic Table Mountain, the haunting Robben Island and the beautiful beaches to the vast reddish-brown Little Karoo with its ostrich farms. We went hiking in the breathtaking Tsitsikamma National Park, where the Storms River flows into the Indian Ocean. But above all, never to be forgotten, the ‘real life’ zoo: whales, penguins, elephants, zebras, monkeys, giraffes, antelopes, dassies and so much more. In this blog I take you ‘en route’ on this extraordinary journey, perfect to do with teenagers.

Our itinerary: from Cape Town to Addo Elephant National Park

Below you will find our itinerary, per day, with an overview of the accommodation and the most important excursions. You find more tips & tricks about this itinerary and special travel stories per region in separate blogs.

Day	Town	Activities	Accomodation
1	Cape Town	Brussels → Addis Adeba → Cape Town	Sleep on flight
2	Cape Town	Arrival Cape Town	De Waterkant Village 137 Waterkant Street Cape Town +27 (0)21 437 9703
3	Cape Town	Robben Island Victoria & Alfred Waterfront	De Waterkant Village
4	Cape Town	City Walk Table Mountain	De Waterkant Village
5	Cape Town	Chapman Drive Kaap de Goede Hoop Boulders Beach pinguïns	De Waterkant Village
6	Hermanus	Muizenberg Beach Hermanus Braai	WhaleRock Luxury Lodge 26 Springfield Avenue, Westcliff Hermanus, 7200 +27 (0)28 313 0014 or 5
7	Hermanus	Whales spotting	WhaleRock Luxury Lodge
8	Oudtshoorn	Route 62 Langeberg Mountain	AfriCamps Klein Karoo AfriCamps Head Office Rivergate Business Park 5 Columbus Cres, Cape Farms Cape Town 7441 +27 (0)21 300 5694
9	Oudtshoorn	Walk neighbourhood Rest day	AfriCamps Klein Karoo
10	Oudtshoorn	Safari Buffelsdrift Ostrich farm Vreugde Voetjies	AfriCamps Klein Karoo
11	Knysna	Knysna city walk	Cuningham’s Island Guest House cnr Kingsway & Church Square, Leisure Isle 6570 Knysna, +27 (0)44 384 1319
12	Knysna	Robberg Nature Reserve	Cuningham’s Island Guest House
13	Tsitsikamma (Storms River Rest Camp)	Hikes	Storms River Mouth Rest Camp Tsitsikamma National Park +27 (0) 42 281 1607
14	Tsitsikamma (Storms River Rest Camp)	Hikes	Storms River Mouth Rest Camp
15	Addo Elephant National Park	Evening Safari	Addo Elephant National Park +27 (0)42 233 8600
16	Addo Elephant National Park	Safari	Addo Elephant National Park
17	Addo Elephant National Park	Safari	Addo Elephant National Park
18	Addo Elephant National Park	Addo → Porth Elizabeth → Johannesburg → Brussels

General information

Our itinerary is relatively short. We drove about 1500 kilometers in about 2 weeks.

We chose not to make a ‘loop’, we drove from Cape Town to Port-Elizabeth (instead of Cape Town-Cape Town). From Port-Elizabeth we took a domestic flight with South African Airways to Johannesburg and via Addis Ababa to Belgium.

This way, we had enough time to discover each region. Also, the cost of the additional flight corresponded to the extra nights driving back.

Jambo

Usually, I plan the full trip myself. For this journey, we however worked together with the tour operator Jambo Safari Club. The main reason? I felt, despite extensive research, not always completely sure about our safety, a.o. about the choice of accommodation in Cape Town. Moreover, Jambo was able to offer a very competitive price for certain accommodations and willing to make quite some adjustements at our request. It was a pleasant cooperation and the documentation of the trip (itinerary, directions, …) was top.

Why visit South Africa?

South Africa has everything to offer for a great holiday with children: magnificent nature and an extraordinary culture.

• Number one: the ‘real life’ zoo. There are special animals in abundance, everywhere you go, even if you don’t go on safari. There are the dassies in Cape Town, the penguins at Boulder Beach, the whales in Hermanus and the ostrices and local wildlife at Africamps, Klein Karoo. But ‘top of the bill’ yes, is the safari: elephants, zebras, monkeys, giraffes, antelopes, meerkats, … you name it. All equally impressive, especially these elephants just in front of your car. The children also enjoyed ticking off the ‘which animals are in this park’ lists.
• The national parks are equally impressive. On Table Mountain you can take a beautiful walk.  Standing on the very tip of the Cape of Good Hope is very special too. Tsitsikamma National Park, where the Storms River flows into the Indian Ocean, is breathtaking. And impressive sand dunes meet with beautiful ocean views in Plettenberg bay. All parks are well maintained.
• Culture is everywhere. In Cape Town you can visit Robben Island. And the country in itself is very special: the confrontation with the townships, the gap between rich and poor, … It makes you think.

Interested in more South African adventures? Then read my blogs on amazing accommodation and tips and costs.