When planning a trip to South Africa, you are probably looking to embed either the Panorama Route or the Garden Route as the key focus of your itinerary. During our 3-week trip to South Africa, we focused on driving the Garden Route from Cape Town to Addo Elephant National Park as a loop road trip. The Garden Route in South Africa is one of the country’s most scenic road trips. You will find beautiful coast lines (I especially liked the first part of the drive: Clarence Drive) combined with charming towns, forests and wildlife. If you want, you can already drive the Garden Route in as little as a week, and the different types of landscapes you’ll see are unique. In this travel guide to the Garden Route in South Africa, I show you an overview of the best stops on the way! To drive the Garden Route, it is best to rent a car from Cape Town.
The Garden Route is best done as a self-drive road trip with a rental car. You can join an organized tour, but renting a car gives you the freedom to stop wherever you want and to set your own pace, which is really the point of this drive.
Which direction should you drive the Garden Route? Start in Cape Town and drive east toward Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). This way you build up from the coastline and forests toward the wildlife of Addo at the end.
The best time to drive the Garden Route is spring (September to November) or autumn (February to April). Both give you good weather and smaller crowds than the busy summer holidays. If whale watching is high on your list, plan your Hermanus stop between June and November, with the best sightings around September and October.
You can drive the Garden Route in as little as one week or stretch it to around two weeks. We drove the Garden Routes in approximately 10 days, which also left sufficient time for our way back to Cape Town, covering Oudtshoorn, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. Of course, we also wanted to spend enough time in Cape Town itself.
Don’t have a full week? You can still hit the best stops on the Garden Route, but you’ll need to skip Addo and a few of the smaller towns.
Day 1: Drive from Cape Town to Hermanus, then continue to Swellendam for the night. Stop at Fick’s Pool in Hermanus if you have time to spare.
Day 2: Drive from Swellendam to Knysna, with a stop at the Knysna Heads, then continue to Plettenberg Bay. If you still have energy left, do a short loop at Robberg before dinner.
Day 3: Drive from Plettenberg Bay through Tsitsikamma National Park, with a stop at the suspension bridges, then head back toward Cape Town or fly out from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha).
Even if the route seems stretched, driving times between locations aren’t too long. A comfortable pace could look like this: 2 nights in Swellendam, 3 to 4 nights in Plettenberg Bay, 1 night in Jeffreys Bay or Tsitsikamma and 2 nights in Addo. If you want to incorporate more beach days (for example, around Plett or J-Bay), you might want a bit more time. However, we had quite bad weather in summer, which made our 10-days already seem quite long. For every stop on the Garden Route, I give some good hotel options as well.
Drive the Garden Route as part of a 3-week South Africa itinerary
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Even though the Garden Route officially doesn’t start in Cape Town, this is the unofficial start of the Garden Route. Fly into Cape Town (compare the best flights here), rent a car and start your road trip on the Garden Route in South Africa from here. Of course, after exploring Cape Town for a couple of days. You definitely have to see the main sights such as the iconic Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. Cape Town is full of cultural and culinary highlights with so many amazing restaurants that it was difficult to choose. Also, don’t miss out on a day trip to Cape Point and a visit to the Cape Winelands before hitting the road!
Read my full Cape Town city guide for the best things to do, bars, restaurants and hotels.
When we left Cape Town our first destination was a special one! We headed to Stoney Point, Betty’s Bay, which is just a short drive from Cape Town. The place is home to a large colony of African penguins and is a way quieter alternative to the famous Boulders Beach! This stop should definitely be on your list!
If you want to see more of the sea side, stop in Hermanus and have lunch at Fick’s Pool. If you are visiting between June and November, you should stay a night in Hermanus as this town is one of the best (land-based) whale-watching destinations in the world! From Hermanus, continue your way to Swellendam through the Hemel & Aarde Valley for the best views.
Don't miss out on whale watching: the best way to spot the whales is from the boat. This is one of the most popular tours in Hermanus.
Known as one of the oldest towns in South Africa, Swellendam is a charming stop surrounded by rolling farmlands and mountains. It’s the perfect halfway point between Cape Town and the coast of the Garden Route. There are hiking trails nearby (Duiwelsbos) and great food and drink options. We spend 2 days here, while many see it only as a place to spend the night. Personally, I really liked strolling around here and would recommend to stay that extra night! Definitely try the gin tasting at Republic and go to Oishii for “plankie steak” combined with a bottle of wine from Bonafide.
Also read my guide on Swellendam to better understand why it is worth a visit.
A great (quick) stop on the way is Knysna, famous for its oysters and especially for the beautiful viewpoints like the Knysna Heads. Also, you can get on a boat and hop to Featherbed Nature Reserve, if you are adventurous and want to go off the beaten track! At Knysna, have a coffee (and a huge meringue cake) at East Head Cafe. If you want to try oysters, 34 degrees South is a good option. Next to that, you can also go on a 75-minute boat tour to see the lagoon and Knysna heads from the water.
Plettenberg Bay is a highlight for many travelers on the Garden Route in South Africa. With long sandy beaches, upscale restaurants and plenty of outdoor activities, it’s an ideal base to explore more of the region. From here, you can for example visit wineries, go hiking (at Robberg, one of the other popular Garden Route spots) or take a boat trip to spot seals.
We also found Plett a good base to visit for example Knysna, Robberg, Keurboomstrand, Nature’s Valley and potentially even Tsitsikamma (although I would recommend to visit the National Park while moving to your next destination). Read the best things to do in Plett here (including bars and restaurants).
Popular here: swim with the seals in Plettenberg Bay, a fun half-day activity.
Visiting this rugged peninsula might have been my favorite activity of the full Garden Route. This beautiful spot near Plett offers some of the best coastal hiking in South Africa. You can already explore Robberg with a very short loop, but it is also possible to walk all the way to The Point on a half-day trek. One thing is for sure, you will be rewarded with spectacular views, seal colonies and hidden beaches. Even if you are not a big hiker, Robberg is worth a visit.
Read everything you need to know about Robberg
If the weather is good, a visit to Keurboomstrand and Nature’s Valley on the Garden Route are worth it. Unfortunately, when we visited, it wasn’t the best weather for a beach day, so we decided to skip Keurboomstrand. However, if you are staying in Plett and the weather allows, definitely head to this most beautiful beach in the region. Alternatively (or both of course!), you can visit Nature’s Valley, where you can hike to a view point overlooking the beach. Both spots are a perfect escape from the busier towns.
Tsitsikamma National Park is paradise for nature lovers, known for the lush forest right next to the coastline. It’s an amazing place if you are into adventure, as you can hike (Waterfall trail), canoe, tube, snorkel, zipline, and mountainbike in the area. However, Tsitsikamma might be most famous for the suspension bridges. Also check out the nearby Bloukrans bridge with the famous 216 meters bungee jump.
Read everything you need to know about Tsitsikamma, including the best hikes and tours.
We didn’t really like Jeffreys Bay as we are no surfers and the weather was shit. However, as one of the world’s surfing capitals, Jeffreys Bay (or J-Bay) is a must if you love waves or want to join the relaxed surfer vibe. It is a good place to break up the journey between Tsitsikamma and Addo, however, if you are not into surfing, you do not need more than 1 night here.
When in J-Bay, visit Brewhaha Craft Beer, for dinner we liked Kitchen Windows Beach restaurant best (although The Greek was ook great!). For breakfast, lunch and a bit of chilling, I would highly recommend Infood Bakery & Coffee.
Where Jeffreys Bay is all about: Jeffreys Bay is THE place to go surfing, so don't miss out on a surfing class.
Although Addo Elephant National Park is officially not part of the Garden Route anymore, almost everyone doing a road trip on the Garden Route in South Africa adds Addo. It is the most accessible safari and game reserve on the Garden Route. In this national park, you’ll find one of the highest concentrations of elephants in the world. What makes the park also worth visiting is the fact you can do a self-drive safari, which I really loved! Doing a self-drive safari in Addo Elephant Park is easy to do and next to elephants you might spot zebras, buffalo, lions and other wildlife. Don’t forget to check out my travel guide with the best game reserves along the Garden Route. If you are not comfortable driving yourself, it is also possible to book a full day tour in the park.
Read about the top 10 things to know before visiting Addo here.
Car rental: A self-drive is the easiest way to do the Garden Route. Pick up a car in Cape Town and you can drop it near Port Elizabeth or make it a full-loop as shown in my 3-week South Africa itinerary.
Money: Cards are widely accepted, but keep some cash for smaller towns, tips and park entrance fees.
Connectivity: A local eSIM keeps you online for maps and bookings while driving. We use Simify (use code IBT15 for a discount).
Safari: In Addo you can do a self-drive safari, so a guided game drive is optional rather than a must.
You need at least 7 days to cover the main stops of the Garden Route. Around 10 days is comfortable and leaves room for beach days and the drive back to Cape Town including Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.
Spring (September to November) and autumn (February to April) offer the best mix of good weather and smaller crowds. For whale watching, visit Hermanus between June and November.
Yes. A self-drive is the easiest way to travel the Garden Route, and renting a car in Cape Town gives you the freedom to stop wherever you want.
Driving east from Cape Town, the best stops are Betty’s Bay, Swellendam, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Robberg Nature Reserve, Tsitsikamma National Park and Addo Elephant National Park.
Yes. The mix of coastline, forests, charming towns and wildlife over a fairly short drive makes it one of South Africa’s best road trips.
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