Download trip notes enter your email to get a pdf file containing all the trip. Technically starting in storms river and ending in mossel bay 190 miles, the route is so scenic that many drivers extend it a couple of hundred miles by flying into port elizabeth and driving all the way to cape town 400 miles. Accessible from three major airports, the garden route is easily combined with the vibrant city of cape town and a big five safari experience in port elizabeth. Quench your thirst for beauty with the unsurpassed spectacle of the garden route and the spontaneous playfulness of whales visiting our beautiful oceans. The ultimate south africa road trip on the garden route.
Were travelling to south africa to cape town and along the garden route in september and are staying in hermanus for two nights which assuming we leave cape town after breakfast and then hermanus again first thing onto our next destination gives us one full day and a half in hermanus. While stanford is along the whale route, it isnt actually a coastal town, but it does lie on the edge of a massive nature reserve. Embark on two game drives in search for the big five game of africa. Southern right whales are to be found in cape town and along the garden route to plettenberg bay where large concentrations of bottlenose dolphins may also provide breathtaking encounters. Only a two hour drive from cape town, this little town is the heart of the whale route. Oct 09, 2018 a road trip along the garden route in south africa with kids is a wonderful journey. Vineyards and wine tasting are probably not the first thing that springs to mind when youre thinking about the garden route, but believe. We spent over a month in south africa and our time in cape town and along the garden route was a highlight, along with our time on safari in kruger national park. Watch as whales come within metres of the shores, and join in on the festivities of the annual hermanus whale festival this year held on. At the foot of three majestic mountains, the stunning scenery seems unreal. Best time to visit the garden route the garden route has an allyearround temperate climate that is perfectly suited to playing outdoors. Still bay, western cape coast along the garden route offers excellent vantage points for whale watching from july to october.
Ultimate garden route itinerary written by locals stingy. A comprehensive set of maps of the garden route, south africa. This area stretches roughly between cape town and the garden route and includes the little. The garden route stretches 300 kilometers along the southwestern coast of southern africa. Ever wanted to see whales in their natural environment. Whales can be seen along the entire coast from cape town to the garden route, some areas are better for viewing than others. Get a glimpse of life underwater with our collection of fish images and pictures. The whale route starts along the south of cape town and extends to durban, 1,200 plus miles of whale watching coastline. Where to go on the garden route the garden route is one of the worlds most spectacular drives, a 200km stretch of road that winds past forested mountains, sprawling wetlands and whitesand beaches with picturesque towns spaced no more than a 45minute drive apart. Whether youre a romantic, a family, or interested in combination tours featuring other south african highlights, we have just the ticket excuse the pun to the holiday of your dreams.
Whale watching in january garden route forum tripadvisor. Natural attractions in the garden route south africa travel. I had the misconception that the garden route was a road along south africas coast. In wilderness on the garden route, whale s way is a stunning oceanfront retreat where you feel at home from the moment you arrive.
The tsitsikamma national park is a protected area on the garden route, western cape and eastern cape, south africa. We travel along the magnificent garden route via picturesque hanover to knysna where we spend three nights, on our way back we stop in the friendly city. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the otter trail. Humpback whales are also on their migrations at this time, travelling to and from the tropics, the chance of sighting them offshore are very high. Several species of whales can be seen on the stretch from stilbaai through to mossel bay and on to george, wilderness, knysna and tsitsikamma. Walking and hiking trails in garden route, south africa.
Brentononsea, the knysna heads and noetzie are the best whale watching view points. The sight of whales sometimes coming within a few meters of the coastline it is so fascinating. Like the neighbouring whale trail in the overberg, this two or fourday coastal route leads you through some of the best scenery of the garden route. If you want to get off the beaten path in south africa, head to wilderness. Garden route adventures here include a variety of thrills and spills like paragliding, kloofing and abseiling, all great ways to explore this picture perfect setting. Take a deep breath and dive into an underwater world of match3 fun with fishdom, an allnew free game. The 300 km road trip that is garden route takes you through the seaside town of knysna.
Garden route south africa south african vacation 2020. Whale trail hermanus, cape whale coast, garden route south africa is undoubtedly one of the most exciting whale watching destinations in the world. The garden route in 3 days south africas most scenic drive. Ultimate garden route itinerary written by locals stingy nomads. Feed them, play with them, and watch them interact with each other. From june onwards, southern right whales start to arrive along the southern african coastline, all the way from the west coast to the garden route further east. Dont worry you wont be bored here and youll never have too much time to explore the garden route. Whether during the summer or the winter, the harold porter national botanical garden, along the sea coast on the whale route, is a mustsee. Garden route in 3 days the southernmost selfie in africa going costal. Located less than 2 hours from cape town, this place will carry you away between tranquility and peacefulness. Jan 01, 2020 south african spring and summer october april is the best time to travel the garden route. The garden route, from stilbaai through mossel bay and on to george, wilderness, knysna and tsitsikamma, is a magnificent stretch of coastline hosting whales. Garden route, south africa road trip driving itinerary.
The garden route generally, from stilbaai through mossel bay and on to george, wilderness, knysna and tsitsikamma, is a magnificent stretch of coastline. South africa is considered one of the best destinations worldwide for watching marine mammals, whether from boats or land, with spectacular annual visits from southern right and humpback whales and enormous pods of dolphins yearround. This is a 7day garden route itinerary but its possible to shrink it to 3 or 4 days or stretch it for 10 days or even 2 weeks. Best time for whale watching in south africa rhino africa. All the rooms have ocean views, wifi, tv, dvd and cd player. The hidden gem of a coastal town sits between the ocean and the river, and is an amazing place to retreat and bask in nature. However, there are certain measures you can take to stay the safe while driving the garden route. Avoid walking through the back roads in cities or townships, and wandering alone at night.
The 15 best things to do in garden route 2020 with photos. Sep 18, 2017 hermanus, the whale capital, was ranked in the top 12 whale watching locations in the world by the world wildlife fund. Download a free whalewatching infographic brochure. Includes a hybrid physical political map showing the major towns of the region, the largest game reserves and the national roads, relief map showing the terrain in the garden route and street level maps of george, knysna, mossel bay and plettenberg bay. With so much to do along the way, we decided it would be a good idea to share our favourite stops on the famous n2 garden route highway. Sometimes they arrive earlier and stay later, with prime whale watching. The garden route, a stretch of coastline along the southern coast of south africa from cape town to port elizabeth, is home to a huge number of game reserves and animal sanctuaries. Garden route roadtrip part 3 oudtshoorn and hermanus. Begin your journey from cape town and go whale watching from the shores of. The area is considered to be one of the richest rainfall regions. The garden route when we travelled the garden route in south africa, we were heading from the south cape town to the north pretoria, so our stops listed here will follow this same itinerary. Take a delight in watching a virtual walk in 4k ultra hd.
On kris 34th birthday, we set off on our road trip along the garden route. Along the wild coast the whales do not come in as close as they do in the southern. There are between 100200 whales which come into walker bay hermanus every year. The 10 best garden route beaches with photos tripadvisor. The best whalewatching spots in the cape the inside guide. The garden route officially starts in mossel bay and finishes in stormsrivier. Spot whales and dolphins on a whalewatching cruise. Continuing from the previous post in the garden route itinerary, the next step was continuing on the n1 and driving to hermanus with a stop in oudsthoorn.
Whale watching still bay, western cape coast along the garden. The route traverses several famous protected areas, including the garden route, tsitsikamma national park, and the transkei. Several species of whales can be seen on the stretch from stilbaai through to mossel bay and on to george, wilderness, knysna and. Other species of whale and dolphin that may frequently be found include. Stay at the 4star garden route game lodge, a malariafree private game. On 6 march 2009 it was amalgamated with the wilderness national park and various other areas of land to form the garden route national park. Animal encounters on the garden route of south africa. Whale watching south africa humpbacks, southern rights.
Garden route whale watching tour 7 x nights oceans africa. Between july and october the whales visit the coast between still bay and jongensfontein in large numbers. Best time to visit garden route highlow season, weather. O ne of the most loved and welltraveled coastal routes in south africa, the garden route is an epic trailer of the countrys highlights. Road trip along the garden route in south africa with kids. Click download or read online button to get voyaging with the whales book now. Mar 16, 2020 the garden route, a stretch of coastline along the southern coast of south africa from cape town to port elizabeth, is home to a huge number of game reserves and animal sanctuaries. Our garden route tour selection includes all of these as well as the option to individually tailor your tour and make it all your own. The whale route extends eastwards from cape town along the r43 or r45 and passes through the coastal towns of kleinmond, hermanus, stanford and gaansbaai. This whale watching tour of the garden route is specifically designed for the whale and dolphin enthusiast. Temperatures are highest in the summer months november to april, although bear in mind that this stretch of coastline gets very. Known as the garden route, the road trip gets its name from the garden route national park that it covers, and the.
Where to go on the garden route south africa go2africa. Try challenging and fun match3 gameplay with unique puzzles as you decorate aquariums to create cozy homes for lovely talking fish. Mountain national park, garden route, tsitsikamma national park. South african spring and summer october april is the best time to travel the garden route. Hermanus is known worldwide for the whale watching and is a mustsee in south africa. Southern right whales are to be found in cape town and along the garden route to plettenberg bay where large concentrations of bottlenose dolphins may also provide breathtaking. The ultimate south africa road trip on the garden route afar. At least 37 species of whales and dolphins can be found in the waters off south africa. The coastal route from cape town takes you along the false bay coastline through the small seaside towns of bettys bay and kleinmond to hermanus the whale capital, over stanford to gansbaai for white shark diving and cape agulhas where the atlantic and the indian oceans meet. This stunning and verdant stretch running along the indian ocean between heidelberg and storms river is south africas n2 at. Available from august to november the tour offers fantastic boat and land based, whale watching opportunities. Swellendam situated directly off the n2, the main thoroughfare between the socalled mother city cape town and the beginning of garden route, swellendam is recognized as one of south africas historical highlights, with only cape town and stellenbosch founded even earlier. The garden route, from stilbaai through mossel bay and on to george, wilderness, knysna and tsitsikamma, is a magnificent stretch of coastline hosting whales in their season. Slightly off the main topic, but i thought id post in here as it is closely related.
If you want to go out to sea and get really close, book a trip with the boat operators in plettenberg bay, further along the garden route. A road trip along the garden route in south africa with kids is a wonderful journey. The garden route stretches 200 kilometres, from mossel. Whale watching in south africa is one of the major highlights of. Incredible stops not to miss along the garden route in south. Whale watching is an unforgettable experience and visitors travel far to see these magnificent denizens of the deep. The garden route is a heavily trafficked area by tourists, so it is safe to travel along. The whale route south africa amazing road trips from cape. There are many opportunities to see them along the garden route coastline, witsand, stilbaai, mossel bay, wilderness, kleinkrans, sedgefield, knysna and plettenberg bay in fact virtually anywhere that you can get a viewpoint down on the ocean.
In fact, there are so many things to do on the garden route that you can travel it again. Every year, between june and december, southern right whales journey to our shores to mate and calve, giving us the aweinspiring opportunity to get up close with them. The southern right is readily distinguished from other whales by the callosities calluses on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin and a. Hiking the st blaize trail will give you a good view of the bay below, where you can spot southern rights, humpbacks, brydes whales or the deadly killer whales feeding on seals on the island in the bay. These animal sanctuaries, similar to zoos, offer opportunities to get up close with their animals. Then on to whale watching spot hermanus whale watching, along the garden. Hi, we are taking a trip to sa in the first week of jan and need some advice. Whale watching south africa hermanus, cape whale coast. You could easily do the garden route in two days but that would mean omitting weird and wonderful activities like ostrich riding, whalewatching, and elephant spotting. Incredible stops not to miss along the garden route in. Garden route whale watching tour 7 x nights oceans. With an endless coastline flanked by rolling mountain ranges dotted by forests and valleys punctuated with rivers and charming towns, the garden route is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque routes in south africa. Jun 01, 2016 the garden route is a scenic stretch of the southeastern coast of south africa.
Vineyards and wine tasting are probably not the first thing that springs to mind when youre thinking about the garden route. Youre guaranteed great safari options, surfing, hiking, beaches, restaurants, and hotels, plus roadside farm stalls selling local produce. May 01, 2018 this high quality scenic footage will let you imagine that you are strolling along sunset beach in hawaii. A lot of people begin their drive in cape town and head towards port elizabeth or vise versa. Theres a 300kilometer stretch of coastal road on the south west tip of south africa regarded as the most beautiful region in the country. Whale watching along the garden route luxury safaris. Known as the garden route, the road trip gets its name from the garden route national park that it covers, and the diverse vegetation and wildlife, and abundance of lagoons, lakes, mountains, forests, and beaches along its winding roads. This stretch of road goes along the south coast of south africa and is a very popular trip.
Located between heidelberg and storms river, the garden route is a popular stretch of the southeastern coast of south africa. See the majestic southern right whale noordkapper for yourself. Top stops on the garden route in south africa goats on. Road trippin on the garden route of south africa earth trekkers.
The tsitsikama national park, at the storms river mouth offers excellent whale watching opportunities. A page where whale seekers can see where whales are currently along the garden route. Garden route big 5 safari overnight shared tour by kabura travel. I understand that decjan is the end of the season for whale watching and we may not spot any however what is our best chance to spot some whales. They come in close to shore in many places along our coast and are easily observed from cliffs and vantage points. Although there was some amazing scenery along the coast i was hungry for more. Its about 600km long, and you can do it in a couple of days, or a couple of weeks. Enjoy the spectacular indian ocean and mountain views and watch whales and dolphins from your bedroom. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in garden route, south africa on tripadvisor. The heart of the garden route is knysna, surrounded by forest and situated along a lagoon, whose waters are protected from the open sea by sandstone formations known as the heads.
Download some classic south african beats by hugh masekela. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. This is not the longest route, but it is one that is short enough to do in a day, making it the ideal road trip for those who want to get cheap flights to george and spend a weekend whalewatching. The name garden route comes from an abundance of flora and fauna including lagoons, lakes, lush forests, wild flowers and a pleasant and comfortable yearround climate to be enjoyed on a south africa vacation. Garden route adventures fun things to do garden route. Plettenberg bay to oudtshoorn alas, after three nights at our wonderful accommodation in plettenberg bay, the milkwood manor, it was time to depart and continue on our way to cape town. Temperatures are highest in the summer months november to april, although bear in mind that this stretch of coastline gets very busy over the christmas school holidays. The western part of the route has more rainfall in winter like cape town, tsitsikamma area has more rainfalls in summer, like port elizabeth.
Voyaging with the whales download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. The peak months being september and october when the whales come right into the bays of south africa to breach. Watch 40ton whale leaps entirely out of water off the. Easily add multiple stops, live traffic, road conditions, or satellite to your route. Download this tours pdf brochure and start tour planning offline. South africa from above 6 unique journeys from cape town. So i tryed to install it because i got a new pc and when i tryed to download and click the setup exe down left, after that the pc showed msvcp140. Over 50 whales have been spotted together mere kilometres from the coast.
The garden route is a scenic stretch of the southeastern coast of south africa. Hey, your finned friends are waiting for you, so dive in now and. The cape whale route is a 900kilometrelong stretch of coastline that extends from strandfontein near muizenberg to plettenberg bay in the southern cape. Wilderness is, imho, one of the most underrated places to visit on the garden route. A recommended route for whalewatching along the garden route is to fly to george, pick up a car rental, and then wind your way along the coast to buffalo bay in knysna. The best time for watching the southern right whale in south african. Its fully guided and portered leaving you to plod happily along, investigating ancient caves and rock pools, learning about flora and fauna or soaking up views of the indian. Whale watching in the garden route south africa is considered one of the best destinations worldwide for watching marine mammals, whether from boats or land, with spectacular annual visits from southern right and humpback whales and enormous pods of dolphins yearround. It includes towns such as hermanus, mossel bay, knysna, oudtshoorn, george, plettenberg bay, natures valley, jeffreys bay, port elizabeth and addo. Whales way ocean retreat accommodation in garden route.
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