Discover South Africa's Garden Route

Discover South Africa's Garden Route Trip Notes

Ways to Travel: Guided Group, Private Group Adventures
Destination: South Africa
Programmes: Culture
Activity Level:
1 out of 7 - Easy
10 Days: Land Only
Ages: 16+
Trip Code: AHO

Trip Overview

Experience South Africa’s iconic adventure route with the people who know every twist, turn and hidden gem

The Garden Route, the greatest road trip in South Africa, deserves an adventure to match. So, join this activity-packed itinerary for a showcase of its greatest experiences, handpicked by the local experts. You’ll discover the wonders of Cape Town and the glorious Cape Peninsula, ride the wine tram to legendary wine estates, marvel at mischievous meerkats, cruise the beautiful Knysna waterfront and hike through the dramatic landscapes of Tsitsikamma National Park. It ends with an unforgettable safari through the African bush, spotting beasts big and small with the help of an expert ranger.

At a Glance

Accommodation: 9 Classic nights (hotels)
Travel by private minibus
Group normally 4 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16

Highlights

Experience the very best of the Garden Route, guided by an expert tour leader
Tour the highlights of Cape Town, including a cable car ride up Table Mountain
Explore the South African winelands on the iconic wine tram
Take your adventure underground at the 20m-year-old Cango Caves
Marvel at meerkats, penguins and ostriches
Safari in the African bush with a keen-eyed ranger

Is This Trip for You?

This trip is graded Activity Level 1 (Easy). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Walks: This is primarily a vehicle-based adventure, although we can take walks in Tsitsikamma National Park, Meiringspoort Waterfall, Hermanus and the Cape Peninsula. These are generally along good paths and boardwalks and take about one to two hours.

Drive times: These can vary but the maximum amount of driving in one day is approximately five hours with stops throughout. On most days, we are on the road for less than three hours (not including stops or game drives).

Legal note: All group members joining this tour are asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the trip. It’s a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as not suitable for full wheelchair users, but it may be suitable for other persons of reduced mobility. Please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Adult min age: 16

Min group size: 4

Max group size: 16

Itinerary

Land Only

Start City: Cape Town
End City: Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

Land Only Itinerary

Begin your adventure in cosmopolitan Cape Town, undeniably beautiful, culturally rich and a gateway to the Garden Route.

At 6pm, say howzit to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big South African welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Want to explore Cape Town further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Dinner

Discover the wonders of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula today. It starts with a driving tour around the city, our tour leader showing us the key landmarks, including the Castle of Good Hope, Grand Parade and St George’s Cathedral.

We then head to the iconic Table Mountain, where we ascend to the top by cable car, weather permitting, for glorious views over Cape Town, Robben Island and the Twelve Apostles.

After, drive to the Cape Peninsula, where we visit the Cape of Good Hope, a spectacular promontory jutting into the Atlantic, and take a funicular to the lighthouse, before returning to the hotel.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Depart Cape Town, taking the 2hr 20min coastal road to Hermanus, stopping en route at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and Stony Point to view the resident African penguins.

The beautiful seaside town of Hermanus offers some of the best shore-based whale watching in the world during the whale season (August to November), particularly of the southern right whale. Enjoy free time to explore and eat lunch, before returning to Cape Town.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

We’re off to Franschhoek today (a 1hr 45min drive), labelled the wine capital of South Africa, to tour picturesque vineyards on the legendary wine tram.

This hop-on, hop-off experience provides an entertaining and leisurely way to explore the Franschhoek Valley.

The combination of tram and tram bus transports us around a loop, allowing the group to jump off at some of the oldest and most-distinguished wine estates in the world, while also discovering the history of the region and wine cultivation with two tastings.

Accommodation: PH by Marriott Stellenbosch Dorpshuis and Spa (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Bid farewell to the Winelands and transfer (five hours) to one of South Africa’s greatest natural treasures: the Cango Caves. Formed over 20m years, this extensive complex of caverns is home to magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, which we learn all about from a local guide.

After, head to Safari Ostrich Farm, a working farm in Oudtshoorn, where we hop on a tractor ride to learn all about the world’s biggest birds.

Accommodation: De Opstal Country Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Wake early this morning for our 6.15am transfer to Buffelsdrift Farm. Joined by a trained ranger, we head into the farm’s Klein Karoo landscape of arid semi-dessert to observe the resident meerkats as they forage and frolic around their burrows.

Leaving the farm, we transfer (45 minutes) to Meiringspoort Waterfall, where a stream tumbles down a smooth rock face into a deep pool. Bring your swimwear, it may be possible to take a dip in the pool beneath the cascade.

After, we continue (2hr 25min) to Knysna, where we spend the next two nights.

Accommodation: aha Rex Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy a morning at leisure, with the opportunity to book optional activities, such as zip lining, quad biking or a monster scooter tour.

At midday, we leave the hotel and board the Featherbed ferry for a 30-minute cruise along the scenic waterfront. Our journey takes us to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, where we ride a 4×4 to spectacular viewpoints and learn all about the local history, flora and fauna from a specialist guide. You can also join an optional guided walk (1.2mi/2km) through coastal forest, fynbos and ancient sea caves. After, we enjoy a delicious buffet lunch under a canopy of milkwood trees.

Returning to Knysna Waterfront, take time to explore, enjoying the mix of leisure, shopping and dining activities, before heading back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.

Accommodation: aha Rex Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, we transfer (three hours) to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Along the way, we visit Bloukrans Bridge (home to the highest commercially operated bungy jump in the world) and Tsitsikamma National Park, where we visit Storms River Mouth (weather permitting), the end point of the Garden Route.

Accommodation: The Kelway Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Spend your final full day in South Africa exploring Amakhala Game Reserve, riding an open Land Rover in search for iconic safari animals. We’re joined by an experienced game ranger, who knows all the animals’ favourite hiding spots, with the chance to see wildebeest, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and antelopes.

After returning to the hotel to refresh, we head out together for a farewell dinner, the ideal opportunity to recount tales from the adventure.

Accommodation: The Kelway Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The adventure ends today, and we begin our return journeys home. If you’d like more time to explore Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodation

A selection of hotels

We aim to secure locally owned accommodation that is well located, offers good value for money, and plenty of comfort. To help you find your ideal adventure, each trip is given a Comfort Level rating, which indicates the overall standard of accommodation. For more on our ratings, see our Comfort Level guidelines.

Tailor your trip: Extend your adventure by securing extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary. Speak to your sales representative to book.

Private rooms: Like most tour operators, we room solo passengers together. If you’d prefer to have a private room, it’s normally possible to do this for a supplement. Speak to your sales representative to book.

Single supplement from £ 350

Food & Drink

Food on this trip is very similar to the kind of food you are used to at home, though there may be the opportunity to try local meats such as ostrich, kudu or eland. Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.

Transport

We use a minibus for this trip. Each is fitted with forward-facing seats and tows a luggage trailer. They have large windows for good views while touring.

Weather & Seasonality

Summer is from October to April and the average daytime temperature is 25C-30C (77F-86F). The average night-time temperature is 10C-20C (50F-68F). Winter is from May to September and average temperatures are colder. In general, however, the Cape Town climate is quite mild. Summer is typically dry and warm, but the southeasterly wind can blow up to 43mph (70kph) at least a few times a month. This helps to cool things but can be a little unpleasant if one is walking in exposed areas. Most of the rainfall is in winter but it is frontal rain off the Atlantic. Therefore, it can rain solidly for two days, and in between there will be warm, sunny days. It is fairly common to experience tabletop clouds on the higher mountains. Our programme is flexible enough to accommodate any major changes in weather and still make it enjoyable.

Joining Instructions

Key information

Start hotel: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge, Portswood Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001
Phone: +27 21 406 1911
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing at 6pm, but if you miss it the leader will update you separately
Airport: Cape Town (CPT)

Getting to the start hotel

We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

Flying via Johannesburg
If you are travelling on flights via Johannesburg, please note that you will need to collect your baggage in Johannesburg, even if your bag has been checked all the way through to Port Elizabeth (and even if you are told you do not need to pick it up). After collecting the bag, you are required to clear customs, and you should then drop it off at the bag drop for the onward flight. This only applies to the outbound flight – you do not need to do this at the end of the trip on the return flight.

Catching your return flight

There’s one group transfer to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ), which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Cape Town
Location end: Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

What To Take

Essential Equipment

Comfortable walking shoes
Backpack for the daytime
Hat
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Binoculars
Camera
Water bottle
Fleece top for cooler days and nights
Waterproof
Windbreaker: For your backpack should the cooler winds pick up
Warmer clothes for winter
Head torch (headlamp), spare batteries and a portable charger for potential load shedding (power blackouts)

Water included

Plastic bottles are a big issue in many countries where recycling isn’t yet widely available; they often end up in landfill or get burned. Both processes are harmful to the environment and we would like to reduce our impact here. For your trip, we provide an alternative to single-use plastic bottles to reduce the plastic used. This means that safe drinking water will be available throughout; all you need to do is bring a bottle to refill along the way. Please add this to your packing list.

Practical Information

Visa

South Africa

Travellers from the UK, US and most (though not all) EU states normally do not need a visa to enter South Africa. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/south-africa
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-africa
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthAfrica.html

Please note, all travellers to South Africa who require a visa need at least two consecutive blank pages in their passport (ie a left- and right-hand page) to enable an entry visa to be issued.

Additionally, any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents. If a child under 18 is only travelling with one parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than three months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

Vaccinations and Health

South Africa

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential if travelling in the greater Kruger area; seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which tablets to take. The rest of South Africa, including the Garden Route, has a low risk of malaria.

Dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is also a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we recommend taking the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Bilharzia is known to occur in some of the lakes or rivers visited on this itinerary, we therefore advise all to take advice from your guide or leader locally before venturing for a swim.

Local Time

South Africa's time zone: Africa/Johannesburg (UTC +02:00)

Electricity

South Africa's electricity: Plug types M (three round pins), N (three round pins) and C (two round pins) – 230V, 50Hz

Money

South Africa's currency: South African rand (ZAR)

ATM Availability

ATMs are fairly widely available throughout this trip but not necessarily every day so please advise your leader in advance if you want to use one.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

For meals not included, average costs are:

Dinners: 340-510 rand (US$20‐US$30)
Lunches: 135-220 rand (US$8-US$13)
Incidentals: Allow about 170 rand (US$10) per day

Tipping

Our local staff are paid fairly for their work; however, tipping is part of the culture in South Africa.

For suggestions on how much to tip, we recommend:

Tour leader: 180 rand (US$10) per day
Drivers: 100 rand (US$5.50) per day
Rangers: 180 rand (US$10) per day
Hotel staff: 80 rand (US$4.50) per day
Restaurants: 10% of the bill

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony though practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Important Information

Optional activities and excursions

If you would like to join an optional activity or excursion outside those listed in the itinerary, your leader may be able to assist with selecting a provider. However, Exodus has not assessed the safety standards of activities or excursions that are not listed in the Trip Notes. All optional activities or excursions are undertaken at your own risk.

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.

Important Information

Your safe participation

When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call us and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary.

Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity.

By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.

Seatbelts

All vehicles used by us should be equipped with working seatbelts, except where approved by us based on the vehicle type or journey. Wherever seatbelts are available, we require our customers to use them for their own safety, even where it may not be a legal requirement.

How to Book

Check availability: Go online to check availability, or contact us by phone or email.
Secure your place: You can provisionally hold a place on this trip, usually for between three and seven days.
Complete your booking and payment

When you’re ready to book, go to our website for online bookings, book over the phone or you can complete a booking form (available online or on request by calling us). We accept all major credit and debit cards, or you can pay be cheque.

After booking

You will receive your booking confirmation letter and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements.

Full joining instructions, including local emergency numbers and details of how to reach the start point, will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks prior to departure. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier, please contact our office or your travel agent.

Trip Note validity

These Trip Notes are valid from the “Current as” date on page one. They will occasionally be updated after booking and before departure; if there are any updates that significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary, customers will be written to separately. They will also receive a link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes with their Final Joining Instructions before travelling.

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure or website, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure and website. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary. Occasionally, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. This may be for a variety of reasons – climatic, political, physical or other. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

Licensing

Exodus is fully licensed and bonded as a tour operator. We hold Air Traffic Organisers Licence (ATOL) number 2582, issued and bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We are also bonded to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and we are members of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) and ABTA – The Travel Association. This means you can book your Exodus holiday with confidence, as all money paid to us for your trip is fully protected.

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