This morning you will be met by your local tour guide and depart for the scenic Garden Route. Travel along Sir Lowry’s Pass, with its magnificent views, to Grabouw and Elgin, a lush landscape surrounded by majestic mountains. Stop en route at a farmstall packed with locally produced products from the area. Our journey continues to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The area has largely been untouched and unexplored with its rugged coastline being the graveyard for many a ship. The historic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is considered the icon that signifies the tip of Africa. After this thrilling experience, we continue via historic Swellendam, the third oldest town in South Africa, to Mossel Bay, from where the Garden Route extends to the Storms River in the east.

Oudtshoorn at La Plume or similar

Dinner

After breakfast, we head to Oudtshoorn and visit the Cape St Blaize Cave, site of one of South Africa’s oldest archaeological excavations, known as the Cradle of Human Culture. We continue our journey to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world and home to the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves. Visit an Ostrich Farm for a guided tour. Enjoy a wine tasting at a local wine estate in the scenic Schoemanshoek Valley, before setting off on a tour of the Cango Caves, one of the world’s great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages

La Plume Guest House

Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast, travel over the Outeniqua Pass to George, the sixth oldest town in South Africa, with many historical landmarks like the Slave Tree and King Edward VII Library building; said to be the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town. The tour travels via Wilderness, an attractive holiday resort, to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route. Journey into the magical Knysna Forests, the stamping ground of the elusive Knysna elephants. Discover the stories of the woodcutters who worked the forests, the elephants that were hunted to extinction and the discovery of gold. Visit the Dalene Matthee Big Tree Memorial. The enormous Yellowwood tree of over 880 years was named after Matthee, best known author of four books on the Knysna Forest. Enjoy a delicious lunch, before returning to Knysna.

Rex Hotel

Breakfast and Lunch

Today explore further the natural beauty of the Knysna area with a visit the Forest Legends Museum, the colourful Old Suzie steam engine, that was used to generate power, and the stately Old Forester’s House.

Afterwards you’ll have the opportunity to visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, where you will be able to see a variety of primates, roaming free in the forest. The sanctuary is well known for its efforts to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates.

The tour continues to the famous Eastern Head, where you will enjoy spectacular views of the Knysna Heads, before travelling to the nature lovers paradise of Brenton on Sea with its unspoilt beaches. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure.

Rex Hotel

Breakfast

After breakfast travel to the Plettenberg Bay area where you will visit Birds of Eden sanctuary, the biggest single free flight aviary in the world. The sanctuary provides a safe environment in which to release a large collection of free-flight African birds.

The journey continues to Bloukrans Bridge, the highest single span arch bridge in the world, currently offering the highest commercially operated bungy jump in the world (optional!).

Later, visit the Tsitsikamma National Park which contains the popular Storms River Mouth suspension bridge. The park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline, secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea.

Tsitsikamma Village Inn

Breakfast

After breakfast, travel eastwards by the Tsitsikamma Forest to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), where the tour ends.

From here, your Travel Consultant can arrange onward flights or an Eastern Cape safari.

Breakfast