The Garden Route is one of South Africa's richest botanical treasures. More than 80 kinds of trees grow here where elephant, leopard, monkey and many birds have their homes in the forest's depths. For all its marvels, South Africa has always been short of rain and the regions where forests flourish are few, thus making the Garden Route all the more ecologically precious.
Combine one of our tailor made Garden Route packages with several nights in Port Elizabeth as you follow England's World Cup campaign. We have several accommodation options available during the group games and the remainder of the tournament. Click here to enquire further
The Garden Route is about as close to paradise as anyone could wish for, offering from magnificent vistas to the world's highest bungee jump. The N2 highway running east, passes through some of the world's most attractive coastline of magical lagoon and lakes, lovely bays, high cliffs and wide estuaries with a hinterland of mountains, spectacular passes, rivers, waterfalls and wooded ravines - this is the Garden Route.
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Best of the Eastern and Western Cape, South Africa
12 nights featuring the best the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa has to offer - priced from £1240.00 per person sharing Mpumalanga, the Southern Cape, the Garden Route and Cape Town - all in one!
Eastern Cape Game Reserve Breakaway
2 Nights / 3 Days - Indulgent luxury in the wild. Tour commences and ends in Port Elizabeth Hotel or Port Elizabeth Airport.
Garden Route Splendour
3 Nights / 4 Days - Picturesque journey through Lakes and Forests. Commences in Port Elizabeth and ends in Cape Town. This tour can also be done in reverse (ie Cape Town - Port Elizabeth)
Romantic Getaway
Luxury holiday on South Africa's Coastline, including the Winelands AND safari - from £1075.00 per person sharing
Scheduled Escorted Grand Tour of South Africa
Highlights include: Kruger National Park safari, Multi-cultural experiences, Garden Route, Cape Town, Table Mountain. Costs from £1855.00 per person sharing (Land arrangements only - excludes all international and internal flights)
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Garden Route & Eastern Cape
Accommodation
Luxury
Hotels
Fancourt Hotel & Country Club Fancourt, South Africa's leading golfing and leisure resort, lies at the foot of the majestic Outeniqua Mountains in the heart of the world famous Garden Route, 7km from George Airport. The design of the estate is an intriguing mix of historic and contemporary architecture.>>
St James of Knysna The St James of Knysna nestles in the Knysna Lagoon at the heart of the beautiful Garden Route. Rich in bird and marine life and a playground for water sports enthusiasts, the lagoon is the largest natural estuary in South Africa, and home to this elegant hotel.>>
Tsala Treetop Lodge Set amidst the treetops of an age-old indigenous forest, Tsala is a lavish celebration of the spirit of Africa. Emulating the monumental ruins of ancient African civilisation, the impressive stone-crafted entrance leads into the magnificent foyer supported by polished blackwood columns.>>
Quality
Hotels
Bushman Sands The intimate hotel offers plenty of modern comforts and is a good option for romantics on a smaller budget. It is 100km from Port Elizabeth and 50km form Grahamstown.>>
Kwandwe Game Reserve This 20 000 hectare exclusive reserve lies in the heart of the Great Fish River region of the Eastern Cape 140km from Port Elizabeth airport. Operated by CC Africa, the reserve is yet another victory for conservation with the restoration of 20 000ha of farmland into pristine wilderness.>>
Kariega Game Reserve Situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, at the end of South Africa's famous Garden Route. The Reserve stretches from the Kariega River to the Bushmans River, is 14kms from Kenton-on-Sea and 141kms from Port Elizabeth. >>
Value
Hotels
Mark's Camp at Lalibela Well known for its fantastic family facilities, the relaxed Pan-African styled stone and thatch lodge at Marks Camp is a winner for those travelling with children. >>
Kwandwe - Ecca Lodge Ecca Lodge at Kwandwe has just six exclusive air-conditioned suites with en-suite bathrooms, spacious living areas, a rim-flow lap pool, an interactive kitchen and a unique bush garden making this a perfect lodge for families travelling with children. >>
Addo Elephant National Park Situated 72km from Port Elizabeth in the Sundays River Valley and Zuurberb Mountain range, the Addo Elephant Park is the third largest national park in South Africa. >>
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More
about Garden Route & Eastern Cape
Summer days are sunny and balmy, while winter days offer plenty of sunshine although nights can be bitterly cold. Rain can occur at any time of the year.
The Garden Route journey begins in Mossel Bay, a popular holiday destination first discovered by the Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias, in 1488. Attractions here include the Bartolomeu Dias museum, which offers a glimpse into the town's intriguing past and the adjacent Old Post Office Tree, where the early explorers would 'post' letters and documents for collection by the next passing fleet. Outdoor enthusiasts will not be disappointed either - bungee jumping and bridge swinging is offered at the nearby Gourits River mouth, boat trips to the 2 000 strong seal colony on Seal Island depart from the harbour daily, and great white shark cage-diving also draws many intrepid visitors and onlookers.
Contrasting sharply with the lush coast, Oudtshoorn is the focal point of the ostrich industry. Ostrich show farms can be visited where guided tours show all the facets of the ostrich business, culminating in an 'ostrich derby'. The Cango Caves, a labyrinthe complex in interleading passages and massive caverns in the Swartberg Mountain range, was formed more than 650 million years ago and is ranked among the most remarkable of Africa's natural wonders. Guided daily tours yield a marvelous fantasia of weirdly sculptured , multicolour stalagmites and stalactites, including the 'Organ Pipes', 'Cleoptatra's Needle' and the 'Frozen Waterfall'. Another notable attraction, the Cango Wildlife Ranch, houses one of the world's top cheetah-breeding centres.
George, the largest of the Garden Route towns, is reached by returning to the coast via the scenic Outeniqua Pass. Here the Fancourt Country Club is to be found, with four world-class golf courses, including the Links course, which hosted the 2003 Presidents Cup. The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is a narrow-guage steam train traversing the spectacular Wilderness lakes area between George and Knysna - an area as close to paradise on earth as you are likely to find.
Celebrated for its fresh oysters and fine hardwood furniture, Knysna is a popular resort centre. Set on the banks of the estuary, the gateway to the lovely Knysna lagoon, the town is often referred to as the 'Jewel of the Garden Route'. Recommended sightseeing here includes a boat trip across the Knysna Lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the western Head, the view site at the eastern Head, the five beach castles at Noetzie, the bustling Knysna Quays Waterfront development and the Knysna Elephant Park.
Plettenberg Bay, in one of the country's most fashionable holiday resorts and a beach-lover's paradise, where long stretches of soft sand give way to azure seas.
Almost 40 species of whale and dolphins have been recorded here, and there are a number of operators in the area offering boat-based excursions to view these graceful and exuberant ocean mammals.
Leisure activities include golf, bowls, horse riding, angling, sailing, blackwater tubing, abseiling, mountain biking, scuba-diving and surfing, as well as hiking and bird-watching in the nearby Robberg, Keurbooms River and Tsitsikamma nature reserves. Unusual, but highly recommended options - a treetop canopy tour or bungee jumping off the 216m Bloukrans River bridge, the highest jump in the world!
Completing the Garden Route is South Africa's fifth largest city, Port Elizabeth, the economic hub of the Eastern Cape. Tourist attractions here include scuba-diving, safe swimming beaches, a Snake Park, Aquarium, and the performing dolphins, seals and penguins at the Oceanarium. The National Festival of Arts, in nearby Grahamstown, takes place annually in July. Port Elizabeth is also the gateway to the malaria-free game reserves of the Eastern Cape.
Addo Elephant TourFull Day - Approx. 8 hours Travel inland to Addo National Park (±1 hour).
This is home to the densest elephant population in the world. View other mammals including buffalo, black rhino as well as zebra, jackal and numerous species of antelope such as kudu and bushbuck.
Enjoy a picnic lunch (included) in the Park. Return to Port Elizabeth late in the afternoon.
GARDEN ROUTE TOUR4 day departing from Cape Town 4 Day tour from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth or Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
Highlights: - Spectacular scenery - from semi-desert landscape through to lush indigenous forests, white sandy beaches, estuaries and lagoons - Quaint town of Knysna, scenically located around an estuary - Walk in the Tsitsikamma Forest and over the Storm's River Mouth - Cango Caves - Ostrich Farm tour - Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe train ride (optional) - Majestic Du Toit's Kloof pass - Breede River valley "fruit route" - Bloukrans - the World's highest Bungi jump (definitely optional!)
Add-on: Note that transfers to the Game Reserves in the Eastern Cape can easily be facilitated.
Port Elizabeth City TourHalf Day - Approx. 3 hours Travel along the Indian Ocean beachfront Enjoy views of King’s Beach and the harbour development Visit Settlers’ Park.
Drive passed St George’s Park home of E Province cricket Tour of Bird Street – once Port Elizabeth’s premier address and today boasts many renovated colonial homesteads. Return to the hotel.
Private Game Reserve TourFull Day - Approx. 8-10 hours Travel inland to Shamwari Private Game Reserve (±1 hour).
On arrival at the Day Centre guests board open Land Rovers and travel to Khaya Lendaba, a traditional African Arts & Culture Village.
Sumptuous lunch (included) is served overlooking the Bushman’s River. Three hour game drive to view lion, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, both black and white rhino, as well as elephant, giraffe, hippo, zebra and numerous species of antelope.
Activties
in and around Garden Route & Eastern Cape Region
Birding / Botanical South Africa has one of the widest diversity of bird types in the world, boasting more than 900 different species and is very...
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Conservation In recent years there has been a marked increase in the demand for hands on participatory conservation experiences. Detailed...
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Malaria-Free Safari There are three regions within South Africa that can offer you and your family a safari where you are safe from the threat of...
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Whale Watching Although at least 37 species of whales and dolphins can be found in the waters off South Africa, the Route is most famous for...
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Special
Interest Tours in Garden Route & Eastern Cape region
Cape Town, Garden Route Golf & Safari Day 1 Arrive at Cape Town International Airport where you will pick up your rental car and proceed to your luxurious 5 star hotel on one of the oldest wine farms in the Cape Peninsula. This luxurious estate offers breathtaking scenery, a championship golf course, an exclusive restaurant, a producing wine cellar, and all the facilities of a top-class...
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National Arts & Theatre For art lovers in SA, the month of July has become synonymous with the National Arts Festival. Each year the festival is staged for a few days in mid-winter in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape.
The festival has grown across cultural, social and political borders to become an important shaping influence on SA arts and culture. Also popular is the annual Klein Karoo...
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Sun City, Garden Route, CPT Golf Tour Day 01 - Johannesburg – Sun City Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport where you will need to collect your rental car and make your way to South Africa's most famous pleasure resort…Sun City (approximately 3 hours drive). Situated within the crater of an extinct volcano, the resort has something to offer everyone…. including two magnificent...
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SOUTHERN AFRICA TRAVEL The Oak Suite, Guardian House,
Borough Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2AE Tel: 01483 425533 Fax: 01483 860391 The air holiday packages on this website are ATOL protected
by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 4795. Please see our booking
conditions for more information. Click on the ATOL logo above for more information.
Many thanks and credit to the following
photographers whose images have been used in this site: Michael Poliza, Colin
Bell, Dana Allen, David Ross, Nick Melidonas and Wilderness Safaris.
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Enquiry Form or call us on +44 (0)1483 425 533
Addo Elephant Tour
Full Day - Approx. 8 hours
GARDEN ROUTE TOUR
4 day departing from Cape Town
Port Elizabeth City Tour
Half Day - Approx. 3 hours
Private Game Reserve Tour
Full Day - Approx. 8-10 hours
