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What to see on the Garden Route, South Africa?
Lagoons, ancient forests, vast beaches and cliffs dropping into the Indian Ocean, along roughly 200 km (125 miles) between Mossel Bay and Storms River. The Garden Route takes three to five days and is one of the highlights of a first South Africa road trip.
The route follows the N2 highway, squeezed between the sea and the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains. Rain falls year-round here, so the landscape is surprisingly green for South Africa.
The highlights, west to east:
- Mossel Bay: the gateway town, with a maritime museum and a seal island.
- Wilderness: a laid-back village of lakes and rivers to paddle by kayak, a long beach and the Garden Route National Park (R270, about US$16, per day).
- Knysna: a huge lagoon guarded by two sandstone cliffs, the Knysna Heads, plus oysters and forests where a handful of wild elephants still roam, very rarely seen.
- Plettenberg Bay ('Plett'): the upmarket beach town, with Robberg Nature Reserve, a wild peninsula hike above seal colonies, and whales from June to November.
- Tsitsikamma: the most dramatic section, with the suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth (R422, about US$26, per day), Nature's Valley and the Bloukrans Bridge bungee, one of the highest in the world.
- The Otter Trail: Tsitsikamma's five-day coastal hike, often booked up a year ahead.
Allow about four and a half hours' drive from Cape Town to Mossel Bay, then two and a half to Storms River without stops. George airport lets you fly in. The region is pleasant year-round, with rain possible in any season; the sea is warmest from December to March.
Several wildlife attractions line the route (birds, monkeys, big cats, elephants); some offer cub petting or elephant rides, which are widely criticised on welfare grounds. Choose places with no direct contact with the animals.
Verdict: a must between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), easily extended to Addo. For the return leg, the inland Karoo route saves you driving the same road twice.
Tip: base yourself for two nights in one place, Knysna or Plettenberg Bay, instead of changing hotels every night: everything is under an hour away, and you'll spend your time on the beach rather than packing.
Information checked in November 2026; confirm before you travel.
More landmarks in this section
- Where are the best beaches in South Africa for swimming?
- What are the best beaches in Cape Town?
- What to see at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope?
- Boulders Beach: where to see penguins in Cape Town?
- When is whale season in Hermanus?
- Can you still see great white sharks in South Africa?
- What to see on the Wild Coast, South Africa?