9 Day Garden Route, Karoo and Addo Wonders

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1CAPE TOWN to OUDTSHOORN via ROUTE 62 (±420km)⌄

   Guests travel inland via Route 62 to Oudtshoorn. This route introduces guests to the southern Cape, including the Cape Winelands region and the semi-arid Klein Karoo. Enjoy lunch and wine tasting (both for own account) en route. The tour arrives in Oudtshoorn, late afternoon, home to over 400 ostrich farms and several so-called ‘Feather Mansions’. Relax and take pleasure in Klein Karoo hospitality. Guests enjoy dinner in town (own account)

   Overnight: Overnight at Queens Hotel or similar

2. 2FULL DAY in OUDTSHOORN⌄

   An early dawn, guests take a short hike to a meerkat-burrow and be party first-hand to their social structures and behaviour (own account and weather dependant). After breakfast at the hotel, guests can enjoy the day in and around Oudtshoorn, visiting the famous Cango Caves, a primary school, witnessing a local upliftment success story (time permitting), and an ostrich farm. Guests enjoy lunch (own account) at the ostrich farm before boarding a tractor for a guided tour. Return to Oudtshoorn and visit the CP Nel Museum (own account), declared a National Monument in 1980. Spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sights and sounds of the Klein Karoo and its people. Savour dinner in town (own account).

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at Queens Hotel or similar

3. 3OUDTSHOORN to GRAAFF-REINET (±320km)⌄

   The tour departs for the historic town of Graaff-Reinet. Guests embark on a guided tour to the Valley of Desolation and experience the hauntingly beautiful “Cathedral of the Mountains” in the Camdeboo National Park. Guests overnight at the Drostdy Hotel; built on the site of the first magistrate’s court dating back to 1806, and enjoy dinner at the hotel (own account).

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at Drosdty Hotel or similar

4. 4GRAAFF-REINET to ADDO (±238km)⌄

   Guests enjoy a leisurely breakfast followed by a walk in town, which boasts more proclaimed national monuments than any other town in South Africa. Guests enjoy lunch (own account) en route to the Zuurberg mountains, adjacent the Addo Elephant National Park. The park is home to more than 450 elephants, 400 Cape buffalo, over 48 endangered black rhino and other plains game. Lion and spotted hyena have recently been re-introduced to the area.

   Meals: Breakfast · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Zuurberg Mountain Village or similar

5. 5ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK⌄

   Following breakfast, guests depart for a full day game drive in the Addo Elephant National Park, stopping for lunch in the park. Guests return to the hotel for dinner before retiring for the night.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Zuurberg Mountain Village or similar

6. 6ADDO to KNSYNA via TSITSIKAMMA FOREST (±360km)⌄

   After breakfast the tour departs for the Garden Route, a region acclaimed for its diversity and extraordinary scenery. Guests will stop at Storms River and enjoy a short walk to the suspension bridge to take in the views.

   Guests enjoy lunch (own account) in the mystical Tsitsikamma Forest renowned for its endemic diversity and dramatic coastline. Guests enjoy dinner at the hotel (own account).

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at The Rex Hotel or similar

7. 7FULL DAY AT LEISURE in KNYSNA⌄

   Guests can visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve (own account, including lunch). The local tour guide will share tales about Knysna whilst guests enjoy panoramic views on board the ferry and a Unimog-drawn trailer. An optional 2.2km guided nature walk, through the forest and along the coast, is recommended. Enjoy a buffet lunch at the Forest Restaurant, a unique outdoor restaurant under a canopy of milkwood trees, on the edge of the lagoon. In the late afternoon, guests board a boat and enjoy a relaxed and informative sunset Knysna oyster tour. The cruise goes to the Knysna Heads, where an amazing photo opportunity awaits. Guests are served with wine and fresh oysters on the return trip, while kept entertained and informed on the natural elements of the lagoon and the history of Knysna. Guests dine at the hotel (own account).

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at The Rex Hotel or similar

8. 8KNYSNA to HERMANUS via CAPE AGULHAS (±540km)⌄

   The tour departs for Hermanus via Cape Agulhas and a brief stop in Swellendam. Swellendam is locally acclaimed for its youngberries, eclectic architecture, adventure activities and national parks. Enjoy lunch (own account) en route. The tour continues to the coast and Africa’s southern-most tip at Cape Agulhas. Guests visit the new map of Africa monument and the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse Museum, the third lighthouse to be built in South Africa and the second oldest still in operation today. Further west, the town of Hermanus on Walker Bay, affords guests unparalleled scenery, modern infrastructure and an upmarket shopping experience. Guests dine at the hotel or in town (own account).

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at Arabella Spa & Hotel or similar

9. 9HERMANUS to CAPE TOWN via FRANSCHHOEK (±190km)⌄

   Guests enjoy breakfast before the tour departs for one of South Africa’s oldest towns, Franschhoek, en route to Cape Town. The tour follows the scenic drive through Villiersdorp, situated in the Overberg, before arriving in Franschhoek, a town lauded for world-class cuisine and extensive cellars. Enjoy lunch (own account) in town. Guests experience authentic history and walk the path of Nelson Mandela’s own walk to freedom to the then Victor Verster Prison, now the Drakenstein Correctional Centre, outside Franschhoek. Guests visit the location and road where the late Nelson Mandela ended his long walk to freedom. Guests continue to Cape Town where the tour ends.

   Meals: Breakfast