{"id":26598,"date":"2018-05-21T11:25:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T01:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=26598&preview=true&preview_id=26598"},"modified":"2024-09-20T23:58:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T13:58:45","slug":"best-stops-garden-route-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"5 perfect pit stops on South Africa’s Garden Route"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa\u2019s Garden Route<\/a> is one of the country’s most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just don\u2019t go expecting seed catalogues or botanical gardens; this is a 300 kilometre route hemmed by indigenous forest, \u201cfynbos\u201d bush and pine plantations that runs from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape.<\/p>\n

\"Road

Driving to Oudtshoorn.<\/p><\/div>\n

I spent a good week cruising the Garden Route on Intrepid’s Kruger, Coast & Cape trip<\/a> in a decked out overlanding vehicle, camping beneath the Tsitsikamma mountains, watching the surfers shred J-Bay, and ziplining through ancient rainforest. While almost every kilometre spent on the road is first-class driving, these are my must-stop destinations en (Garden) route:<\/p>\n

1. Knysna<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is just the cutest town, ever. Charming, is a word that comes to mind. As does \u2018quaint\u2019. Knysna (pronounced \u2018nice-nah\u2019) is a seaside holiday town at the heart of the Garden Route. The village sits at the edge of a picturesque lagoon that\u2019s home to a bunch of wooden sailboats. You can either sit and enjoy a coffee by the jetty, or catch the ferry out to the Featherbed Nature Reserve and stroll the cliff-top paths. If you\u2019re feeling outdoorsy and need to stretch your legs after sitting in the car, Knysna forest also makes for a good day walk.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 10 FACTS YOU PROBABLY DON\u2019T KNOW ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2. Wilderness<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Sunset\"

Golden hour.<\/p><\/div>\n

When you arrive in Wilderness, you know you\u2019re well and truly on the Garden Route. This is one of the most spectacular beaches in South Africa. Admittedly, I didn\u2019t visit every beach in South Africa but I did go to one in Mozambique and Wilderness is better than that. This place is a hive of beach-side walking trails and delicate ecosystems, making it a paradise for the nature enthusiast.<\/p>\n

CHECK OUT OUR SOUTH AFRICAN GARDEN ROUTE ADVENTURES HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

3. Storms River Village<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Ziplining

Ziplining through the trees.<\/p><\/div>\n

Camping just outside of Storms River in the Tsitsikamma National Park was one of the most epic overnights of my life. From the inside of your tent, you look directly out onto the wild coastline, packed with migrating whales and playful dolphins. Behind your tent is the indigenous forest, where you can hike to hidden waterfalls or kayak its rivers. Make sure you bounce along the suspension bridge and fly through the trees on a zipline canopy tour.<\/p>\n

RELATED: OUTSIDE THE CITY BOWL: A GUIDE TO CAPE TOWN\u2019S NEIGHBOURHOODS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

4. Mossel Bay<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Group

Dinnertime!<\/p><\/div>\n

Not feeling the rough and rugged coastline? Prefer a peaceful beach swim? Mossel Bay is both the start of the Garden Route and also the perfect place to take a dip at a protected sandy bay. It\u2019s a regular South Africa holiday spot, so expect family friendly fun, like a trip out to Seal Bay and horse riding along the beach, alongside the more adrenaline-fuelled activities, such as surfing and game reserve driving at Botlierskop.<\/p>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID\u2019S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

5. Oudtshoorn<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Underground

Oudtshoorn\u2019s incredible underground cave network.<\/p><\/div>\n

Driving out to Oudtshoorn could very well be the best part of the Garden Route. Look out for the dramatic mountain range (it\u2019s hard to miss) as you head into Little Karoo, a semi-arid region. Desert-like, surreal and also South Africa\u2019s ostrich capital, FYI. If you\u2019re keen to learn about ostriches, this is the place. Take a trip out to one of the farms and come neck to neck with the huge birds. Otherwise, Cango Caves are worth an afternoon visit; you can tour the underground cave network that\u2019s home to hanging stalactites older than your imagination.<\/p>\n

Up for a road trip? Check out our range of small group South African adventures<\/a> now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

All images by Ryan Bolton.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rugged coast, sandy beaches, whales and dolphins and some of the hugest vistas around. South Africa’s Garden Route has to be experienced to be believed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16063,"featured_media":27204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455,1313],"tags":[65,104],"class_list":["post-26598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-guides","tag-africa","tag-south-africa","ipf_region-south-africa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Top Stops on South Africa's Garden Route | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 perfect pit stops on South Africa's Garden Route\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-21T01:25:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-20T13:58:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tayla Gentle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tayla Gentle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/\",\"name\":\"5 Top Stops on South Africa's Garden Route | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-21T01:25:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-20T13:58:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285\"},\"description\":\"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"The world's highest commercial Bungy Bridge.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 perfect pit stops on South Africa’s Garden Route\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285\",\"name\":\"Tayla Gentle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tayla Gentle\"},\"description\":\"I'm a travel writer guilty of visiting places that often give my mum mild anxiety. Likely born in Jamaica in a past life, travel for me involves dancing to afrobeat, drinking Mekong whiskey and wearing pyjamas on long haul flights.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/tayla-gentle\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Top Stops on South Africa's Garden Route | Intrepid Travel Blog","description":"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 perfect pit stops on South Africa's Garden Route","og_description":"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-21T01:25:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-20T13:58:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tayla Gentle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tayla Gentle","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/","name":"5 Top Stops on South Africa's Garden Route | Intrepid Travel Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-21T01:25:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-20T13:58:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285"},"description":"South Africa\u2019s Garden Route is one of the country's most famous drives, and for good reason. If you\u2019re into rugged coastlines, deserted sandy beaches, local wildlife, mountain passes and huge vistas, then this is the stretch for you.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"The world's highest commercial Bungy Bridge."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/best-stops-garden-route-south-africa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 perfect pit stops on South Africa’s Garden Route"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285","name":"Tayla Gentle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tayla Gentle"},"description":"I'm a travel writer guilty of visiting places that often give my mum mild anxiety. Likely born in Jamaica in a past life, travel for me involves dancing to afrobeat, drinking Mekong whiskey and wearing pyjamas on long haul flights.","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/tayla-gentle\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-South-Africa_Garden-Route_Tallest-Bungy-Bridge-Camping__Ryan-Bolton-3K5A2843.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-6V0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16063"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26598"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77288,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26598\/revisions\/77288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}