Choose your country and language:

Africa

  • Global
  • Angola
  • Botswana
  • DRC
  • Ethiopia
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Malawi
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • shotLeft

Americas

  • USA
  • Argentina
  • Brazil

Asia Pacific

  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia

Europe

  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom
Back
South Africa
Adventure
Arts
Attractions
Food
Routes
Trails
Wine
Family
Weekend Getaway
Coastal Getaways
Affordable
Multiple experiences

WWhen you take a trip down the N2, between the Eastern and Western Cape, you’ll discover one of South Africa’s best-kept secrets: the Garden Route.

The Garden Route is a mix of modern golf courses, ancient forests, secluded artists' communities, retirement estates, modern malls, craft centres, mountain hideaways and beach holidays. A large number of interesting and creative people are drawn to this magnificent stretch of coastline and many of them now call it home.

The main highway through The Garden Route, a highlight on most visitors' itineraries, is the N2 stretch running from Heidelberg in the Southern Cape to Storms River Village on the Eastern Cape border.

While the scenery is enough to make you stop and stare, it’s the hidden gems that can be found on the sides of the roads that are the real allure of the Garden Route.

Over time, ancient woodcutter clans, fishermen, artists, businessmen and top chefs have all found their niches along the Garden Route in the Western Cape. The latest addition of which is the Bramon Wine Farm just outside Plettenberg Bay. This empowerment project is bringing wine making, and all of its economic benefits, to the region. It doesn’t just do good, it tastes good too!

Did You Know?
TThe name, Knysna is said to originate from the “Khoikhoi” people. These are an indigenous tribe of people closely related to the Bushmen and lived in this part of the African continent during the 5th century AD.

OOudtshoorn (the ostrich capital of the world) also calls the Garden Route home and, for those who are interested in history, both early inhabitants and elephants have been crossing the Outeniqua Mountains, from Oudtshoorn to the coast, for many centuries.

Other surrounding towns well worth visiting include Calitzdorp, Sedgefield, The Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

The Garden Route, Western Cape

Food
When to visit
How to get here

TThe Garden Route National Park, which connects the existing Tsitsikamma National Park's ancient forests and wild coastline with the Wilderness National Park via a chain of lakes and preserved sections of Fynbos, is a fascinating and enchanting mix of ecosystems. This park is also famous for its secluded little bays and its year-round holiday frame-of-mind, and it's conveniently accessible from Cape Town.

WWhile you’re exploring all the nooks and crannies of the Garden Route, don't forget to cast an eye out to sea where you could see the Southern Right and Humpback whales, Bottlenose and common dolphins and even Killer whales that have been known to frolic close to the shore, especially near Plettenberg Bay.

Whatever your pleasure is, you’ll find what you’re looking on the Garden Route…even if it’s just to lose yourself in one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, if not the world.

Who to contact
How to get there
Best time to visit
Get around
Length of stay
What to pack
Where to stay
What to eat
What's happening

Related articles

Breathtaking scenery

South African Tourism - Heritage Day

Breathtaking scenery
South African Tourism - Heritage Day
Feast your eyes, feed your soul and be inspired by South Africa in full bloom… South Africa is unique. It is one country in the world where one can weave a vibrant tapestry of culture and heritage from the many and varied attractions, experiences and influences that permeate daily living.
Sun-soaked coasts

Two Oceans Aquarium: the wonders of both the Indian and Atlantic oceans under one Cape Town roof

Sun-soaked coasts
Two Oceans Aquarium: the wonders of both the Indian and Atlantic oceans under one Cape Town roof
The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town houses vivid and educational displays of marvellous life from beneath the waters of the Indian and the Atlantic oceans, both of which wash Western Cape shores.
Sun-soaked coasts

Western Cape: fun in the sun, from the mountains to the sea

Sun-soaked coasts
Western Cape: fun in the sun, from the mountains to the sea
Western Cape is South Africa’s premier province for fun in the sun: Cape Town is surrounded by world-class wine routes, stunning scenery and unique West Coast and Garden Route flora and fauna.
Sun-soaked coasts

Witsand Beach, Western Cape: get away from it all on pristine white sands

Sun-soaked coasts
Witsand Beach, Western Cape: get away from it all on pristine white sands
Witsand Beach in Western Cape province offers pristine white Blue Flag beaches, superb land-based whale watching, a wide variety of water sports and magnificent plants, birds and animals to view.
Sun-soaked coasts

The wreck of the Arniston, Western Cape: a town renamed after a tragedy at sea

Sun-soaked coasts
The wreck of the Arniston, Western Cape: a town renamed after a tragedy at sea
Arniston, Western Cape, originally called Waenhuiskrans, received an informal name change after a tragic shipwreck in 1815 – under either name, it’s an idyllic resort village on the Agulhas coast.
Sun-soaked coasts

The Hunter-Gatherer Trail along the Garden Route: hike through the landscape of an ancient human heritage

Sun-soaked coasts
The Hunter-Gatherer Trail along the Garden Route: hike through the landscape of an ancient human heritage
Hike the Hunter-Gatherer Trail in Western Cape along the Garden Route to experience the landscape as humans did for tens of thousands of years, and you’ll know you’re in the Cradle of Human Culture.
Active adventure

The Freedom Trail: coast to coast on a mountain bike

Active adventure
The Freedom Trail: coast to coast on a mountain bike
The Freedom Trail is an exhilarating mountain-bike route from East Coast to West Coast in South Africa that runs through some of the most spectacular natural beauty the country has to offer.
Active adventure

Surfing in South Africa: hot weather; cool waves

Active adventure
Surfing in South Africa: hot weather; cool waves
South Africa is a surfer’s paradise, and whether you’re a novice or an old pro, the different conditions of the West Coast, Garden Route, Wild Coast and KwaZulu-Natal offers something for everyone.

South Africa on social media

Copyright © 2023 South African Tourism
|Terms and conditions|Disclaimer|Privacy policy