Cape Town & the Garden Route
Cape Town & the Garden Route
Cape Town & the Garden Route
12 Days Starting in Port Elizabeth and ending in Cape Town
Visiting: South Africa
Tour operator:
Tour code:
AZW
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
4 - 16
Age range:
16-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTour Overview
Discover the Garden Route - ‘the greatest road trip in South Africa’ – on a journey from Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) to Cape Town. This highlight-packed trip is designed for those who want iconic South African experiences: a safari in Addo Elephant National Park; a cellar tour in Stellenbosch; a visit to the penguins of Simon’s Town; and free time in Cape Town, the most absorbing city in South Africa. For an extra-special experience, join the trip between June and November for a chance to spot migratory southern right whales as you stand on the shore.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Port Elizabeth; Transfer To Sundays River Valley
Welcome to South Africa! Our tour begins in Port Elizabeth, colloquially known as PE, but officially Gqeberha, a Xhosa name for the river that runs through the city. We have a welcome briefing in the evening to discuss the adventures to come.
If you have time before, however, you may want to spend the day exploring. Options include several beaches within walking distance, including Humewood Beach, plus city and township tours (payable locally).
Accommodation: La Mer Guesthouse (or similar)
Day 2 : Game Drives In Addo Elephant National Park
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning, we head to Addo Elephant National Park, home to some 550 elephants (up from just 16 when the park was formed) plus black rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalos, hyenas, zebras, various antelopes and dung beetles. We enjoy a 45-minute game drive in our own vehicle, hoping to spot iconic African wildlife, and have the option of a second (at extra cost).
Accommodation: La Mer Guesthouse (or similar)
Day 3 : Drive To Storms River; Explore Tsitsikamma
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today, we head west to the official start of the Garden Route at Storms River in Tsitsikamma National Park. Stretching along the coast, the park, which comprises rocky coastlines, fairytale forests, waterfalls and rivers, gets its name from a local Khoekhoe language meaning ‘place of abundant water’.
We can take a 1.2mi (2km) hike in the forest and along suspension bridges, which should take around an hour – other optional walks are also available. The area is a great place for bird enthusiasts with a variety of sea, forest and fynbos (scrubland) species present. Other resident animals include vervet monkeys, chacma baboons and clawless otters.
Accommodation: Storms River Mouth Rest Camp chalets (or similar)
Day 4 : Free Day To Relax, Walk Or Explore The Region
Meals Included: Breakfast
We spend the day at Tsitsikamma, where several adventures await. Options include kayaking on the Storms River, zip-lining through the forest or swimming in the ocean.
There are also several self-guided walks available, the easiest of which is the suspension walk. The most challenging is the Otter Trail, a well-marked four-hour trek with some small ladders and boulder hopping. This is the only walk that has rocky shoreline sections to it, plus it goes through the forest and passes the Strandloper Cave and ends at a waterfall dropping into the ocean – this trek is only recommended for fit walkers with a good sense of balance.
Accommodation: Storms River Mouth Rest Camp chalets (or similar)
Day 5 : Morning Visit Knysna Heads; Afternoon To Oudtshoorn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We start our day with a visit to Knysna Heads, two tall sandstone cliffs that form a channel through which the turbulent Indian Ocean enters the calmer Knysna Lagoon.
We have a bit more time to relax in town before leaving for Oudtshoorn after lunch.
As we head inland and over a pass, the landscape changes drastically and we enter the Little Karoo, a much dryer, hotter region. Oudtshoorn itself became renowned for its trade in ostrich feathers and is still the ostrich capital of the world. Our guesthouse is out of town in De Rust, a tranquil, rural Karoo village.
Accommodation: Housemartin Guest Lodge (or similar)
Day 6 : Visit Cango Caves And Meiringspoort Waterfall
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We spend today discovering Oudtshoorn and the surrounding highlights. We start by visiting the Cango Caves, an extensive complex of caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. A local guide takes us on an hour’s journey through the limestone caves, which are millions of years old.
We then enjoy lunch at Buffelsdrift, where we overlook a waterhole occasionally visited by elephants, giraffes and springboks. In the afternoon, we visit the beautiful Meiringspoort Waterfall and enjoy a 1,640ft (500m) walk along a well-maintained path, which takes about 30 minutes each way. The order in which we do these activities may be reversed.
Accommodation: Housemartin Guest Lodge (or similar)
Day 7 : To Hermanus Via Mossel Bay
Meals Included: Breakfast
Returning towards the coast, we stop at Mossel Bay and the Dias Museum Complex, which reveals the influence of early Portuguese sailors on South Africa. It’s also home to the Post Office Tree (a 500-year-old milkwood, where seafarers once left letters to be taken home by Portuguese sailors).
We then continue to Hermanus, the whale capital of the world. It’s been a long travelling day, so we stretch our legs with a walk along the cliff path.
Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)
Day 8 : Free Day; Whale Watching In Season
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy Hermanus. From June to November, southern right whales are easily spotted from shore as they frolic in Walker Bay. A whale crier sounds his kelp horn when he spots whales off the coast. Those who want can also do a boat-based whale-watching trip. There are also several other activities available from hikes to river cruises and lagoon kayaking, which are available year-round. You could also visit the Whale Museum to learn about the most famous visitors to these shores, or walk the 7mi (11km) cliff path, where you could see indigenous plants, tortoises and mongoose.
Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)
Day 9 : To Stellenbosch; Afternoon Wine Tour And On To Cape Town
Meals Included: Breakfast
Our next destination is the much-celebrated wine region of South Africa. The industry here, which dates to the 17th century and was heavily influenced by French Huguenots, produces some of the best wines in the world. We have free time to explore the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch on foot and eat at one of the many restaurants in town.
In the afternoon, we enjoy a cellar tour with a sommelier at one of the nearby vineyards. Of course, we also taste a selection of their wines before continuing our journey to Cape Town, the Mother City.
Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)
Day 10 - 11 : Two Days Exploring Cape Town, Table Mountain, The Cape Peninsula And Simon's Town Penguins
Meals Included: Breakfast
We spend the next two days in and around Cape Town, the most exciting city in South Africa. Our activities in Cape Town will, to some extent, be dictated by the weather as visits to the top of Table Mountain, which has its own micro-climate, are determined by cloud cover and wind. Because of this often-temperamental weather, it is best not to prebook the cable car but to buy tickets on the spot (not included). Those staying in Cape Town post-tour may opt to visit Table Mountain later if the weather looks as though it may improve.
There is also the option of visiting Robben Island on one of the days; however, we recommend you prebook Robben Island with us before the trip (but pay the tour leader locally).
On one of the days, we head down the Cape Peninsula. We follow the Atlantic Seaboard past the areas of Camps Bay, Llandudno and Hout Bay to the Cape Point via Chapman’s Peak drive, if it is open. The highlight is our visit to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to elands, bonteboks, springboks, wildebeest, baboons and ostriches. Rugged cliffs, unspoiled beaches, shipwrecks and beautiful flora are the main features of the reserve. We walk through the reserve for approximately two hours. We first head to the new lighthouse for the panoramic views, before following the pathway to the old lighthouse, which offers spectacular cliff views. Once we leave the park, we stop at the former Royal Navy base at Simon’s Town and visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)
Day 12 : End Cape Town
Meals Included: Breakfast
On our final day, we have the option of doing a township tour, strolling along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront or exploring various other parts of Cape Town.
What's Included
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All breakfasts and 2 dinners included
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All accommodation
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All transport and listed activities
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Tour leader throughout
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
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Single accommodation (available on request)
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Visas or vaccinations
Food
All breakfasts and two dinners are included.
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 on this trip – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.
The provided water is safe, clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.
Accommodation
We spend 11 nights in a range of hotels and guesthouses, each well located for our activities and to keep the drives between destinations relatively short. The normal accommodations used on this trip are on the day-to-day itinerary; however, below are a couple of the notable places we stay.
De Rust: Housemartin Guest Lodge (nights 5-6)
In the small Karoo town of De Rust is the quaint Housemartin Guest Lodge. Owners Theresa and Jan personally welcome every Exodus group that comes to their home and they take great pride in making guests as comfortable as possible. The property has 12 rooms, each with a private veranda leading into the garden. There is also a swimming pool plus beautiful indoor and outdoor dining areas. The meals at the guest lodge are a particular highlight with seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms to create classic South African dishes.
Hermanus: Windsor Hotel (nights 7-8)
The 120-year-old Windsor Hotel in Hermanus sits opposite Walker Bay, one of the best whale-watching destinations in the world when southern right whales migrate to the bay to breed (July to November). Whale-watching is even possible from the comfort of the hotel restaurant. However, the location of the property is also ideal out of season with a central setting within town and quick access to the 7.5mi (12km) Hermanus Cliff Path.
Check out our Q&As
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What is the maximum group size?
16
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
Minimum 16 years old people can go on this tour.
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Do you require a visa for this holiday?
British passport holders and most European and Commonwealth Passport holders do not require a visa to travel to South Africa. Please note that all travellers to South Africa who do require a visa are required to have a minimum of 2 blank consecutive pages in their passport i.e. a left hand page and a right hand page to enable an entry visa to be issued.
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes.
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Are vaccinations required for this tour?
There are no mandatory vaccination requirements.
Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A.
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus Adventure Travels allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus adventure travels, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus Adventure Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus adventure travels charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.