If the color green is calming for the human brain, then traveling through South Africa’s Garden Route is like a full-on spa day for your nervous system.
Often placed between Cape Town and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), the Garden Route officially lies between Mossel Bay and Storms River (also known as Stormsrivier), covering 120km. We traveled east to west, starting at Storms River and Tsitsikamma National Park before working our way towards Cape Town as part of a Best of South Africa tour.
“The Garden Route is known for lush forests, beautiful beaches, mountains and cliffs. It’s where we still have our indigenous forests,” our Travel Director Nathi explains. I thought I knew what we were in for — I’d seen photos after all — but nothing prepared me for the colors, individuality and sheer scale of the natural beauty you’ll find along the Garden Route. That’s what’s happens when you’re not the one planning the itinerary; some things are still a surprise.
Day 1: Tsitsikamma National Park
We enter Tsitsikamma National Park to signs warning of baboons, and a buzz of excitement immediately fills the coach. (We never saw any, to the relief of some and disappointment of others.) The drive takes us through dense pine forest, until we turn a corner where palm trees and the rugged Western Cape coastline come into view.
Parking next to the shoreline, although it’s a calm day waves hit the rocks and crash meters into the air, catching the sun and leaving a rainbow on their way down. It’s pure magic.
We have plenty of time to take in the drama of the Atlantic Ocean before it’s time to venture deeper through the park on foot, with a beautiful but not-too-challenging hike. Birdsong is the soundtrack to our walk and the sun has come out for us, illuminating the many, many shades of green throughout the ancient indigenous forest.
Our destination? The Storms River Suspension Bridge, spanning 77 meters across and hanging just 7 meters above the spot where the river pours into the ocean. The view from the bridge is so good that even those in our group afraid of heights find the courage to walk out over this incredible landmark.
Tsitsikamma is where we spot our first of many dassies; these tiny mammals are easily missed, but utterly charming once you spot them. How their closest living relative is an elephant perplexes our group for much of the trip.
Our onward journey is broken up by a couple of stops. The first, to stretch our legs at the sandy, laid-back surf town of Plettenburg Bay and, later on, to watch sunset at the Knysna Heads before we finally arrive at the Knysna Hollow Country Estate, a tranquil oasis we get to call home for the next couple of nights. As far as lowering my cortisol goes, this beautiful hotel where you end your day with burnt orange sunsets and wake to the sound of birdsong is doing some heavy lifting.
Day 2: Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna
We swap coach for boat this morning leaving Knysna’s coastal community and crossing the lagoon to wilder habitats at the Featherbed Nature Reserve.
It’s shocking to hear how this thriving landscape was almost completely destroyed by the 2017 Knysna fires. Raging for 12 days, the fire destroyed around 95% of the reserve including indigenous forests, facilities and homes. Relatively recent in this region’s history, it’s become an integral and unforgettable part of Knysna’s story — and so has the way this resilient community and environment rebuilt itself, explained beautifully by our wonderful hosts from the reserve.
What begins as a grey, drizzly day perks up once we reach the reserve’s first impressive viewpoint, delivering panoramic views over the lagoon and out to the Indian Ocean. We can even see the Knysna Heads and the exact spot where we watched sunset last night, way across the estuary.
Our 4×4 drive took us up the hill, but we walk the journey back down past native fynbos, more dassies, and sandstone sea caves that carve out a natural frame to view the ocean through. Luckily time for appreciating the views has been factored in to our excursion. Our guide is clearly proud of South Africa’s indigenous flora, pointing out the small but mighty shrubs that are part of the smallest floral kingdom in the world.
Day 3: Onto Mossel Bay — and beyond
After getting very lucky with the weather, we wake up to torrential rain — it is South African winter after all. This isn’t necessarily bad news for a travel day as we’re Cape Town-bound, but we do have one last stop along the Garden Route: Mossel Bay.
Nobody wants to leave the dry comfort of the coach but we rally, grab our waterproofs and brave the elements. One a clear day the red-roofed Mossel Bay Lighthouse is a striking white against the dark rock, but we’re heading just below this landmark to see the Cape St Blaize Cave. We make our way up the steps to take shelter here, not knowing our ancestors 200,000 years before did the same thing. This natural grotto, 10 meters high and 72 meters wide, is a notable archaeological site where evidence of early human settlement has been found.
Looking out over the waves crashing in from the Indian Ocean with the wind in our face, we’re all in agreement that you don’t always need clear, sunny days to appreciate the beauty of South Africa. Being immersed in nature also means getting acquainted with the elements, and by the end of the Garden Route our group has become quite at home outdoors.
There’s no doubt that the natural beauty and phenomena found in this lush slice of South Africa gave me the space to slow down. Although now I think about it, having every travel detail taken care of might have had something to do with it too.