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High-octane adventures in the southern Cape
Active Garden Route
Whizzing through the Tsitsikamma forest on a canopy tour.
© Stormsriver Adventures
Did you know?
Garden Route adventures include Bloukrans bungy jump, reputedly the world's highest commercial jump at 216 m high.
Active Garden Route presents a unique opportunity to experience a different side of the Garden Route in the Western Cape. Forget merely savouring the area's pristine beaches, welcoming waters and wildlife - these experiences deliver up close and personal encounters that really maximise these attractions and their offerings.
The Garden Route is synonymous with adventure, with a plethora of adventure activities to its name. Active Garden Route has cherry-picked some of the best of these activities and presented them all together, to be completed as a package tour or on an individual basis.
The adventures on offer include cruising the Indian Ocean and Knysna Lagoon with Springtide Sailing Charters, Knysna Charters and Ocean Blue Adventures. Between them you can explore the region's rich marine life through whale watching and dolphin spotting excursions, with sunset champagne and oyster cruises thrown in for good measure.
There are 3 wildlife activities on offer: a visit to the Knysna Elephant Park, which includes the options to walk with and even ride the orphaned elephants housed at the sanctuary; a visit to Buffalo Hills Game Reserve; and a walk with cheetahs through the Tsitsikamma Forest at the Tenikwa Wildlife Centre.
You can also do game and birding trails, a mountain bike ride, star gazing and frogging safaris at Buffalo Hills, and guided tours of SA's big cats and other endangered wildlife at Tenikwa - both located at Plettenberg Bay.
Finally, to really get your adrenaline soaring, sign up for a canopy tour through the beautiful Tsitsikamma Forest with Stormsriver Adventures or a spot of tubing, rock jumping or hiking around the Storms River Gorge with Blackwater Tubing.
All Active Garden Route members offer professional services and adhere to all necessary safety precautions on outings. Their operations support local community upliftment and environmental conservation.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Active Garden Route:
Tel: +27 (0) 72 850 9933
Email: info@activegardenroute.co.za
Web: www.activegardenroute.co.za
Knysna Tourism:
Tel: +27 (0) 44 382 5510
Email: info@knysna-info.co.za
Web: www.visitknysna.co.za
Plettenberg Bay Tourism Association:
Tel: +27 (0) 44 533 4065
Email: info@plettenbergbay.co.za
Web: www.plettenbergbay.co.za
Garden Route National Park
Tel: +27 (0) 44 302 5600
Email: gardenroute@sanparks.org
Web: www.sanparks.org
How to get here
Fly direct from any major SA city to George airport and then take the N2 highway east to Knysna. If you’re driving, from Cape Town and Durban take the N2 highway to Knysna and from Johannesburg, the N1 to Colesburg, N9 to George and N2 to Knysna.
Tours to do
Knysna Heads cruise, whale and dolphin watching at Plettenberg Bay, Secret Elephants Forest Experience in the Knysna Forest, beer tasting and tour at Knysna’s Mitchell’s Brewery, the Dolphin Trail at Tsitsikamma, the Brenton Blue Butterfly Reserve at Brenton-on-Sea.
Where to stay
There are lots of accommodation options in the area
What to eat
Knysna’s famous oysters as well as the abundant fresh seafood.
What's happening
Knysna Oyster Festival and the Rastafarian Earth Festival, both at Knysna in July; the Plett Festival at Plettenberg Bay in September; Outeniqua Chocolate Festival and Outeniqua Hop Strawberry Festival at George in September; the Gary Player Invitational at George in November; Kurland International Polo Test at Plettenberg Bay in December.