The Garden Route

The Garden Route, a slender stretch of coastal plain on the N2 between Mossel Bay and Storms River Mouth, has a legendary status as South Africa’s paradise – reflected in local names such as Garden of Eden and Wilderness. This soft, green, forested swath, that stretches nearly 200km, is cut by rivers that tumble down from the mountains to the north, to its southern rocky shores and sandy beaches. The Khoikhoi herders who lived off its natural bounty considered the area a paradise too, calling it Outeniqua (“the man laden with honey”). Their Eden was quickly destroyed in the eighteenth century with the arrival of Dutch woodcutters, who had exhausted the forests around Cape Town and set about doing the same in Outeniqua, killing or dispersing the Khoikhoi and San in the process.

Birds and animals suffered too from the encroachment of Europeans. In the 1850s, the Swedish naturalist Johan Victorin shot and feasted on the species he had come to study, some of which, including the endangered narina trogon, he noted were both “beautiful and good to eat”.

Despite the dense appearance of the area, what you see today are only the remnants of one of Africa’s great forests; most of the indigenous hardwoods have been replaced by exotic pine plantations, and the only milk and honey you’ll find now is in the many shops servicing the Garden Route coastal resorts. Conservation has halted the wholesale destruction of the indigenous woodlands, but a huge growth in tourism and the influx of urbanites seeking a quiet life in the relatively crime-free Garden Route towns threaten to rob the area of its remaining tranquillity.

The Garden Route coast is dominated by three inlets – Mossel Bay, the Knysna lagoon and Plettenberg Bay – each with its own town. Oldest of these and closest to Cape Town is Mossel Bay, an industrial centre of limited charm, which marks the official start of the Garden Route. Knysna, though younger, exudes a well-rooted urban character and is the nicest of the coastal towns, with one major drawback – unlike Plettenberg Bay, its eastern neighbour, it has no beach of its own. A major draw, though, is the Knysna forest covering some of the hilly country around Knysna.

Between the coastal towns are some ugly modern holiday developments, but also some wonderful empty beaches and tiny coves, such as Victoria Bay and Nature’s Valley. Best of all is the Tsitsikamma National Park, which has it all – indigenous forest, dramatic coastline, the pumping Storms River Mouth and South Africa’s most popular hike, the Otter Trail.

There are no serious Big Five game reserves in the Western Cape and certainly none that can offer anything like you’ll get on a safari in the Kruger or a stay in one of the reserves near Port Elizabeth. Of the game experiences offered along the Garden Route, Botlierskop, inland from Mossel Bay and within half a day’s drive from Cape Town, consistently gets rated as one of the best.

Most visitors take the Garden Route as a journey between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, dallying for little more than a day or two for shopping, sightseeing or a taste of one of the many outdoor activities on offer. The rapid passage cut by the excellent N2 makes it all too easy to have a fast scenic drive – and end up disappointed because you don’t see that much from the road. To make the journey worthwhile, you’ll need to slow down, take some detours off the highway and explore a little. Each town offers a plethora of adventure-based activities, including whale- and dolphin-spotting from land or boat and the more sedate pleasures of first-class restaurants, ultra-luxurious guesthouses and forest and beach walks.

GETTING AROUND: THE GARDEN route

The Garden Route is probably the best-served stretch of South Africa for transport. If time is tight, you may want to go by plane to George at the west end of the Garden Route, which is served by scheduled flights from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, or a flight from either Johannesburg or Cape Town directly to Plettenberg Bay’s tiny airport on Cemair. Visiting Port Elizabeth from Cape Town, consider taking the magnificent interior Route 62 to avoid having to drive the N2 in both directions.

By Baz Bus The most user-friendly among the public transport options is the Baz Bus service between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (0861 229 287, www.bazbus.com), which picks up passengers daily except Wednesday and Sunday in Cape Town (7.15–8.30am) and Port Elizabeth (6.45–7.30am). It provides a door-to-door service within the central districts of all the towns along the way, and has the advantage over the large intercity lines that it will happily carry outdoor gear, such as surfboards or mountain bikes. Although the buses take standby passengers if there’s space available, you should book ahead to secure a seat.

By intercity bus Intercape, Greyhound and Translux intercity buses from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are more direct than the Baz Bus, stopping only at Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Storms River (the village, but not the Mouth and National Park, which is some distance away). These buses often don’t go into town, letting passengers off at petrol stations on the highway instead.

Mossel Bay

MOSSEL BAY, a mid-sized town 397km east of Cape Town, gets a bad press from most South Africans, mainly because of the huge industrial facade it presents to the N2. Don’t panic – the historic centre is a thoroughly pleasant contrast, set on a hill overlooking the small working harbour and bay. Mossel Bay also has one of the best swimming beaches along the southern Cape coast and an interesting museum. Like other Garden Route destinations it is also a springboard for numerous adventure activities. The town takes on a strong Afrikaans flavour over Christmas, when Karoo farmers and their families descend in droves to occupy its caravan parks and chalets.

If the urban nature of Mossel Bay holds no appeal, you are best heading off inland in the direction of Oudtshoorn, along the R328 Robinson Pass Road, where there are some great places to stay.

Brief history

Mossel Bay bears poignant historical significance as the place where indigenous Khoi cattle herders first encountered the Europeans in a bloody spat that symbolically set the tone for five hundred years of race relations on the subcontinent. A group of Portuguese mariners under Captain Bartholomeu Dias set sail from Portugal in August 1487 in search of a sea route to the riches of India, and months later rounded the Cape of Good Hope. In February 1488, they became the first Europeans to make landfall along the South African coast, when they pulled in for water to the safety of an inlet they called Aguado de So Bras (“watering place of St Blaize”), now Mossel Bay. The Khoikhoi were organized into distinct groups, each under its own chief and each with territorial rights over pastures and water sources. The Portuguese, who were flouting local customs, saw it as “bad manners” when the Khoikhoi tried to drive them off the spring. In a mutual babble of incomprehension the Khoi began stoning the Portuguese, who retaliated with crossbow fire that left one of the herders dead.

Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex

Mon–Fri 9am–4.45pm, Sat & Sun 9am–3.45pm • R20; entry onto Dias caravel additional R20 • diasmuseum.co.za

Mossel Bay’s main urban attraction is the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex. Housed in a collection of historic buildings, which are well integrated into the small town centre, the museums are all near the tourist office and within a couple of minutes’ walk of each other.

The Maritime Museum

The highlight of the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex is the Maritime Museum, a spiral gallery with displays on the history of European, principally Portuguese, seafaring, arranged around a full-size replica of Dias’ original caravel. The ship was built in Portugal and sailed from Lisbon to Mossel Bay in 1987 to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of Dias’ historic journey. You can’t fail to be awed by the idea of the original mariners setting out on the high seas into terra incognita on such a small vessel – particularly as the crew were accommodated above deck with only a sailcloth for protection against the elements.

Post Office Tree

Sixteenth-century mariners used to leave messages for passing ships in an old boot under a milkwood tree somewhere around the designated Post Office Tree, just outside the Maritime Museum; the plaque claims that “this may well” be the same tree. You can post mail here in a large, boot-shaped letterbox and have it stamped with a special postmark.

Shell Museum and Aquarium

Of the remaining exhibitions, the Shell Museum and Aquarium, next to the Post Office Tree, is the only one worth taking the time to visit. This is your chance to see some of the beautiful shells found off the South African coast, as well as shells from around the world. Exhibits include a history of the use of shells by humans and a fascinating display of living shellfish including cowries with their inhabitants still at home.

Santos Beach

A short walk north down the hill from the Maritime Museum gets you to Santos Beach, the main town strand, and purportedly the only north-facing beach in South Africa – which gives it exceptionally long sunny afternoons. Adjacent to the small town harbour, the beach provides some of the finest swimming along the Garden Route, with uncharacteristically gentle surf, small waves and a depth perfect for practising your crawl.

The Point

East of the harbour, the coast bulges south towards the Point. Here there are several places to eat and a popular restaurant bar with a deck at the ocean’s edge, from which you may see dolphins cruising past along a surreal five-hundred-metre rocky channel known as the aquarium, which is used as a natural tidal pool.

St Blaize Lighthouse and Cape St Blaize Cave

A couple of hundred metres to the south of the harbour, atop some cliffs, the St Blaize Lighthouse, built in 1864, is still in use as a beacon to ships. Below it, the Cape St Blaize Cave is both a marvellous lookout point and a significant archeological site. A boardwalk leads through the cave past three information panels describing the history of the interpretation of the cave as well as the modern understanding of it. In 1801 Sir John Barrow insisted that shells found at the site had been brought by seagulls, while others argued that they were relics of human habitation. It turned out that Barrow’s opponents were right, but it wasn’t till 1888 that excavations uncovered stone tools and showed that people had been using the cave for something close on 100,000 years. The path leading up to the cave continues onto the Cape St Blaize trail.

Arrival and departure: Mossel Bay

By Baz Bus Only the daily Baz Bus comes right into town, dropping passengers off at Mossel Bay Backpackers and Park House Lodge.

By intercity bus Greyhound, Intercape, SA Roadlink and Translux buses stop at Shell Voorbaai Service Station on the N2, 7km from the centre, at the junction of the national highway and the road into town. Voorbaai Truckport offers a centralized bus booking service 044 695 1172.

Destinations Cape Town (3 daily; 6hr); George (1–2 daily; 45min); Knysna (1–2 daily; 2hr); Oudtshoorn (1–2 daily; 1hr 15min); Plettenberg Bay (1–2 daily; 2hr 30min); Port Elizabeth (1–2 daily; 6hr 30min).

By taxi The town itself is small enough to negotiate on foot, but should you need transport, call 24/7 Taxi on 082 932 5809.

information

Tourist information Bang in the town centre, the tourist information office on the corner of Church and Market sts (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat & Sun 9am–4pm; 044 691 2202, visitmosselbay.co.za) has brochures about Mossel Bay and the rest of the Garden Route, and a map of the town. Their website has comprehensive listings of Mossel Bay’s main attractions, businesses, accommodation and restaurants.

activities

Mossel Bay is a springboard for popular activities, including skydiving, sandboarding and deep-sea fishing, all of which can be booked through the Garden Route Adventure Centre at Mossel Bay Backpackers (044 691 3182, gardenrouteadventures.co.za). It is worth noting that although fishing is available at Mossel Bay, you should question operators about what catch they target. Some operators are known to recreationally catch threatened or endangered species that are on the Red or Orange list of WWF SASSI (World Wildlife Fund, Sustainable Seafood Initiative; wwfsassi.co.za).

Diving and snorkelling

These aren’t tropical seas, so don’t expect clear warm waters, but with visibility usually between 4m and 10m you stand a good chance of seeing octopus, squid, sea stars, soft corals, pyjama sharks and butterfly fish. There are several rewarding diving and snorkelling spots around Mossel Bay.

Electro Dive 082 561 1259, electrodive.co.za. This outfit rents out gear and provides shore- and boat-based dives to local reefs and wrecks (R240/400 including kit), certification courses (R5000) and guided snorkelling trips (R300).

Hiking

On the mainland you can check out the coast on the St Blaize hiking trail, an easy 15km walk (roughly 4hr each way; a map is available from the tourist office) along the southern shore of Mossel Bay. The route starts from the Cape St Blaize Cave, just below the lighthouse at the Point, and heads west as far as Dana Bay, taking in magnificent coastal views of cliffs, rocks, bays and coves.

Sandboarding

Billeon Surf Meeting Point Engen One-Stop Garage 082 97 11 405, dragondune.com. Mossel Bay is one of the best places in the country for sandboarding: the dunes are big and the operation well run. Billeon Surf runs trips to the so-called “Dragon Dune”, which they claim, at 320m, is the longest runnable stretch of sand in the country. The activity is suitable for all levels, from beginner to extreme. It is extremely popular so book in advance (R400/person for a 2hr trip). From their meeting point, you are taken by 4x4 to the dunes, and a shuttle service is offered from the hostels.

Skydiving

Skydive Mossel Bay Mossel Bay Airfield 044 695 1771, skydivemosselbay.com. For the ultimate adrenaline junkies, the Garden Route has some of the country’s best sky diving. Skydive Mossel Bay offers tandem sky-dives (3000m for R3000) and skydiving courses.

Whale-watching and Seal island cruises

The Romonza 044 690 3101, mosselbay.co.za. Cruises around Seal Island (hourly 10am–3pm, adults R160), about 10km northwest of Santos Beach, to see the African penguin and seal colonies, can be taken on the Romonza, a medium-sized yacht that launches from the yacht marina in the harbour. The Romonza is also the only registered vessel allowed to run boat-based whale-watching cruises (adults R700; 2–3hr) in Mossel Bay. As elsewhere along this coast, the whale season is variable with southern rights appearing from June till late October. If you’re extremely lucky, you may also see a humpback whale.

Accommodation

Edward Charles Manor Hotel 1 Sixth Ave 044 691 2152, edwardcharles.co.za. An upmarket two-storey guesthouse in a central location overlooking Santos Beach. There are fifteen en-suite rooms, a swimming pool and a courtesy shuttle to take you to town if you don’t have your own car. R1150

Mossel Bay Backpackers 1 Marsh St 044 691 3182, mosselbaybackpackers.co.za. Well-run lodge with squeaky clean rooms, only 300m from the sea, accommodating 65 people. They also do adventure activity bookings, and there’s a swimming pool, garden and football table. Dorms R150, doubles R550

Park House Lodge 121 High St 044 691 1937, parkhouse.co.za. Top-notch budget accommodation in twenty rooms distributed across three buildings, one of which is a beautiful nineteenth-century sandstone manor house. There is a communal kitchen and place to braai. Some rooms have private entrances leading onto the garden and doubles with a shared bathroom are very affordable – en-suite rooms cost a bit more (R780). Dorms R170, doubles R600

Protea Hotel Mossel Bay Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex, Market St 044 691 3738, proteahotels.com/mosselbay. Opposite the tourist office, in an old Cape Dutch manor house, this quaint place in the town centre overlooks Santos Bay and the harbour. Breakfast is served at Café Gannet, Mossel Bay’s nicest restaurant (see below). R2016

Eating and drinking

You don’t come to Mossel Bay for the food, but there are a number of reasonable places to eat, some of them with superb sea views. The small Point Village shopping development at the north end has a couple of inexpensive to mid-priced family restaurants, opening daily from the morning until 11pm-ish.

Café Gannet Market St 044 691 1885, oldposttree.co.za. Close to the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex, Mossel Bay’s smartest restaurant serves local fish, sushi and delicacies like wild Mossel Bay oysters (R25 per oyster) at moderate prices. The stylish garden has glimpses across the harbour, and is a good spot for sundowners. Daily 7.30am–10pm.

Delfino’s Espresso Bar and Pizzeria Point Village 044 690 5247. A good place to get pasta (R70), pizza and steak, as well as decent coffee all at reasonable prices. There are great views of the sea. Daily 7am–11pm.

Kaai 4 Mossel Bay Harbour 044 691 0056, kaai4.co.za. Relaxed, rustic, open-air beach restaurant, with sprawling picnic tables in a stunning location on the beach, where you can watch your seafood braai on an open fire (R90). Although the menu is small, the servings are large and good value for money. Daily 10am–10pm (closed when raining).

King Fisher Point Village 044 690 6390, thekingfisher.co.za. A relaxed joint that, as its name suggests, specializes in seafood, from humble fish and chips (R60) to local line-fish. It also has a kids’ menu. Its elevated position above Delfino’s means it has excellent views. Daily 11.30am–11pm.

Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn

Heading inland towards Oudtshoorn from Mossel Bay on the R328 takes you over the forested coastal mountains of Robinson Pass into the desiccated Little Karoo. The draw of this road is some great scenery and accommodation, and an alternative, prettier route to Oudtshoorn than travelling via George. Day-visitors are welcome at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve (see below), with activities including game drives (R450; 3hr) and horserides (R310; 1hr) that can be booked in advance.

Accommodation: Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn

Botlierskop Private Game Reserve 22km from Mossel Bay 044 696 6055, botlierskop.co.za. While there is nothing wild about it, the tented accommodation here works hard to provide a safari atmosphere, with decks and outdoor seating to admire the lovely views. You will usually (although not always) see lions in their huge enclosure, and there’s a good chance of spotting rhinos, elephants, giraffes and antelope too. Their packages are professionally put together and include a number of activities for both day- and overnight-visitors. Cost per person for half-board, including a game drive R3100

Eight Bells Mountain Inn 35km from Mossel Bay 044 631 0000, eightbells.co.za. A firm favourite with well-heeled families wanting a fully catered hotel-style holiday, with all sorts of activities laid on for children, including horseriding, swimming, tennis and walking. There are even special meal times for younger kids. The atmosphere is friendly and it’s superbly run. Out of school holidays it remains a restful stop-off with lovely gardens and extensive grounds, close to the top of the mountainous pass. R1500

Outeniqua Moon Percheron Stud and Guest Farm 23km from Mossel Bay, just below the Robinson Pass 044 631 0093 or 082 564 9782, outeniquamoon.co.za. Comfortable and classy self-catering or B&B accommodation in four, colonial farm-style cottages on a working farm with beautiful views of the Outeniqua mountains. The huge, serene draft horses are given a sanctuary on the farm and you can spend time with them, petting foals or taking a carriage ride. You can swim laps in the 25m ozone pool or explore the large forest on the farm. If you choose not to self-cater, prepare to be spoilt with home-made bread and other farm delights. Prices are reasonable, and drop further outside of school holidays. Two-bed self-catering cottage R1500, half-board cottage R1980

George

There’s little reason at all to visit GEORGE, a large inland town 66km northeast of Mossel Bay, unless you need what a big centre offers – airport, car rental, hospital and shops. Sadly, all that’s left of the forests and quaint character that moved Anthony Trollope, during a visit in 1877, to describe it as the “prettiest village on the face of the earth” are some historic buildings.

If you’re pushed for time, however, George is conveniently right in the middle of the Garden Route, halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and there are regular flights here from both Cape Town and Johannesburg. By road, the town is a 5km detour northwest off the N2 and 9km from the nearest stretch of ocean at Victoria Bay.

Dutch Reformed Church

Davidson St

The most notable of George’s historic buildings is the beautiful Dutch Reformed Church, at the top end of Meade Street. Completed in the early 1840s, the church is definitely worth a stop if you happen to be passing through, with its elegantly simple classical facade, Greek-cross plan with an impressive, centrally placed pulpit and wonderful domed ceiling, panelled with glowing yellowwood.

President Botha AND apartheid’S LAST STAND

Pieter Willem Botha believed that by setting up a powerful “Imperial Presidency” in South Africa he could withstand the inevitable tide of democracy. A National Party hack from the age of 20, Botha worked his way up through the ranks, getting elected as an MP in 1948 when the first apartheid government took power. He was promoted through various cabinet posts until he became Minister of Defence, a position he used to launch a palace coup in 1978 against his colleague, Prime Minister John Vorster. Botha immediately set about modernizing apartheid, modifying his own role from that of a British-style prime minister, answerable to parliament, to one of an executive president taking vital decisions in the secrecy of a President’s Council heavily weighted with army top brass.

Informed by the army that the battle to preserve the apartheid status quo was unwinnable purely by force, Botha embarked on his Total Strategy, which involved reforms to peripheral aspects of apartheid and the fostering of a black middle class as a buffer against the ANC, while pumping vast sums of money into building an enormous military machine that crossed South Africa’s borders to bully or crush neighbouring countries harbouring groups opposed to apartheid. South African refugees in Botswana and Zimbabwe were bombed, Angola was invaded, and arms were run to anti-government rebels in Mozambique, reducing it to ruins – a policy that has returned to haunt South Africa with those same weapons now returning across the border and finding their way into the hands of criminals. Inside South Africa, security forces enjoyed a free hand to murder, maim and torture opponents of apartheid.

Botha blustered and wagged his finger at the opposition through the late 1980s, while his bloated military sucked the state coffers dry as it prosecuted its dirty wars. Even National Party stalwarts realized that his policies were leading to ruin, and in 1989, when he suffered a stroke, the party was quick to replace him with F.W. de Klerk, who immediately proceeded to announce reforms.

Botha lived out his unrepentant retirement near George, declining ever to apologize for any of the brutal actions taken under his presidency to bolster apartheid. Curiously, when he died in 2006, he was given an uncritical, high-profile state funeral, broadcast on national television and attended by members of the government, including then-president, Thabo Mbeki.

St Mark’s Cathedral

Cathedral St • stmarkscathedral.co.za

St Mark’s Cathedral, consecrated in 1850, is worth seeing, but unlike the Dutch Reformed Church, which is open to the public, it can only be visited by appointment. Ask at the tourist office for bookings (see below). It also holds regular worship services.

Arrival and information: George

By plane Kulula and SAA fly between Johannesburg and the small George airport, 10km west of town on the N2 (6 daily; 1hr 50min). SAA also flies here from Cape Town (2 daily; 50min). Most tourists flying in rent a car from one of the companies at the airport and set off down the Garden Route.

By Baz Bus The Baz Bus drops off at Outeniqua Backpackers on Merriman St on its daily run between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

By intercity buses Intercape, Translux and Greyhound intercity buses pull in at George station, adjacent to the railway museum, and at the Sasol garage station on the N2 east of town.

Destinations Cape Town (2 daily; 7hr); Joburg (daily; 16hr); Knysna (2 daily; 1hr 30min); Mossel Bay (6–7 daily; 45min); Oudtshoorn (daily; 1hr 10min); Plettenberg Bay (2 daily; 2hr); Port Elizabeth (2 daily; 5hr 30min).

Tourist information The George tourist office at 124 York St (Mon–Fri 7.45am–4.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm; 044 801 9295, georgetourism.org.za) can provide town maps and help with accommodation bookings.

THE OUTENIQUA POWER VAN

Sadly South Africa’s main-line railways are slowly dying. The Garden Route’s train line once penetrated some of the region’s most visually stunning back country making the Cape Town-to-Port Elizabeth run one of the great railway journeys of the world. That ended when some of the tracks were washed away and never replaced.

Fortunately, you can still get a taster of the line on the Outeniqua Power Van, a single cab diesel-powered train that trails into the Outeniqua Mountains just outside George. The train stops at a scenic site for a picnic before returning to the town. En route you pass through forest, negotiate passes and tunnels, and can see waterfalls and fynbos.

BOOKING

The train departs from the Outeniqua Transport Museum, 2 Mission Rd, George (Mon–Sat on demand, booking essential 082 490 5627; R140; 2.5hr). Bring your own picnic, sunglasses, a hat and a warm jacket.

Accommodation

10 Caledon Street 10 Caledon St 044 873 4983. The pick of the mid-priced B&Bs, this spotless guesthouse is on a quiet street, within an easy walk to the city centre. There’s a garden and the rooms feature balconies with mountain views. The owners are superb hosts and provide an excellent breakfast. R1200

Die Waenhuis 11 Caledon St 044 874 0034, diewaenhuis.co.za. Mid-nineteenth-century home that has retained its period character. There are eleven spacious en-suite rooms, a beautiful garden, and it’s run by gracious hosts. English breakfasts are served in a sunlit dining room, which is warmed in the winter by a Dover stove. R1300

Mount View Resort & Lifestyle Village York St 044 874 5205, mountviewsa.co.za. Modern complex that lacks some character, but offers great value in its one-, two- and three-bedroom en-suite chalets and rondavels. The gardens are well-kept and pleasant. The complex also has a gym as well as an indoor and outdoor swimming pool. Rondavels R580, chalets R750

Oakhurst Hotel Cnr Meade & Cathedral sts 044 874 7130, oakhursthotel.co.za. Charming, centrally located manor house with a country feel. There are green lawns, a peaceful garden with pool, a lovely dining area and views of the Outeniqua Mountains. R1000

Outeniqua Backpackers 115 Merriman St 082 316 7720, outeniqualodge.co.za. Friendly hostel in a bright and airy suburban house with comfortable dorms and doubles, some with mountain views. There’s a swimming pool, and they provide free airport pick-ups. The Baz Bus also pulls in here. Dorms R140, doubles R500

Eating and drinking

Fat Fish 124 York St 044 884 1012. A good choice for a well-priced meal, from meze for one (R85) to rump steaks at varying sizes (R145), in a popular, central and well-run venue. Daily 11.30am–10pm.

La Capannina 122 York St 044 874 5313. Italian restaurant that in addition to excellent pizzas and pasta, has other tricks up its sleeve such as beef fillet on a bed of polenta and some distinctly un-Italian dishes such as ostrich jambalaya with a hint of curry (R160). Mon–Sat noon–10pm.

The Old Town House Cnr York and Market sts 044 874 3663. There’s a lovely ambience in this original townhouse, where the food is well-cooked with attention to detail in an intimate setting. Despite the place’s carnivorous inclination – they specialize in venison and beef – vegetarians are catered for and their baked pasta is delicious (R65). Mon–Fri noon–3pm & 6–10pm, Sat 6–10pm.

Victoria Bay

Some 9km south of George and 3km off the N2 lies the minuscule hamlet of VICTORIA BAY, on the edge of a small sandy beach wedged into a cove between cliffs, with a grassy sunbathing area, safe swimming and a tidal pool. During the December holidays it packs out with day-trippers, and rates as one of the top surfing spots along the Garden Route. Because of the cliffs, there’s only a single row of buildings along the beachfront, with some of the most dreamily positioned guesthouses along the coast (and therefore some of the priciest for what you get).

Arrival and departure: Victoria Bay

By car Arriving by car, you’ll encounter a metal barrier as you drop down the hill to the bay, and you’ll have to try and park in a car park that’s frequently full (especially in summer). If you’re staying at one of the B&Bs, leave your car at the barrier and collect the key from your lodgings to gain access to the private beach road.

By Baz Bus The daily bus, which provides the only transport to Victoria Bay, drops off at the Vic Bay Surfari.

Accommodation

Land’s End Self-Catering The Point, Beach Rd 044 889 0123, vicbay.com. Spectacularly sited right on the shoreline, this place offers a variety of rooms, the price depending on views and facilities. You can bring your own food to cook, or go down to the beachside restaurant. R1600

Sea Breeze Holiday Resort Along the main road into the settlement 044 889 0098, seabreezecabanas.co.za. A variety of budget self-catering units, including two-storey holiday huts and wooden chalets, sleeping two, four or eight people. The huts have no sea views, but it’s an easy walk to the beach. R900

VicBay Surfari Lodge Victoria Bay Rd 044 889 0113, vicbaysurfari.co.za. Predominantly a surfers’ lodge with home comforts including a DSTV, a self-catering kitchen and BBQ areas. The lodge offers surfboard and wetsuit hire as well as lessons on request for all levels at the local easy, right-hand point break. There’s also a trampoline, pool table, table tennis and volleyball. They run shuttles to the beach and George, if you don’t have a car. Dorms R200, doubles R650, family room R900

Eating

There are no food shops and just one restaurant at Victoria Bay itself. It’s best to bring your own supplies, or drive back to a shopping mall in George. There is a marvellous service, however, offered by Mr Delivery in George (044 873 6677) which will collect pre-ordered takeaways from George, as well as groceries bought online at Pick n Pay, and even DVDs.

Vikki’s @ The Beach 044 899 0212. Right on the seafront, with tables and umbrellas out in the sun, Victoria Bay’s only restaurant serves rather dull, but reasonably priced food including burgers and chips, egg breakfasts, pizzas and fish and chips (R70), in a setting which may make up for the food. It often closes when the weather is poor or when there are no customers. Daily 9am–5pm.

Wilderness

East of Victoria Bay, across the Kaaimans River, the beach at WILDERNESS is so close to the N2 that you can pull over for a quick dip with barely an interruption to your journey, though African wilderness is the last thing you’ll find here. Wilderness village earned its name, so the story goes, after a young man called Van den Berg bought the property in 1830 for £183 as a blind lot at a Cape Town auction. When he got engaged, his fiancée insisted that their first year of marriage should be spent out of town in the wilderness, so he romantically (or perhaps opportunistically) named his property Wilderness and built a hut on it.

If the hut still exists, you’ll struggle to find it among the sprawl of retirement homes, holiday houses and thousands of beds for rent in the vicinity. The beach, which is renowned for its long stretch of sand, is backed by tall dunes, rudely blighted by holiday houses. Once in the water, stay close to the shoreline: this part of the coast is notorious for its unpredictable currents.

arrival and information: Wilderness

By Baz Bus The Baz Bus drops off at Fairy Knowe Backpackers, a 20min walk into Wilderness.

Tourist office The tourist office is in Milkwood Village Mall, Beacon Rd, off the N2 opposite the Caltex garage (Mon–Fri 7.45am–4.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm; 044 877 0045, george.org.za).

Services Wilderness’s tiny village centre, on the north side of the N2, has a petrol station and a few shops.

activities

Abseiling, kloofing and canoeing Eden Adventures at Fairy Knowe Hotel (044 877 0179 or 083 628 8547, eden.co.za) offers daily kloofing adventures (8am–1pm, R550) and abseiling trips (1.30–4.30pm, R550); a full day taking in both activities costs R1000, which includes lunch. Explore the river yourself by renting a two-seater canoe from them, starting at Fairy Knowe (R300 for 5hr).

Horseriding Black Horse Trails 19km into the mountains, up the Hoekwil Rd 082 494 5642, blackhorsetrails.co.za. Mountain and forest horseriding tours using bitless bridles (R500 for 3hr ride to rock pools, R350 for shorter plantation ride). Probably the best trail riding along the Garden Route.

Paragliding Cloudbase Paragliding Adventures 082 777 8474, cloudbase-paragliding.co.za. To see it all from the air, sign up for a tandem paragliding jump that starts from R750 for a minimum of 15min. You’ll only be taken up when the weather offers absolutely safe conditions. They also offer paragliding courses.

Accommodation

Beach House Backpackers Western Rd 044 877 0549, wildernessbeachhouse.com. Set on the hill, with ocean views from the hammocks on the terrace and bar, Beach House Backpackers has very basic dorm rooms and doubles. There is a bar and a communal kitchen. Internet can be sketchy but it is free for 20mins. Surf lessons and board rental are available. Dorms R170, doubles R550

Fairy Knowe Backpackers 6km from the village, follow signs from the N2 east of Wilderness 044 877 1285, wildernessbackpackers.com. Built in 1897, this is the oldest home in the area. It’s set in the quiet woodlands near the Touw River, though nowhere near the sea, and features a wraparound balcony. Note that during peak season it gets busy and can be very noisy near the bar. The Baz Bus drops off here. Dorms R160, doubles R600

Island Lake Holiday Resort Lakes Rd, 2km from the Hoekwil/Island Lake turn-off on the N2 044 877 1194, islandlake.co.za. Camping and self-catering rondavels that sleep four on one of the quietest and prettiest spots on the lakes. The rondavels are basic one-room affairs with kitchenettes equipped with hotplates, microwaves and utensils, but you share communal washing and toilet facilities. Camping R300, rondavel R750

Mes-Amis Homestead Buxton Close, signposted off the N2 on the coastal side of the road, directly opposite the national park turn-off 044 877 1928, mesamis.co.za. Nine double rooms, each of which has its own terrace, offering some of the best views in Wilderness, with a private path down to the beach. Rooms are elegantly furnished with crisp white bedding and curtains and there are luxurious touches such as bathrobes and espresso machines in each room. R1700

Wilderness Bush Camp Heights Rd (follow Waterside Rd west for 1600m up the hill) 044 877 1168, boskamp.co.za. Six self-catering timber units with loft bedrooms, thatched roofs and ocean views. The camp, set on a hillside amid fynbos wilderness, is part of a conservation estate that you’re free to roam around. R850

Eating

The Girls George Rd 044 877 1648, thegirls.co.za. Deservedly one of the most popular restaurants in the village, The Girls fuses classic French dishes, such as steak tartare, with North African and Middle Eastern influences. The prawns are fantastic, they do a mean steak (R165) and vegetarians get a decent look in. Tues–Sun 5.30–11pm.

Salinas Beach Restaurant Cnr N2 and Zundorf Lane 044 877 0001. An easy stop-off on the N2 with a great view over the beach from the tables under umbrellas on the terrace. They’re known for fresh fish brought in from Mossel Bay or Knysna (R165), good cocktails and excellent cheese cake. Daily 11am–10pm.

Serendipity Freesia Ave 044 877 0433, serendipitywilderness.com. Located on the banks of the Touw River Lagoon, this fine-dining restaurant is one of the country’s top places to eat. Come here for a fabulous dinner, with Asian, Mediterranean and strong South African influences, cooked by a husband-and-wife team. Vegetarians may be seriously tempted by twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé or aubergine and pumpkin roulade. A seasonal, ever-changing five-course set menu is on offer (R550) and you need to book well ahead. Mon–Sat 7–10pm.

Zucchini Timberlake Organic Village 044 882 1240, zucchini.co.za. This restaurant offers more sustainable food choices, including organic vegetables from their own garden and sourcing meat that is either free-range or organic. Their meals are simple and tasty with large portions – dishes include gourmet burgers like the “Dronk Bok” which is topped with brandy-soaked pears (R90), and gluten-free chocolate tart (R50). Drinks include thirteen types of locally brewed craft beer and sulphur-free wine. Phone before you go as opening times change according to seasons. Daily 9am–10pm.

Garden Route National Park: Wilderness Section

Reception open 7am–5.30pm • R120 • 044 877 1197

Stretching east from Wilderness village is the Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park, a rather inappropriate name, as it never feels very far from the N2. It’s the forests you should come for, and the 16km of inland waterways; the variety of habitats here includes coastal and montane fynbos and wetlands, attracting 250 species of bird – as well as many holiday-makers.

Arrival and departure: Wilderness section

By car Driving along the N2, follow the road signs to Wilderness National Park to get to Ebb and Flow restcamps. There is also a western access to the park, reached by passing through the town of Wilderness, across the rail road bridge and a right turn for reception.

ACtivities

Canoeing You can navigate the Touw River from the restcamp down to the beach in a canoe, which can be rented from Eden Adventures.

Hiking There are five waymarked trails in the Wilderness Section ranging from 2km to 5km. A map of the trails, which also shows the location of three bird hides, is available at reception or you can download it from the SANParks website (sanparks.org).

Accommodation

There are two restcamps, Ebb and Flow North, and Ebb and Flow South, both on the west side of the park, which can be booked through SANparks (sanparks.org/parks/garden_route/camps/wilderness).

Ebb and Flow North Right on the river, this restcamp is cheap, old-fashioned and away from the hustle. It offers camping, fully equipped two-person rondavels with their own showers, and rondavels with communal washing and toilet facilities. Camping R200, rondavel R457

Ebb and Flow South This site has camping and modern accommodation in spacious log cottages on stilts and brick bungalows for up to four people (with private kitchen and bathroom). There are also en-suite two-sleeper forest huts with communal kitchens. Camping R200, forest huts R735, family cottages R1420

Sedgefield

The drive between Wilderness and Sedgefield gives glimpses on your left of dark-coloured lakes which eventually surge out to sea, 21km later, through a wide lagoon at SEDGEFIELD. A pleasantly old-fashioned holiday village – one of the last of its kind along the Garden Route – Sedgefield is a few kilometres off the road, with miles of beautiful beaches. In fact so proud is Sedgefield of its lack of pizzazz that the village has had itself registered as a “slow town”, affiliated to the Cittaslow towns of Italy with its emblem a tortoise.

The entertainment highlight of Sedgefield’s week is the Wild Oats Community Farmers’ Market (wildoatsmarket.co.za; summer Sat 7.30–11.30am, winter from 8–11.30am), along the N2 on the west side of town, just before Swartvlei Lake, where you can pick up groceries and tasty nosh, such as preserves, cheeses, pickles and cured meats as well as delectable takeaway finger foods.

Sedgefield can be used as a base from which to explore Goukamma Nature and Marine Reserve and the western extent of Groenvlei, a freshwater lake that falls within the reserve’s boundaries.

from top knysna quays; elephants

arrival and departure: Sedgefield

By intercity bus Greyhound, Intercape and Translux buses stop in the middle of the village at the Sedgefield Garage, Main Rd, a service road running parallel to the N2, which passes through the town’s shopping area.

Destinations Cape Town (2 daily; 8hr); Knysna (2 daily; 35min); Mossel Bay (2 daily; 1hr 15min); Plettenberg Bay (2 daily; 1hr 10min); Port Elizabeth (2 daily; 5hr 25min).

Accommodation

Afrovibe Adventure Lodge and Backpackers 2 Claude Urban Drive, Myoli Beach 044 343 3217, afrovibe.co.za. An unattractive, rectangular building, built questionably close to the beach on the ecologically sensitive dunes, but offering a stunning location and beach experience. It’s on the Baz bus route too. Take advantage of their wide range of adventure activities. Dorms R185, doubles R630

Teniqua Treetops 23km northeast of Sedgefield 044 356 2868, teniquatreetops.co.za. This is a genuinely unique and romantic forest retreat between Sedgefield and Knysna, a patch including 4km of woodland walks and a river with pools for swimming. Luxury tents are raised on timber decks, where, if you feel so inclined, you can leave the flaps open and wake up to dappled light filtering through the leaves; one unit is wheelchair-accessible. It is a fascinating example of sustainable living in practice: not a single tree was felled to build Teniqua; recycled materials were used where possible; water is gravity fed; showers are solar-heated; and toilets use a dry composting system that preserves precious water. R1800

Goukamma Nature Reserve

Daily 7.30am–4pm • R40, free entry for overnight visitors • 044 383 0042

An unassuming sanctuary of around 220 square kilometres, Goukamma stretches from near Sedgefield east to Buffalo Bay (also known as Buffels Bay). The nature reserve takes in Groenvlei Lake and approximately 18km of beach frontage, some of the highest vegetated dunes in South Africa and walking country covered with coastal fynbos and dense thickets of milkwood, yellowwood and candlewood trees.

The area has long been popular with anglers, while away from the water, you stand a small chance of spotting one of the area’s mammals, including bushbuck, grysbok, vervet monkeys, mongoose, caracals and otters. Because of the diversity of coastal and wetland habitats, more than 220 different kinds of bird have been recorded here, including fish eagles, Knysna louries, kingfishers and very rare African black oystercatchers. Offshore, southern right whales often make an appearance during their August-to-December breeding season, and bottlenose and common dolphins can show up at any time of year.

arrival and departure: Goukamma Nature Reserve

By car Two roads off the N2 provide access to the reserve. The entrance and office are on the Buffalo Bay side accessed via the Buffalo Bay road, halfway along which is the reserve office. There are no public roads within the reserve. At the westernmost side, a dirt road that runs down to Platbank Beach takes you past the tiny settlement of Lake Pleasant on the south bank of Groenvlei, which consists of little more than a hotel and holiday resort.

ACTIVITIES

Apart from angling and birdwatching, the Goukamma offers a number of self-guided activities, including safe swimming in Groenvlei.

Hiking There are several day-long hiking trails that enable you to explore different habitats. A beach walk, which takes around 4hr one-way, traverses the 14km of crumbling cliffs and sands between the Platbank car park on the western side of the reserve and the Rowwehoek one on the eastern side. Alternatively, you can go from one end of the reserve to the other via a slightly longer inland trek across the dunes. There’s also a shorter circular walk from the reserve office through a milkwood forest.

Canoeing You can canoe on the Goukamma River on the eastern side of the reserve; a limited number of canoes can be rented from the office during the week or at the gate over the weekend. Single or double canoes R100 a day.

Accommodation

There are two fully equipped bush camps on the Groenvlei side of the reserve and three thatched rondavels on the east side. Book through CapeNature (capenature.co.za). Over weekends, expect to pay roughly 25 percent more than the quoted prices.

Fish Eagle Lodge This loft, located on the top floor of Otters Rest Lodge, sleeps two people in single beds. There are wonderful sea and river views, an open-plan kitchen, dining room and lounge leading onto a deck and private braai facilities. R1025

Mvubu Thatched timber and reed bush camp on stilts, located at the edge of Groenvlei in a stand of milkwood trees. There are two en-suite bedrooms, sleeping four, both of which have doors opening onto a deck that overlooks the lake. R1600

Otters Rest Lodge Ground-floor lodge, with views of the ocean and river, sleeping four in two rooms with two single beds in each and a shared bathroom. Facilities include an open-plan kitchen, dining room and lounge with indoor fireplace, and large deck area with braai facilities. R1550

Stumpnose, Blacktail and Kabeljou Chalets Three basic double units on the Buffalo Bay side of the reserve, that overlook the river and estuary. Each unit sleeps four people and has rooms with two single beds, as well as one shared bathroom. There’s a fully equipped kitchen with solar electricity and braai facilities (wood for sale at the gate). R1350

Knysna and around

South Africa’s 1990s tourist boom rudely shook KNYSNA (pronounced “Nize-na”) from its gentle backwoods drowse, which for decades had made it the hippie and craftwork capital of the country. The town, 491km and six hours’ drive from Cape Town and 102km east of Mossel Bay, now stands at the hub of the Garden Route. Its lack of ocean beaches is compensated for by its hilly setting around the Knysna lagoon, its handsome forests, good opportunities for adventure sports, a pleasant waterfront development – and some hot marketing. If you want somewhere quiet or rural, Knysna is not for you: it is busy yet sophisticated with good restaurants and ever-burgeoning housing developments.

Knysna’s distinctive atmosphere derives from its small historic core of Georgian and Victorian buildings, which gives it a character absent from most of the Garden Route holiday towns. Coffee shops, craft galleries, street traders and a modest nightlife add to the attractions. That the town has outgrown itself is evident from the cars and tour buses that, especially in December and January, clog Main Street, the constricted artery that merges with the N2 as it enters the town.

Knysna wraps around the lagoon, with its oldest part – the town centre – on the northern side. The lagoon’s narrow mouth is guarded by a pair of steep rocky promontories called The Heads, the western side being a private nature reserve and the eastern one an exclusive residential area (confusingly, it’s also called The Heads), along dramatic cliffs above the Indian Ocean.

Main Street, which used to be the hub of Knysna, lost some of its status as the heart of the town with the development of the waterfront area. But it has begun fighting back, with extensive redevelopment that has brought with it trendy coffee bars, restaurants and shops.

At the time of writing, devastating fires had swept through the town and surrounding forests, destroying houses and hotels in its wake – check with the tourist office for updates on the rebuilding process.

Brief history

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the only white settlements outside Cape Town were a handful of villages that would have considered themselves lucky to have even one horse. Knysna, an undeveloped backwater hidden in the forest, was no exception. The name comes from a Khoi word meaning “hard to reach”, and this remained its defining character well into the twentieth century. One important figure was not deterred by the distance – George Rex, a colonial administrator who placed himself beyond the pale of decent colonial society by taking a coloured mistress. Shunned by his peers in Britain, he headed for Knysna at the beginning of the nineteenth century in the hope of making a killing shipping out hardwood from the lagoon.

TOWNSHIP TOURS AND HOMESTAYS

Get a taste of Knysna’s townships by joining one of the warts-and-all tours operated by Eco Afrika (tours daily 10am; R400; booking essential; 082 558 9104, eco-afrika-tours.co.za). Tours go to five areas, where you’ll be given some historical background and get a chance to walk around and chat to people. You can also include lunch with a township family as part of the package (R60), but you need to book that in advance.

Eco Afrika also arrange homestays in one of the shanty towns within the townships, where you stay with a family in a corrugated iron shack (R300 per person). The tour operator will drop you off and pick you up the next morning.

By the time of Rex’s death in 1839, Knysna had become a major timber centre, attracting white labourers who felled trees with primitive tools for miserly payments, and looked set eventually to destroy the forest. In 1872, Prince Alfred, on his visit to the Cape, made his small royal contribution to this destruction when he took a special detour here to hunt elephants. The forest only narrowly escaped devastation by far-sighted and effective conservation policies introduced in the 1880s.

By the start of the twentieth century, Knysna was still remote, and its forests were inhabited by isolated and inbred communities made up of the impoverished descendants of the woodcutters. As late as 1914, if you travelled from Knysna to George you would have to open and close 58 gates along the 75-kilometre track. Fifteen years on, the passes in the region proved too much for George Bernard Shaw, who did some impromptu off-road driving and crashed into a bush, forcing Mrs Shaw to spend a couple of weeks in bed at Knysna’s Royal Hotel with a broken leg.

Knysna Quays and Thesen’s Island

About 500m south of Knysna Tourism, at the end of Grey St

The Knysna Quays are the town’s waterfront complex and yacht basin. Built at the end of the 1990s, this elegant two-storey steel structure with timber boardwalks resembles a tiny version of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. Here you’ll find a mix of hotels, clothes and knick-knack shops and a couple of good eating places, some with outdoor decks, from which you can watch yachts drift past.

Riding on the success of the Quays, Thesen’s Island, reached by a causeway at the south end of Long Street, has some stylish shops and places to eat.

Knysna cruises

One of the most pleasant diversions around Knysna is a cruise across the lagoon to the Heads. Knysna Featherbed Company (044 382 1693, knysnafeatherbed.com) runs a number of trips of varying length, the shortest of which is Knysna Quays to the Heads (1hr 15mins; R150) and there is also an appealing daily sunset cruise on the lagoon (R160). The only way to reach the private Featherbed Nature Reserve on the western side of the lagoon is on a four-hour Featherbed Nature Tour (R635), which includes the boat there, a 4WD shuttle to the top of the western Head and a buffet meal. There’s a slightly shorter version (3hr 45min) which excludes the meal. Bookings are essential, and can be made at the kiosk on the north side of Knysna Quays; departures are from the Waterfront Jetty and municipal jetty on Remembrance Avenue, 400m west of the quays and station.

The beaches

Don’t come to Knysna for a beach holiday: the closest beach is 20km from town at Brenton-on-Sea. A tiny settlement on the shores of Buffels Bay, it does admittedly have a quite exceptional beach. In the opposite direction from Knysna, the closest patch of sand is at Noetzie, a town known more for its eccentric holiday homes built to look like castles than for its seaside.

Arrival and departure: Knysna and around

By Baz Bus The Baz Bus drops off at Knysna Backpackers.

By intercity bus Knysna is connected to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and all major towns on the Garden Route by daily services on Greyhound, Intercape and Translux buses. Intercape and Translux buses drop passengers off at the old train station in Remembrance Avenue opposite Knysna waterfront; Greyhound stops at the Toyota garage, 9 Main Rd.

Destinations Cape Town (2 daily; 8hr); Mossel Bay (2 daily; 1hr 45min); Plettenberg Bay (2 daily; 30min); Port Elizabeth (2 daily; 4hr 30min); Sedgefield (2 daily; 30min); Storms River Bridge (2 daily; 1hr 30min); Joburg (daily; 17hr 30min).

Getting around

By car Renting a car is the best way to explore Knysna and the surrounding forest – there are a number of rental agencies in town including Avis (7 Main Rd; 044 382 2222, avis.co.za), Europcar (1 Waterfront Drive, Caltex Quay service station; 044 382 2733, europcar.co.za) and Tortoise Car Hire (23 Uil St, Sedgefield; 044 343 2991, tortoisecarhire.co.za).

Information and activities

Tourist office Knysna Tourism, 40 Main St (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 8.30am–1pm; 044 382 5510, visitknysna.co.za), provides maps and runs a desk for booking activities around Knysna – including cruises to and abseiling down The Heads and bungee jumping from the Bloukrans River Bridge, as well as activities in Plett. They can also help with booking accommodation.

Mountain biking Knysna Cycle Works, 20 Waterfront Drive (044 382 5151, knysnacycles.com), offers bikes for rent (from R200/day) and has maps and information about trails in the Harkerville Forest, which is a brilliant area to explore.

Accommodation

The best places to stay in Knysna are well away from the N2 main road, with views of the lagoon and The Heads. Out of town there are some excellent establishments as well as reasonably priced self-catering cottages right in the forest. For somewhere quieter on the lagoon, make for the western edge at Brenton-on-Sea. At the time of writing, devastating fires had destroyed houses and hotels in the town, and the surrounding forest – check websites of accommodation establishments before you travel.

Town centre and Knysna Quays

Island Vibe Backpackers 67 Main Rd 044 382 1728, islandvibe.co.za; map. Part of the popular Island Vibe Backpackers group that are situated along the Garden Route, this branch has a good location, swimming pool and a deck. The facilities are not plush but it is a good cheap option and excellent place to meet buddies to join up with for adventure activities. It is on the Baz Bus route. Dorms R140, doubles R550

Knysna Manor House 19 Fichat St 044 382 5440, knysnamanor.co.za; map. A centrally located hundred-year-old house with yellowwood floors and colonial furnishings. It is good value for money although a little dated in style. The twin, double and family rooms come with the use of a swimming pool and garden. R1100

Knysna Backpackers 42 Queen St 044 382 2554, knysnabackpackers.co.za; map. Spotless, well-organized hostel in a large, rambling and centrally located Victorian house that has been declared a National Monument. This tranquil establishment has five rooms rented as doubles (but able to sleep up to four people) and a dorm that sleeps eight. It’s also on the Baz Bus route. Dorm R140, doubles R480

Leisure Isle and The Heads

Cunningham’s Island Guest House 3 Kingsway, Leisure Isle 044 384 1319, islandhouse.co.za; map. Purpose-built two-storey, timber-and-glass guesthouse with eight suites, decked out in dazzling white relieved by a touch of blue and some ethnic colour (stripy cushions and African baskets). Each room has its own entrance leading to the garden, which has a swimming pool shaded by giant strelitzias. Stylish and comfortable, its only drawback is the lack of views, but the price is reasonable. R1010

Under Milk Wood George Rex Drive, The Heads 044 384 0745, milkwood.co.za; map. Luxury self-catering accommodation on the lagoon at the foot of The Heads with its own private beach, where it is safe for swimming. There are terrific views of the mountains and water. Three two-bedroom self-catering units, with their own sundecks, are surrounded by milkwood trees; rates vary depending on the position, and there are hefty off-season discounts. R1500

West of town

Blue Oyster Cnr Rio & Stent sts 044 382 2265, blueoyster.co.za; map. Hospitable three-storey, vaguely Greek-themed B&B set high on one of the hills that rise up behind Knysna, offering fabulous panoramas across the lagoon to The Heads. The four comfortable double rooms, of which the ones on the top floor have the best views, are done out in white and blue. R1400

Elephant Hide of Knysna Cherry Lane 044 382 0426, elephanthide.co.za; map. Overlooking the lagoon, 3km from the town centre, this peaceful guesthouse has seven rooms, each lavishly styled with warm and earthy textures and tones. The lagoon suites are a honeymooner’s dream, each with a spa bath set with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lagoon, as well as a private balcony and a king-sized bed. The guesthouse has a spacious communal lounge and a fireplace for winter; there’s a dreamy swimming pool and deck area to laze on in the summer. R2300

Narnia Country Guest House Signed off Welbedacht Lane, 3km west of Knysna 044 382 1334, narnia.co.za; map. On a hillside with far-off views of the lagoon, this is an immensely fun stone and rough-hewn timber farmhouse in a glorious garden. Decorated in a rustic-chic style, there are three comfortable cottages, lovely views, a swimming pool and small lake on the property. You can self-cater, or chose the more expensive B&B option. R2000

forest ENVIRONS

Forest Edge Lodges Rheenendal turn-off, 16km west of Knysna on the N2 082 456 1338, forestedge.co.za; map. Ideal if you want to be close to the forest itself, these traditional two-bedroom woodcutters‘ cottages have verandas built in the vernacular tin-roofed style, and have been upgraded for extra comfort with good linen and fittings. The cottages are private and romantic. Forest walks and cycling trails start from the cottages, from where you can walk to rock pools and waterfalls. A minimum stay of two nights is required. R1025

Belvidere and Brenton-on-Sea

Brenton-on-Sea Chalets C.R. Swart Drive, Brenton beachfront 044 381 0081, brentononsea.net; map. Right at the long sandy Brenton beach, a 20min drive from Knysna, these three-bedroom, self-catering chalets sleep six people, and are well equipped and comfortably furnished. R1180

Eating

As far as food goes, you’ll find a lot of good restaurants catering to a wide range of palates and one or two excellent coffee shops. With so many forests, waterways and beaches, you may be tempted to have a picnic, and there’s no shortage of tempting deli food in town. In summer and holiday periods, you’ll need to make a restaurant reservation.

34˚ South Knysna Quays 044 382 7331, 34-south.com; map. A good deli, café, restaurant, bar and sushi joint with imported groceries, home-made food and an extensive menu that includes seafood in all its guises – from peri-peri calamari heads to a red Thai curry mussel pot (R145) and a variety of sushi. From here you can watch the drawbridge open to let yachts sail through. Daily 8.30am–10pm.

Caffè Mario Knysna Quays 044 382 7250; map. An intimate Italian waterside restaurant with outdoor seating. The food is consistently good value, there’s paninoteca and tramezzini on its snack menu as well as great pizza (R90) and pasta. Daily 8am–10pm.

Chatters Bistro Corner of Gray and Gordon sts 044 382 0203, chattersbistro.co.za; map. With an enclosed garden, a roaring fire in winter and eighty wines on the drinks list, this is the place to go in Knysna for superb thin and crispy pizzas (with wheat and gluten-free bases available) and pastas (R80). Tues–Sun noon–9.30pm.

East Head Café 25 George Rex Drive 44 384 0933, eastheadcafe.co.za; map. Very popular café with an outdoor area, panoramic views of the Knysna Heads and a kids’ playground. Try their simple, delicious seafood dishes (R95), classic wraps and salads or a spirited milkshake as a cocktail. Note they don’t take bookings and parking can be tricky. Daily 8am–3.30pm.

Forest Boma Phantom Forest Eco-Reserve, Phantom Pass Rd 044 386 0046; map. Eating is secondary to the setting here, in a forest with views of the whole estuary, which places this spot among the most beautiful in South Africa. The six-course pan-African set menu (R490) ranges from game meats to tempting desserts, and changes on a daily basis. Booking essential. Daily 6.30–10pm.

Grain Mill Organic Bisto 3 Union Street, Waterfront Drive 083 635 7634, map. Fabulous restaurant, with sustainably grown food, freshly milled flour used for baked goods, as well as good coffee, teas, smoothies and juices. The blackboard menu gives vegetarians a large choice of dishes like creamy vegan pumpkin soup (R60), and for meat eaters all the chicken, beef and fish on offer is ethically reared. There is no corkage fee if you want to bring your own bottle. The ambience is cosy, and seating is at wooden tables, some on the patio. There is a small farm stall/deli too. Mon–Sat 8.30am–3pm.

Ile de Pain 10 The Boat Shed, Thesen’s Island 044 302 5705, iledepain.co.za; map. A trendy restaurant in an artisan bakery with stone floors and an open bakery that does salads, baguettes and pastas. Try the crusty wood-fired bread with butter and preserves for breakfast or enjoy one of the delicious pastries with coffee (R80). Tues–Sat 8am–3pm.

The Olive Tree 12 Wood Mill Lane Centre, Main Rd 044 382 5867; map. This local favourite offers bistro dining, with fresh ingredients and Mediterranean-influenced and beautifully plated dishes. Vegetarians have a couple of options, including vegetarian pasta (R100). Mon–Sat 6–10pm.

Pembrey’s Bistro Brenton Rd, Belvidere 044 386 0005, pembreys.co.za; map. Highly rated restaurant that fuses country cooking with haute cuisine, run by the chef/owners. They use herbs and vegetables from the garden, and their desserts are full of tantalising fruity flavours such as sorbets and churned ice cream with lemon balm, elderflower and liquorice (R60). There is a Mediterranean-inspired salad buffet, and good meat dishes.The owners also have a great interest in wines so expect a most tempting wine list. Tues–Sat 6.30–10pm.

Sailor Sam’s Main Rd, opposite the post office 044 382 6774; map. A warm-hearted, old-fashioned chippy that offers incredible value, brilliant fish and chips and the cheapest oysters in town (R16 per oyster). Don’t tell a soul, but the delicious shellfish aren’t local; they’re shipped in from South Africa’s west coast. Mon–Sat 11am–8pm.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

Knysna has perked up over the past decade, but it still isn’t somewhere you come if your main aim is to party. Having said that, there are one or two clubs in town that burn the midnight oil and where you may catch some live music or DJs.

Zanzibar Corner of St George’s and Main sts 044 382 0386; map. Knysna’s longest-established nightclub occupies the premises of the Old Barnyard Theatre and blends everything from pop to commercial house and beyond. It has occasional live acts – mostly bands, and best to check out their happenings on Facebook. Expect to pay around R60 for a spirit and mixer drink. Daily 7pm–2am.

Goudveld hikes

A number of clearly waymarked hikes traverse the Goudveld. The most rewarding (and easy going) is along Jubilee Creek, which traces the progress of a burbling brook for 3.5km through giant woodland to a gorgeous, deep rock pool. It’s also an excellent place to encounter Knysna turacos (formally known as Knysna louries); keep an eye focused on the branches above for the crimson flash of their flight feathers as they forage for berries, and listen out for their harsh call above the gentler chorus provided by the wide variety of other birdlife here. You can pick up a map directing you to the creek from the entrance gate to the reserve; the waymarked trail is linear, so you return via the same route. There’s a pleasant picnic site along the banks of the stream at the start of the walk.

A more strenuous option is the circular Woodcutter Walk, though you can choose either the 3km or the 9km version. Starting at Krisjan se Nek, another picnic site not far past the Goudveld entrance gate, it meanders downhill through dense forest, passing through stands of tree ferns, and returns uphill to the starting point. The picnic site is also where the 19km Homtini Cycle Route starts, taking you through forest and fynbos and offering wonderful mountain views. Be warned though; you really have to work hard at this, with one particular section climbing over 300m in just 3km. The tourist office in town has maps of the area.

However, the singing and dancing was shortlived and bust followed boom in 1890 after most of the mining companies went to the wall. The ever-hopeful diggers took off for the newly discovered Johannesburg goldfields, and Millwood was left a deserted ghost town. Over the years, its buildings were demolished or relocated, leaving an old store known as Materolli as the only original building standing.

Today, the old town is completely overgrown, apart from signs indicating where the old streets stood. In Jubilee Creek, which provides a lovely shady walk along a burbling stream, the holes scraped or blasted out of the hillside are still clearly visible. Some of the old mine works have been restored, as have the original reduction works around the cocopan track, used to carry the ore from the mine to the works, which is still there after a century.

The forest itself is still lovely, featuring tall, indigenous trees, a delightful valley with a stream, and plenty of swimming holes and picnic sites.

arrival and departure: Goudveld State Forest

By car To get here from Knysna, follow the N2 west toward George, turning right onto the Rheenendal road just after the Knysna River, and continue for about 25km, following the Bibby’s Koep signposts until the Goudveld sign.

Diepwalle Forest

Just over 20km northeast of Knysna • Daily 7.30am–4pm • R100 • 044 382 9762, sanparks.org/parks/garden_route/camps/knysna_lakes

The Diepwalle Forest is the last haunt of Knysna’s almost extinct elephant population, although the only elephants you can expect to see here are on the painted markers indicating the three main hikes through these woodlands. However, if you’re quiet and alert, you do stand a chance of seeing vervet monkeys, bushbuck and blue duiker.

Diepwalle (“deep walls”) is one of the highlights of the Knysna area and is renowned for its impressive density of huge trees, especially yellowwoods. Once the budget timber of South Africa, yellowwood was considered an inferior local substitute in place of imported pine, and found its way into thousands of often quite modest nineteenth-century houses in the Western and Eastern Cape. Today, its deep golden grain is so sought after that it commands premium prices at the annual auctions.

The three main hiking routes cover between 7km and 9km of terrain, and pass through flat to gently undulating country covered by indigenous forest and montane fynbos. If you’re moderately fit, the hikes should take between two hours and two and a half hours. The 9km Arboretum trail, flagged by black elephant markers, starts a short way back along the road you drove in on, and descends to a stream edged with tree ferns. Across the stream you’ll come to the much-photographed Big Tree, a six-hundred-year-old Goliath yellowwood. The easy 9km Ashoekheuwel trail, marked by white elephants, crosses the Gouna River, where there’s a large pool allegedly used by real pachyderms. Most difficult of the three hikes is the rewarding 7km Velboeksdraai trail, marked by red elephants, which passes along the foothills of the Outeniquas. Take care here to stick to the elephant markers, as they overlap with a series of painted footprints marking the Outeniqua trail, for which you need to have arranged a permit.

arrival and information: Diepwalle Forest

By car To get here from Knysna, follow the N2 east towards Plettenberg Bay, after 7km turning left onto the R339, which you should take for about 16km in the direction of Avontuur and Uniondale.

Information The forest station is 10.5km after the tar gives way to gravel and provides a map for the park’s trails, all of which begin here.

accommodation

There are two National Parks accommodation options in the Forest, both booked through the SANparks Knysna Lakes office (Long St, Thesen’s Island, adjacent to Jetty; 044 302 5606). Driving directions given on booking.

Forest timber camping decks Ten camping sites set within the forest make this an exceptional SANParks site – you can really get in touch with nature here amid the busy Garden Route. Braai facilities, communal bathrooms and electricity available. R210

Tree Top Forest Chalet This two-bedroomed timber chalet tucked away in forest at the head of a wide valley has luxuries including a Jacuzzi, DSTV, dishwasher and washing machine. Outdoors there’s a wide viewing deck, walking trails, mountain-biking opportunities and great birdwatching. Book at least a month in advance. R1500

Plettenberg Bay and around

Over the Christmas holidays, forty thousand residents from Johannesburg’s wealthy northern suburbs decamp to PLETTENBERG BAY (usually called Plett), 33km east of Knysna and 520km from Cape Town, and the flashiest of the Garden Route’s seaside towns. The banal suburban development on the surrounding hills somehow doesn’t seem so bad because the bay views really are stupendous with lovely swimming and walking beaches. The deep-blue Tsitsikamma Mountains drop sharply to the inlet and its large estuary, providing a constant vista to the town and its suburbs. The bay generously curves over several kilometres of white sands separated from the mountains by forest, which makes this a green and temperate location with rainfall throughout the year.

The Knysna elephants

Traffic signs warning motorists about elephants along the N2 between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are rather optimistic: there are only a few indigenous pachyderms left and, with such an immense forest, sightings are rare. But such is the mystique attached to the Knysna elephants that locals tend to be a little cagey about just how few there are. By 1860, the thousands that had formerly wandered the once vast forests were down to five hundred, and by 1920 (twelve years after they were protected by law), there were only twenty animals left; the current estimate is three. Loss of habitat and consequent malnutrition, rather than full-scale hunting, seems to have been the principal cause of their decline. The only elephants you’re guaranteed to see near Knysna are at the Elephant Sanctuary, near Plettenberg Bay.

Nevertheless Plett remains an expensive place to stay, with no cheap chalets or camping. For these you’ll have to go to nearby Keurboomstrand, on the east of the bay. Further east lie The Crags (both of them more or less suburbs of Plett) with their trio of wildlife parks: Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and the Elephant Sanctuary are all worth a visit, especially if you’re travelling with kids.

Plett’s town centre, at the top of the hill, consists of a conglomeration of supermarkets, swimwear shops, estate agents and restaurants aimed largely at the holiday trade. Visitors principally come for Plett’s beaches – and there’s a fair choice. Southern right whales appear every winter, while dolphins can be seen throughout the year, hunting or riding the surf, often in substantial numbers. Swimming is safe, and though the waters are never tropically warm they reach a comfortable temperature between November and April. One of the best things to do is to take a marine tour, or go canoeing.

Southeast of the town centre on a rocky promontory is Beacon Island, dominated by a 1970s hotel, an eyesore blighting a fabulous location. Development has been halted however, on the magnificent Robberg Peninsula, the great tongue of headland that contains the western edge of the bay, which offers the Garden Route’s best short hikes, with spectacular scenery. Robberg also makes a good place to spend a night or two, if you are driving along the coast.

The beaches

Beacon Island Beach, or Main Beach, right at the central shore of the bay, is where the fishing boats and seacats anchor a little out to sea. The small waves here make for calm swimming, and this is an ideal family spot. To the east is Lookout Beach, which is also one of the nicest stretches of sand for bathers, or sun lizards. Lookout Beach has the added attraction of a marvellously located restaurant, from which you can often catch sight of dolphins cruising into the bay. From here you can walk several kilometres down the beach towards Keurboomstrand and the Keurbooms Lagoon.

Keurboomstrand

Some 14km east of Plettenberg Bay by road, across the Keurbooms River, is the uncluttered resort of KEURBOOMSTRAND (Keurbooms for short), little more than a suburb of Plett, sharing the same bay and with equally good beaches, but less safe for swimming. The safest place to take the waves is at Arch Rock, in front of the caravan park, though Picnic Rock Beach is also pretty good. A calm and attractive place, Keurbooms has few facilities, and if you’re intending to stay here you should stock up in Plett beforehand. One of Keurbooms’ highlights is canoeing up the river.

Robberg Marine and Nature Reserve

Robberg Rd • Daily 8am–5pm • R40 • 021 483 0190, capenature.co.za/reserves/robberg-nature-reserve

One of the Garden Route’s most magnificent walks is the four-hour, 9km circular route around the spectacular rocky peninsula of Robberg, 8km southeast of Plett’s town centre. Here you can completely escape Plett’s development and experience the coast in its wildest state, with its enormous horizons and lovely vegetation. Much of the walk takes you along high cliffs, from where you can often look down to see seals surfacing near the rocks, dolphins arching through the water and, in winter, whales further out in the bay. If you don’t have time for the full circular walk, there is a shorter two-hour hike, as well as a thirty-minute ramble; a map is provided at the entrance gate. There is one rustic hut, Fountain Shack, to stay overnight.

The Crags

From Keurbooms, look out for the BP petrol station, then take the Monkeyland/Kurland turn-off and follow the Elephant Sanctuary/Monkeyland signs for 2km

The Crags, 2km east of Keurboomstrand, comprises a collection of smallholdings along the N2, a bottle store and a few other shops on the forest edge. The real reason most visitors pull in here though, is to visit the Elephant Sanctuary, Monkeyland and Birds of Eden.

Elephant Sanctuary

Daily 8am–5pm • Trunk-in-Hand Programme daily from 8am R580; elephant ride R580; elephant brush-down experience 7.30am & 3.15pm R705 • 044 534 8145, elephantsanctuary.co.za

The Elephant Sanctuary offers a chance of close encounters with its half-dozen pachyderms, all of whom were saved from culling in Botswana and Kruger National Park. On the popular one-hour Trunk-in-Hand programme you get to walk with an elephant, holding the tip of its trunk in your hand and also to feed and interact with it. The programme includes an informative talk about elephant behaviour, and helping brush down the elephants is among the other packages on offer.

Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Jukani

Daily 8am–5pm • R230, combined ticket for two sanctuaries R360, combined ticket for all three sanctuaries R450 • monkeyland.co.za

Together these three rescue sanctuaries provide an impressive display of animals and birds, in well-kept, natural environments. Tickets can be booked online for the sanctuaries. If you wish to see all three places, the latest you may arrive is 2pm, although the ticket which allows visits to all three sanctuaries does not have to be used on the same day. At each sanctuary there is a café for light meals or a drink.

Monkeyland

Monkeyland, 400m beyond the Elephant Sanctuary, brings together primates from several continents, all of them orphaned or saved from a life as pets. None of the animals has been taken from the wild – and most wouldn’t have the skills to survive there. The monkeys are free to move around the reserve, looking for food and interacting with each other and their environment in as natural a way as possible. For your own safety and that of the monkeys, you are not allowed to wander around alone. Guides take visitors on walking “safaris”, during which you come across water holes, experience a living indigenous forest and enjoy chance encounters with creatures such as ringtail lemurs from Madagascar and squirrel monkeys from South America.

Birds of Eden

Birds of Eden is a huge bird sanctuary with birds from all over the world. The sanctuary took four years to create, as great effort was taken to place netting over a substantial tract of virgin forest with as little impact as possible. The result is claimed to be the largest free-flight aviary in the world. As with Monkeyland, most of the birds were already living in cages and are now free to move and fly around within the confines of the large enclosure (so large in fact that you can easily spend an hour slowly meandering along its winding, wheelchair-friendly, wooden walkway).

Jukani

Jukani signposted off the N2 at the Crags, 7km west of Monkeyland, is the place to go to see big cats. There are a couple of large enclosures, with African cats, as well as jaguars, tigers and cougars. Other predators include hyenas, wild dogs, jackals and even some snakes. The animals have all been born in captivity or rescued, there is no breeding programme and lions are not used to supply the notorious canned lion hunting trade.

Arrival AND information: Plettenberg Bay and around

By Baz Bus The Baz Bus drops passengers off at accommodation in town.

By intercity bus Intercape, Greyhound and Translux intercity buses stop at the Shell Ultra City petrol station, just off the N2 in Marine Way, 2km from the town centre. As there’s no transport around town, if you don’t have your own car, you’ll need to arrange for your guesthouse to collect you.

Destinations Cape Town (2 daily; 9hr); George (2 daily; 2hr); Joburg (2 daily; 18hr); Knysna (2 daily; 1hr 30min); Mossel Bay (2 daily; 2hr 20min); Port Elizabeth (2 daily; 3hr 30min).

Tourist information The tourist office, Shop 35, Melville Corner, Main St (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–1pm; 044 533 4065, plett-tourism.co.za), has maps of the town, can help with booking accommodation, and has a good website with information on local facilities.

Whaling and gnashing of teeth

For conservationists, the monumental 1970s eyesore of the Beacon Island Hotel may not be such a bad thing, since previously the island was the site of a whale-processing factory established in 1806 – one of some half-dozen such plants erected along the Western Cape coast that year. Whaling continued at Plettenberg Bay until 1916. Southern right whales were the favoured species, yielding more oil and whalebone – an essential component of Victorian corsets – than any other. In the nineteenth century, a southern right would net around three times as much as a humpback caught along the Western Cape coast, leading to a rapid decline in the southern right population by the middle of the nineteenth century.

The years between the establishment and the closing of the Plettenberg Bay factory saw worldwide whaling transformed by the inventions of the Industrial Revolution. In 1852, the explosive harpoon was introduced, followed by the use of steam-powered ships five years later, making them swifter and safer for the crew. In 1863, Norwegian captain Sven Foyn built the first modern whale-catching vessel, which he followed up in 1868 with the cannon-mounted harpoon. In 1913 Plettenberg Bay was the site of one of seventeen shore-based and some dozen floating factories between West Africa and Mozambique, which that year between them took about ten thousand whales.

Inevitably, a rapid decline in humpback populations began; by 1918, all but four of the shore-based factories had closed due to lack of prey. The remaining whalers now turned their attention to fin and blue whales. When the South African fin whale population became depleted by the mid-1960s to twenty percent of its former size, they turned to sei and sperm whales. When these populations declined, the frustrated whalers started hunting minke whales, which at 9m in length are too small to be a viable catch. By the 1970s, the South African whaling industry was in its death throes and was finally put out of its misery in 1979, when the government banned all activity surrounding whaling.

activities

Boat trips

Keurbooms River Ferries Signposted on the east side of the Keurbooms River Bridge 083 254 3551, ferry.co.za. This company runs daily guided upriver boat trips (11am, 2pm, sunset; R180) with knowledgeable guides skilled at spotting rare birds – the indigenous forest comes right down to the edge. Booking required. Cape Nature entrance fee is R40 per person.

Bungee jumping

Bloukrans Bungy 042 281 1458, faceadrenalin.com. The world’s highest commercial bungee jump takes place off the 216m Bloukrans River Bridge and costs R9500 (excluding pictures or video) for the seven-second descent. Book 48hr in advance.

Canoeing

CapeNature On the east side of the Keurbooms River Bridge along the N2, on the road marked Keurbooms River Ferry. Go to the kiosk to reserve a fairly basic craft, out of season you can easily get one (R135/day for a two-person canoe).

hiking

The Robberg Marine and Nature Reserve offers one of the garden route’s best hikes.

ROCK CLIMBING

GoVertical Mountaineering Adventures 082 731 4696, govertical.co.za. An outfit which teaches the basics of rock climbing and takes experienced climbers out: kloofing or canyoning is the most adventurous way of exploring the deep river gorges between Knysna and Plett. Prices depend on the size of the group, and are given when you enquire. Their reach is country-wide for guided adventure expeditions.

skydiving

Skydive Plettenberg Bay 082 905 7440, skydiveplett.com. If you fancy a bit of an adrenaline rush, you can go tandem skydiving (no experience required) with these guys, who charge R2300 for a 10,000ft jump, with the option of paying extra for a DVD or video of the event.

Township tours

Ocean Blue Central Beach 044 533 5083, oceanadventures.co.za. Ocean Blue arranges relaxed tours into Plett’s township with a member of the community. Outings cost R250 per person and all the takings go into a development trust, which among other things, pays teachers’ salaries and funds a crèche.

Whale- and dolphin-watching

Dolphin Adventures Central Beach 083 590 3405, dolphinadventures.co.za. Sea kayaking is one of the best ways to watch whales, and this outfit offers unforgettable trips with experienced and knowledgeable guides in two-person kayaks (2hr–2hr 30min, R300;) or just rentals (2hr R150).

Ocean Blue Central Beach 044 533 4897 or 083 701 3583, oceanadventures.co.za. Sea-kayaking (R300) and boat-based whale-watching, from July to September (R750), are among the offerings of this licensed outfit, which also runs township tours (see above).

Ocean Safaris Shop 3, Hopwood St 044 533 4963, oceansafaris.co.za. Tailor-made cruises from a licensed whale-watching company. Whale-watching by boat (R750) virtually guarantees sightings between July and September. Out of whale season it’s still worth going out to see dolphins and seals (R450).

Accommodation

plettenberg bay

Amakaya Backpackers 15 Park Lane 044 533 4010, amakaya.co.za; map. Located close to town and the beach, this place is well-set-up for backpackers with communal lounge areas, and outside fire pit and hammocks to while away your time. They also boast an upstairs veranda with bar and swimming pool with views of the lagoon and mountains. Note that the minimum stay over the weekend is two nights. Dorms R170, doubles R480

Anlin Beach House 33 Roche Bonne Ave 044 533 3694, anlinbeachhouse.co.za; map. Stylish and comfortably kitted-out self-catering garden studios, a sea-facing double room and a larger family unit with three bedrooms and a kitchen, in a garden setting on the side of Plett nearest to Robberg Nature Reserve. Breakfast is an extra R85. Garden studio & sea-facing double R1800

Fountain Shack Robberg Nature Reserve 021 483 0190, capenature.co.za/reserves/robberg-nature-reserve; map. A renovated fisherman’s style bungalow sleeping eight, magically isolated with no electricity and beautifully set next the ocean. There is no vehicle access – you need to walk 2hr to reach it – though linen, cooking facilities and cutlery are provided, so you just need to bring in your food. It is the only place to stay in the nature reserve. R1400

Nothando Backpackers 5 Wilder St 044 533 0220, nothando.com; map. Top-notch child-friendly hostel. A 5min walk from Plett’s shops, this suburban home has seven doubles, three dorms and a four-bedded family room. Breakfast and dinner are available for an extra R50/80. Dorms R180, doubles R550, family room R990

Robberg Bay Beachfront 2 Robberg Rd 082 809 3931, robbergbay.com; map. Poised above Robberg Beach, with the full sweep of the bay in front of you, this stupendously located and immaculate guesthouse overflows with easy luxury and relaxation. All seven units have unobstructed sea views and there is a path from the house straight onto the beach 700m away. Without doubt, a top Garden Route stay. R2800

Tree Haven 45 Hanois Crescent 044 533 1989, treehavenholidays.co.za; map. Tranquil and comfortable self-catering suite, part of the fascinating home of architect and artist couple, Carol and Feo Sachs. The house is surrounded by trees and garden, and the lack of sea view means they are sheltered from the wind. You can easily drive a few minutes to the beach or to Robberg and the airport. R900

Keurboomstrand and east of Plett

Alkantmooi Keurboom Rd, Keurbooms River 044 535 9245, alkantmooi.co.za; map. Four modern one- or two-bedroom self-catering units, all varying in style, with lagoon rather than sea views, fully equipped kitchens and braai or outdoor patio facilities. Good value for money. R1400

Arch Rock Chalets & Caravan Park Arch Rock 044 535 9409, archrock.co.za; map below. Seventeen self-catering chalets, some with one and the others with two bedrooms, in the best position at Keurbooms, right at the beach. It has one of the best locations of anywhere in the country, if you want a beach stay. Apart from the forest chalets and log cabins, which are set back among trees (R800), the rest have sea views. Chalet R1200

Bitou River Lodge Bitou Valley Rd (the R340), about 4km from the N2 044 535 9577, bitou.co.za; map below. Great value in a lovely spot on the banks of the Bitou River, this intimate establishment has five comfortable but unfussy bedrooms that overlook a pretty garden with a lily pond. Rate includes use of canoes on the river. R1700

Dune Park Keurboomstrand Rd, leading off the N2 and running along the shore to Keurbooms 044 535 9606, dunepark.co.za; map below. Luxury hotel whose airy bedrooms with crisp white linen are simple and stylish. Two-bedroom self-catering cottages built on top of high dunes provide great views within spitting distance of the sea. Doubles R990, cottages R1500

Emily Moon River Lodge Rietvlei Rd, off the N2 (turn off at Penny Pinchers) 044 533 2982, emilymoon.co.za; map below. That the owner of this highly imaginative and luxurious lodge, perched on a ridge looking across the Bitou Wetlands, is a dealer in ethnic art is plain to see. The place is not only littered with Batonga sculptures and Swazi crafts, it has in places been constructed out of artworks, such as the intricate Rajasthani arched screen that is the entrance to the magnificently sited restaurant. Each of its chalets jetties out of the hillside to offer views from a private deck (and bathroom) of the oxbowing Bitou, along which small game can occasionally be seen. There is a family suite that sleeps four in which kids are accommodated at a discounted rate. R3440

Hog Hollow Country Lodge Askop Rd, 18km east of Plettenberg Bay (turn south off the N2 at the signpost) 044 534 8879, hog-hollow.com; map below. A touch of luxury on a private reserve where each of the chalets, done out in earthy colours and spiced up with African artefacts, has a bath or shower and its own wooden deck with vistas across the forest and Tsitsikamma Mountains; superb food is served as well. From here you could hike for a couple of hours through forest to Keurbooms beach, or drive there in 15min. R3680

Moonshine on Whiskey Creek 14km east of Plettenburg Bay along the N2, signposted north of the N2 044 534 8515 or 072 200 6656, whiskeycreek.co.za; map below. Fully equipped bungalows, three wooden cabins and one creatively renovated labourer’s cottage (R950), nestled in indigenous forest, with a children’s play area. One of the best reasons to come here is the access to a secluded natural mountain pool and waterfall at the bottom of the nearby gorge. There is a little office with views for guests to use the internet. R1440

ZOOM LEFT

ZOOM RIGHT

Eating

Restaurants come and go in Plett but one or two long-standing establishments remain afloat. Locally caught fresh fish is the thing to look out for. And because the town is built on hills, you should generally expect terrific views.

Emily’s Rietvlei Rd, off the N2 (turn off at Penny Pinchers) 044 533 2982; map. Fine dining restaurant attached to Emily Moon’s Lodge that many regard as the best in the area, offering stunning views of the Bitou Wetland and classic, sustainable French cuisine with an edge. Vegetarians should try her superb lentil dal (R90) or goat’s cheese and beetroot salad (R75). Booking essential, it opens two months in advance, especially for a table on the deck. Mon 6.30–10pm, Tues–Sun noon–3pm & 6.30–10pm.

The Fat Fish Milkwood Centre, Central Beach 044 533 4740; map. Cheerful restaurant with reasonably priced seafood including tapas-sized portions of oysters, tempura prawns or salmon, and with various meze platters to share (R85), as well as steaks and heavier dishes, doused with good wines. Daily 11.30–4pm & 5.30–10pm.

Ristorante Enrico Main Beach, Keurboomstrand 044 535 9818; map. Casual holiday-feeling restaurant right on the beach with mid-priced Italian standards – thin-based pizzas, pasta and veal (R130) where you can eat outside and enjoy the sea breeze. Tues–Sun noon–9pm.

DRINKING

The Lookout Lookout Beach 044 533 1379, lookout.co.za; map. There are marvellous bay views at this bar-restaurant, with umbrellas and outdoor tables, which focuses on seafood, but with appealing vegetarian options. It’s undoubtedly the best place in town for cocktails (R60). Daily 9am–10pm.

Whale- and dolphin-watching viewpointS

Elevated ocean panoramas give Plettenberg Bay outstanding vantages for watching southern right whales during their breeding season between June and October. An especially good vantage point is the area between the wreck of the Athene at the southern end of Lookout Beach and the Keurbooms River. The Robberg Peninsula is also excellent, looming protectively over this whale nursery and giving a grandstand view of the bay. Other good town viewpoints are from Beachy Head Road at Robberg Beach; Signal Hill in San Gonzales Street past the post office and police station; the Beacon Island Hotel on Beacon Island; and the deck of the Lookout restaurant on Lookout Beach. Outside Plett, the Kranshoek viewpoint and hiking trail offers wonderful whale-watching points along the route. To get there, head for Knysna, taking the Harkerville turn-off, and continue for 7km. It’s also possible to view the occasional pair (mother and calf) at Nature’s Valley, 29km east of Plett on the R102, and from Storms River Mouth.

Tsitsikamma

The Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, roughly midway between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth, is the highlight of any Garden Route trip. Starting from just beyond Keurboomstrand in the west, the section extends for 68km into the Eastern Cape along a narrow belt of coast, with dramatic foamy surges of rocky coast, deep river gorges and ancient hardwood forests clinging to the edge of tangled, green cliffs. Don’t pass up its main attraction, the Storms River Mouth, the most dramatic estuary on this exhilarating piece of coast. Established in 1964, Tsitsikamma is also South Africa’s oldest marine reserve, stretching 5.5km out to sea, with an underwater trail open to snorkellers and licensed scuba divers.

Above Storms River Mouth bridge, Tsitsikamma National Park

Tsitsikamma has two sections: Nature’s Valley in the west and Storms River Mouth in the east. Each section can only be reached down a winding tarred road from the N2 (apart from hiking, there’s no way of getting from one to the other). Nature’s Valley incorporates the most low-key settlement on the Garden Route, with a fabulous sandy beach stretching for 3km. South Africa’s ultimate hike, the five-day Otter Trail (see box above), connects the two sections of the park.

The nearest settlement to Storms River Mouth, some 14km to its north at the top of a steep winding road, is the confusingly named Storms River Village, which is outside the national park and some distance from any part of the river, though appealingly set in forest. Storms River Village makes a convenient base for adventure activities in the vicinity and day-trips down to Storms River Mouth.

GARDEN ROUTE LONG-DISTANCE WALKING TRAILS

Dolphin Trail This is the Garden Route’s luxury, portered trail with stays in comfortable accommodation, and the only one suitable if you are on holiday on your own without gear. The rest are geared towards locals who are fit hikers in a group, with all the gear.

The terrain through the Tsitsikamma National Park is breathtaking, covering the rugged coastal edge and the natural forest. The price includes a guide, a boat trip up the Storms River Gorge and a 4WD drive through the Storms River Pass. Start: Storms River Mouth; end: Sandrif River Mouth; distance: 20km; duration: three and a half days (042 280 3588, dolphintrail.co.za) cost: R5990 per person sharing, including food, accommodation and permits.

Otter Trail The Otter Trail is South Africa’s flagship hike; it is simply magnificent hiking a pristine stretch of coastline and forest where there is no habitation or vehicle access. It is geared to locals, in a group. If you’re desperate to walk the Otter Trail and have been told that the trip is full, don’t despair – keep checking the website for cancellations. You need to be fit for the steep sections and be an experienced hiker – you carry everything from hut to hut and need to be able to manage river crossings. Start: Storms River Mouth; end: Nature’s Valley; distance: 42km; duration: five days; booking through South African National Parks, at least twelve months in advance (012 428 911, sanparks.org). The maximum number of people on the trail is twelve: Starts at R1150 per person.

Tsitsikamma Trail Not to be confused with the Otter Trail, this is an inland hike through indigenous forest, long stretches of open fynbos and the Tsitsikamma mountain range. Five overnight huts accommodate 24 people and it is a strenuous hike. They have now introduced porterage, which makes everything a lot easier. Start: Nature’s Valley; end: Storms River Bridge; distance: 60km; duration: six days, though shorter versions possible: MTO Ecotourism (042 281 1712, mtoecotourism.co.za); cost: R200 per person per night.

Harkerville Coastal Trail Closer to the roads, this circular trail doesn’t feel as remote as the Otter Trail but is a good second-best, taking in magnificent rocky coastline, indigenous forest and fynbos. Lots of rock scrambling and some traversing of exposed, narrow ledges above the sea is required, so don’t attempt this without experience of scrambling on exposed rock, or a good degree of fitness. Because of its short duration, it is often a good choice if you don’t have much time. Start and end: Harkerville Forestry Station, 12km west of Plettenberg Bay, signposted off the N2; distance: 26.5km; duration: two days; cost: R260 per person. Bookings contact 044 302 5600 and reservations@sanparks.org.

Nature’s Valley

Nature’s Valley, at the western end of the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park, 29km east of Plettenberg Bay and two and a half hours’ drive from Port Elizabeth (204km), extends into the hilly interior. It incorporates a settlement of wooden houses set on the beautiful Groot River Lagoon, with 20km of beach and miles of forest to explore. The strict legislation here (highly unusual in South Africa) means there are no crass holiday houses, hotels or tour buses and only one small restaurant and village shop.

There are plenty of good walks at Nature’s Valley, many starting from the national park campsite, 1km north of the village, where you can pick up maps and information. One of the loveliest places to head for is Salt River Mouth, 3km west of Nature’s Valley, where you can swim and picnic – though you’ll need to ford the river at low tide. This walk starts and ends at the café at Nature’s Valley. Also recommended is the circular 6km Kalanderkloof trail, which starts at the national park campsite, ascends to a lookout point, and descends via a narrow river gorge graced with a profusion of huge Outeniqua yellowwood trees and Cape wild bananas.

Arrival AND information : Nature’s Valley

By car There is no public transport to Nature’s Valley and the only way of getting there is by car, taking the beautiful Groot River Pass road that winds down through riverine forest from the N2, 2km east of The Crags. Nature’s Valley is at the bottom of the pass, 11km after the turn-off. The road continues from Nature’s Valley and rejoins the N2 after 9km, just west of the Bloukrans River Bridge. The detour is worth it – the last relic of the Garden Route as it was before the N2 sped through it – with a chance of encountering baboons and vervet monkeys along the way.

Tourist information The Nature’s Valley Trading Store (see below) is effectively the village centre and acts as an informal information bureau. If you’re self-catering, stock up on supplies before you get to Nature’s Valley.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Nature’s Valley itself is pretty limited, which contributes to its low-key charm, but there are options on the road leading off the N2 into the village, just before the switchbacks begin.

Four Fields Farm Nature’s Valley Rd, 3km from the N2 along the R102 and 8km from Nature’s Valley 044 534 8708, fourfields.iowners.net. A welcoming and charmingly unpretentious former dairy farm, less than 10min drive from the sea. The self-catering farmhouse has four bedrooms simply furnished with beautiful old pieces and with French doors leading to their own private decks, which in turn open onto a much-loved garden surrounded by fields. There is also a flat that sleeps four (R1200) and another which sleeps a couple (R660). R2400

Lily Pond Lodge 102 Nature’s Valley Rd, 3km from the N2 along the R102 and 6km from Nature’s Valley 044 534 8767, lilypond.co.za. Probably the most memorable accommodation in Nature’s Valley, this lodge distinguishes itself through its commitment to luxury. The four en-suite rooms have patio doors opening onto private terraces, plus sound systems and TVs, while the spacious luxury suites also have their own lounge, under-floor heating and king-sized beds. The honeymoon suite that has its own private garden; there is also a large, shared garden on-site. R1980

Nature’s Valley Restcamp 1km to the north of the village. Campsites tucked into indigenous forest, and basic two-person forest huts with communal ablution facilities. Bookings through South African National Parks (044 531 6700, sanparks.org/parks/garden_route/camps/natures_valley) or if you’re already in Nature’s Valley, the camp supervisor 044 531 6700. Camping R205, hut R510

Rocky Road Backpackers 1.5km from the N2 along the R102, 12 km from Nature’s Valley 072 270 2114, rockyroadbackpackers.com. A tranquil backpacker retreat set on a large forested property. While the setting and landscaped gardens are the big draw, it also has an outdoor pizza oven, forest bathroom and a highly sociable Friday braai night. There is a range of sleeping options, the most appealing being the luxury tents with soft bedding and electric blankets. It’s on the Baz Bus route. Camping R100, luxury tent R220, dorms R190, doubles R500

Tranquility Lodge 130 St Michael’s Ave (next to the shop) 044 531 6663, tranquilitylodge.co.za. If Nature’s Valley has a centre, then this comfortable lodge, next to the village’s only shop, is bang in the middle of it. A two-storey brick and timber building set in a garden that feels as if it’s part of the encroaching forest, it is just 50m from the beach. Breakfast is served on an upstairs deck among the treetops. All rooms are en-suite and there’s also a larger honeymoon suite (R1800) with double shower, fireplace and private deck. R1500

Wild Spirit Lodge and Backpackers Nature’s Valley Rd, 8km from Nature’s Valley 044 534 8888, wildspiritlodge.co.za. One of the best Garden Route lodges, which has an alternative focus, with accommodation in bunk-free dorms in three, two-storey garden cottages and safari tents. You can explore forests, or hang out in the tree house. There is a kitchen for self-catering, a yoga and meditation room, book exchange, live music and drumming nights and a big outdoor braai. It’s on the Baz Bus route. Camping R90, bunk-free dorms R150, doubles R450

Eating AND DRINKING

Nature’s Valley Trading Store Corner of Forest & St Michael‘s 044 531 6835. The only place in the village that does food and booze is a pretty informal and convivial spot for seafood, steaks, burgers (R70) and toasted sandwiches, and provides the only nightlife – a large-screen TV. Daily 9am–8.30pm.

Storms River Mouth

55km east of Plettenberg Bay • Daily 7am–7pm • Day-visitor R90; overnight, on top of accommodation R200 • 042 281 1607

In contrast to the languid lagoon and soft sands of Nature’s Valley, Storms River Mouth, 55km from Plettenberg Bay, presents the Garden Route’s elemental face with the Storms River surging through a gorge to battle the surf. Don’t confuse this with Storms River Village just off the N2, which is nowhere near the sea, but right in the forest.

Walking is the main activity at the Mouth, and at the visitors’ office at the restcamp you can get maps of short, waymarked coastal trails that leave from here. These include walks up the forested cliffs, where you can see 800-year-old yellowwood trees with views onto a stretch of ocean. Most rewarding is the 3km hike west from the restcamp along the start of the Otter Trail to a fantastic waterfall pool at the base of 50m-high falls. Less demanding is the 1km boardwalk stroll from the restaurant to the suspension bridge to see the river mouth. On your way to the bridge, don’t miss the dank strandloper (beachcomber) cave. Hunter-gatherers frequented this area between five thousand and two thousand years ago, living off seafood in wave-cut caves near the river mouth. A modest display shows an excavated midden, with layers of little bones and shells. The area’s most popular walks, however, are the Dolphin and Otter trails. Swimming at the Mouth is restricted to a safe little sandy bay below the restaurant, with a changing hut, though it can be cold in summer if there are easterly winds and cold upwellings of deep water from the continental shelf.

Arrival and departure: Storms River Mouth

By car Storms River Mouth is 18km south of Storms River Bridge: you’ll need your own wheels to get around here as there’s no public transport to the Mouth. Most people stop at the bridge, on the N2, to gaze into the deep river gorge and fill up at the beautifully located petrol station.

By shuttle Tsitsikamma Backpackers can arrange a shuttle service for their guests from Storms River Village to the Mouth (R100/person; minimum three passengers).

Accommodation

Storms River Mouth Restcamp 18km south of Storms River Bridge 042 281 1607, sanparks.org/parks/garden_route/camps/storms_river. Sited on tended lawns, Storms River Mouth Restcamp is poised between a craggy shoreline of black rocks pounded by foamy white surf and steeply raking forested cliffs, and is the ultimate location along the southern Cape coast. It has a variety of accommodation options, not especially nice and rather modest and worn, but all with sea views and the ever-present sound of the surging surf. Advance booking through South African National Parks is essential and you may have to take whatever is available, as its location makes it understandably popular. Two units have disabled access. Camping R390, forest hut R755, chalet or oceanette R1385

Eating

Tsitsikamma Restaurant Storms River Mouth Restcamp. The only place to eat at the restcamp has such startling views that it can be forgiven its rather mediocre fare of English breakfasts, toasted sandwiches, burgers, pastas and steak, and often indifferent service. They do a reasonable range of seafood dishes (R120) and you can get a drink out on the wooden deck. Daily 8.30am–10pm.

Storms River Village

About a kilometre south of the national road, STORMS RIVER VILLAGE is a tranquil place crisscrossed by a handful of dirt roads and with a few dozen houses, enjoying mountain vistas, with easy access to hike in the state-run forest, which is literally on the doorstep. The main attraction of the village is as a centre for adventure activities, of which the canopy tour zip-line is a highlight.

Arrival and departure: Storms River Village

By Baz Bus The only transport into Storms River Village proper, the Baz Bus pulls in at the backpacker hostels daily on its way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

By intercity bus Greyhound, Translux and Intercape intercity buses pull in on their daily hauls along the N2 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth at the filling station at the Storms River Bridge, some 5km from the village.

Destinations Cape Town (2 daily; 10hr 25min); Knysna (2 daily; 1hr 20min); Mossel Bay (2 daily; 3hr); Plettenberg Bay (2 daily; 50min); Port Elizabeth (2 daily; 2hr 30min); Sedgefield (2 daily; 1hr 40min).

By shuttle bus Some of the backpacker hostels, among them Tsitsikamma Backpackers, offer a free shuttle service to and from the bridge from 8am till 5pm, as well as a paid shuttle to Storms River Mouth, the Bloukrans Bungee site, Nature’s Valley and Plettenberg Bay.

activities

BOAT TRIPS AND TUBING

SANParks 042 281 1607. Trips run for up to twelve people (R180 for 30min trip and conservation gate entry fee) about 1km up Storms River. Booking is at the Storms River Mouth restcamp, at the Untouched Adventures office, close to the boathouse, below the restcamp’s restaurant.

Tube ‘n Axe Backpackers 042 281 1757, tubenaxe.co.za. Trips operate down the Storms River gorge, where you ride the river and its rapids buoyed up by a small inflatable (R595 half-day, R995 full day).

TOURS

Woodcutters’ Journey 042 281 1836, stormsriver.com. A relaxed jaunt organized by Storms River Adventures (trips R300–R400), headquartered next to the post office. It takes you through the forest to the river along the old Storms River Pass in a specially designed trailer, drawn by a tractor.

Zip line

Storms River Adventures 042 281 1836, stormsriver.com. The Canopy Tour (R750) gives a bird’s-eye view of the forest as you travel 30m above ground along a series of interconnected cables attached to the tallest trees. The system has been constructed in such a way that not a single nail has been hammered into any tree.

Tsitsikamma Falls Adventures 042 280 3770, tsitsikammaadventure.co.za. A faster, higher alternative, geared more to adrenaline junkies, is the zip-line tour across the Kruis River at Tsitsikamma Falls Adventures (R380), which at times is 50m above the ground and crisscrosses an awesome ravine, zipping over three waterfalls, with the longest slide measuring 211m.

Accommodation

The Armagh Fynbos Ave 042 281 1512, thearmagh.com. A hospitable and very comfortable guesthouse with excellent bathrooms and bed linen, in a beautiful garden that drifts off into the fynbos. The rooms include two budget rooms, four standard ones, a garden cottage and an ultra luxurious and very private honeymoon room, all of which open onto the garden. There’s a nice swimming pool and a decent restaurant. R1200

At the Woods Guest House 49 Formosa St, along the main drag into town 042 281 1446, atthewoods.co.za. Friendly, modern guesthouse that’s the nicest place in town, with traditional reed ceilings and large, comfortable rooms with king-sized beds and French doors that open onto garden verandas, or, upstairs, onto private decks with mountain views. and there’s a communal lounge with a fireplace where you can use the internet. They also have a very nice café for meals. R1190

Tsitsikamma Backpackers 54 Formosa St 042 281 1868, tsitsikammabackpackers.co.za. Well-run hostel, whose accommodation options include luxury tents set in a beautiful garden that claims environmentally friendly and fair-trade credentials. You can self-cater or order a reasonably priced breakfast or dinner and there’s a bar. They offer a shuttle service to local attractions and pick up guests for free from the Storms River Bridge. Dorms R180, luxury tent R500, doubles R600

Tsitsikamma Village Inn Darnell St, along the road into the village and left at the T-junction 042 281 1711, tsitsikammahotel.co.za. An old-fashioned and consistently well-run hotel in the village amid the trees and with a well-tended garden. It has 49 rooms in eleven cottage units, which does draw tours, and has the advantage of a pub, micro-brewery and restaurant on the premises. R1400

Tube ‘n Axe Backpackers Cnr Darnell and Saffron sts 042 281 1757, tubenaxe.co.za. A wacky place that works hard to compete by offering drumming nights, a pool table and bonfires. On the Baz Bus route, and they can collect or drop off at the Storms River Bridge bus stop for mainline coaches, as well as offer shuttles around the area. They also give discounted rates for the adventure activities too. Camping R105, dorms R175, doubles R480

EATING AND DRINKING

De Oude Martha Tsitsikamma Village Inn, Darnell St. Acceptable, if unexceptional, hotel restaurant that serves up unpretentious breakfasts, lunches and dinners (mains average R160). Their cosy pub has a welcoming fireplace, and the micro-brewery is good. Daily 7am–9pm.

Rafters The Armagh, Fynbos Ave. The dinner menu has an emphasis on the local: South African cuisine using garden greens in their salads, fish from Plettenberg Bay and meat sourced nearby. Cape Muslim sweet and mild curries feature big on the menu (R130). Daily 8am–9pm.

Tsitrus Café At the Woods Guest House, 49 Formosa Street. The best choice for a light lunch, this place uses fresh ingredients and serves up a small menu of soups and salads (R75) as well as pizza and cheesecake. Daily 8am–8pm.

< Back to The Garden Route

The Garden Route

GETTING AROUND: THE GARDEN route

Mossel Bay

Brief history

Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex

The Maritime Museum

Post Office Tree

Shell Museum and Aquarium

Santos Beach

The Point

St Blaize Lighthouse and Cape St Blaize Cave

Arrival and departure: Mossel Bay

information

activities

Diving and snorkelling

Hiking

Sandboarding

Skydiving

Whale-watching and Seal island cruises

Accommodation

Eating and drinking

Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn

Accommodation: Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn

George

Dutch Reformed Church

President Botha AND apartheid’S LAST STAND

St Mark’s Cathedral

Arrival and information: George

THE OUTENIQUA POWER VAN

BOOKING

Accommodation

Eating and drinking

Victoria Bay

Arrival and departure: Victoria Bay

Accommodation

Eating

Wilderness

arrival and information: Wilderness

activities

Accommodation

Eating

Garden Route National Park: Wilderness Section

Arrival and departure: Wilderness section

ACtivities

Accommodation

Sedgefield

arrival and departure: Sedgefield

Accommodation

Goukamma Nature Reserve

arrival and departure: Goukamma Nature Reserve

ACTIVITIES

Accommodation

Knysna and around

Brief history

TOWNSHIP TOURS AND HOMESTAYS

Knysna Quays and Thesen’s Island

Knysna cruises

The beaches

Arrival and departure: Knysna and around

Getting around

Information and activities

Accommodation

Town centre and Knysna Quays

Leisure Isle and The Heads

West of town

forest ENVIRONS

Belvidere and Brenton-on-Sea

Eating

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

directory

The Knysna forests

Goudveld State Forest

Goudveld hikes

arrival and departure: Goudveld State Forest

Diepwalle Forest

arrival and information: Diepwalle Forest

accommodation

Plettenberg Bay and around

The Knysna elephants

The beaches