My students at UCT’s English Language Centre often take a week’s holiday and go down the Garden Route on the south coast of South Africa. It is such a beautiful part of the world! It’s been many years since I’ve done that route but my best friend is coming to visit in October so I’ve planned a little trip for us. Here are a few of my must sees along the way!
You can do the Garden Route in a number of ways. You can drive slowly down the south coast stopping along the way, or you can drive to Plettenberg Bay in a day and use that as a base to go and visit a number of places. Below I’ll list a number of places to go and visit – you can decide which order to do them in!
*Grabouw – this is on the way to Hermanus on the N2. In my humble opinion, this is the BEST Zipline experience (Cape Canopy Tour) in the world. It’s 8 ziplines above an untouched, unspoilt valley. It’s a 4-hour experience and well worth the money.
*Oudtshoorn is inland but well worth a visit. Here you must go visit the Cango Caves. It really is out of this world. Also nearby, there are crocodiles and ostriches. I’ve never liked ostriches – they have mean eyes – but my friend will want to see them. There is also the spectacular Swartberg Pass – a gravel road so you don’t go if it’s raining or in the wrong car!
*Plettenberg Bay is a beautiful natural Bay and I’m taking my friend there so we can lie on the beach, chat and read, but if we get bored of doing that…there are plenty of animals to go see in the surrounding area including snakes, monkeys, elephants, birds and more! If you fancy something with a little more adrenalin….there is always bungee jumping at Storms River Bridge – the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. We’re definitely going to go do the Storms River Mouth Hike and go over a 77m long suspension bridge – hope it’s not windy!
*Finally, Kynsna. I’m specifically going to take my friend to a great little Thai restaurant called the Royal Siam (Beacon Road, Wilderness, Beacon Road), but other than that we’ll also go to the Knysna Heads. We’ll probably walk up…but you could do a ferry ride around the lagoon.
On the way home, I think we’ll stop to say hello to an aunty and uncle in Mossel Bay but you can’t do that! You could stop in Hermanus and do some whale watching – we’re definitely in the right season now! One of the 12 best whale-watching destinations in the world!
Wow, not sure a week is going to be long enough! I’ll report back in November!
Image credit : SA-Venues.com
