There are a ton of amazing highlights along the Garden Route in South Africa. But you’re pressed for time, here are the ones I think you should make sure to add to your itinerary! I cover activities, the Airbnbs we stayed at, and our favourite coffee shops and restaurants.
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My top highlights along the Garden Route
Full disclosure, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the highlights along the Garden Route. We only had 7 days to get from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay and back, so we couldn’t do it all.
BUT we had some amazing experiences and you should totally factor these into your road trip no matter how much time you have. I’m going to rate them from most best to least best (because they were all the best), rather than by their geographical location.
Side note: you can read about our day to day life when driving the Garden Route by following my journals here.
1. Swimming with seals (Plettenberg Bay)
If there’s one thing you do on the Garden Route, it should be this. I don’t know where else in the world you can swim with seals, so this is your opportunity! They really are just like, sea puppies, and were super curious and keen to play. The tour operator we booked through Get Your Guide, Offshore Adventures, was committed to making sure we didn’t chase or touch the seals, and they didn’t feed them or anything to lure them over.
There’s also the option to go sea kayaking and spot dolphins, or go on a whale watching boat in Plett. We saw dolphins near the shore when we were heading out to the seal colony, so it seems pretty likely that you’ll see some! If I were you, I’d wait to go whale watching in Hermanus.
2. Whale Watching (Hermanus)
So obviously whale watching is always incredible, but it can be a pretty expensive activity. Hermanus is unique in that the southern right whales come super close to the shore. This means you don’t necessarily need to get on a boat to see them, and can watch them for free! They come here for the mating season from June to December, so you’re also likely to see some bébés, like we did in October.
The best viewpoints are: Gearing’s Point (right next to Bientang’s Cave Restaurant), Siever’s Point, and Voëlklipp and Grotto beaches. But these are by no means the only ones! There are still boat tours if you’d rather go with a guide who will be more informative and better at spotting them.
3. Monkeyland (Plettenberg Bay)
It’s no surprise that visiting all the animals along the Garden Route top my list of highlights, but we’re in Africa! And yes, ok, many of these monkeys are not endemic to South Africa, but they’re still fun to see. Many of them are rescues and they seem to live a very good life in the park. You can also combine this visit with World of Birds, which is right next door.
4. Knysna Heads & Coney Glen Beach
You’ll find some of the best lagoon and ocean views at the Knysna Heads. It looks down at Coney Glen beach and across to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to spot some seals or otters!
Coney Glen beach is just below the Heads and you can drive a couple minutes down from the viewpoint to the beach. It’s definitely worth doing both!
5. St Blaize Hiking Trail (Mossel Bay)
You can start this hiking trail from town, just below the lighthouse and follow it for 27 kilometers if you so choose. The first stretch includes a cool cave with a bit of the area’s history and an epic viewpoint of the rugged coast. You can just walk until you’re over it and want to turn back.
6. Fairy Garden (Swellendam)
For 30 rand ($1.50 USD) you can take a stroll through this person’s extensive backyard chock full of trinkets, including gnomes, fairies, dragons, angels, and much more. It’s just a quirky little stop and costs next to nothing. No reservation required, you can just roll up, and there are lots of signs around Swellendam that will lead you there.
7. Wilderness Beach (The town of Wilderness)
A great spot to stop and stretch your legs on your Garden Route drive. The view to the right of the beach looks at an old train tunnel built into the cliff. This looks like a cool Airbnb experience that takes you through it, which we didn’t have time for.
8. Addo Elephant Park
This is north of Gqeberha, and we didn’t get that far, but I would have loved to visit! This is one of South Africa’s most famous parks and is, as the name suggests, it’s dedicated to elephants. The perfect place for spotting your favourite gentle giants.
Full Garden Route trips
If you can’t or don’t want to drive, if you’re short on time, if you simply prefer more structure, there are multi-day Garden Route tours you can book.
Stand out Airbnbs on the Garden Route
We booked Airbnbs in four locations: L’Aghulas, Mossel Bay, Knysna, and Hermanus. But two were total standouts:
Mossel Bay (outside town centre)
We paid $57 NZD for this little greenhouse-esque space. It was very cozy, clean, and well-equipped considering the size. The shower was giving rainforest vibes, an unobstructed ocean view was just steps from our door. Very boho-chic decor, with natural light and a vintage couch and lots of real plants that livened the space up.
Knysna (outside town centre)
We paid $58 NZD for a spacious unit with really cute personal touches, and Knysna is probably the best town you’ll stop in on the Garden Route. You know when you can tell the space was always designed specifically to be an Airbnb and not really a house for a long-term tenant? And it’s usually trash?
Well not this one. It didn’t have a kitchen so it was definitely never meant to be a real apartment. But it had everything else, from a nice back patio and big bedroom to a waterfall shower in the bathroom. And get this — it had an “honesty fridge,” where there were several drinks with little price stickers on them. And a note requesting we leave some cash or replace them. How cute is that?!
Mossel Bay
Knysna
Honourable mention to the one in Hermanus (central)
We paid $68 NZD for a *room* not the whole house. We weren’t expecting much and just needed a place to work/sleep for one night but it was actually soooo nice. Everything was spotless and new, bedding was comfy, wifi was strong. We never needed to use it but they also had an inverted to ensure everything in the house still worked (wifi, wall plugs, lights, hot water, etc.) during loadshedding.
They even had separate coloured sets of dishes for each room. 12/10, SO cute. The only reason I don’t count this as a standout highlight is because it’s still in a shared house. And it was more expensive than the other two we stayed at where we had everything to ourselves – but in the scheme of things, still cheap.
No shade to our spot in L’Arghus, it was fine. But nothing to write home (or on my blog) about.
Best restos and coffee shops on the Garden Route
We did our best to cook at home to keep costs down, but road coffees are an absolute must, and we often had lunch out as well.
1. Bientang's Cave Restaurant (Hermanus)
Bientang’s Cave has to be one of the best situated restaurants ever and has a cute story behind it. According to the legend, a Khoikhoi Strandloper (Southwest African tribe of people some 2,000 years ago) lived in the cave where she was sheltered from the weather and could gather seafood just outside. She had a bunch of cats and used to throw rocks at people who came too close. Respect.
So the location’s history is cool, the view is epic, and the food is great. We had the seafood potjie and omg. On a clear day, you can spot whales swimming in the bay, and can even sit outside down on the rocks right by the water.
Trust me, this restaurant is a must.
2. 34 Degrees South (Knysna)
Knysna is famous for its oysters, and this is the place to go to try them. Aside from the classics, 34 Degrees South has a pretty unique oyster menu. I tried a pickled oyster, one baked and slathered in blue cheese, and one that was tempura’d.
We also tried just your regular ol’ oysters and they were very fresh. The restaurant is in the harbour so if you’re a seafood lover it’s a great place for lunch or dinner in Knysna.
3. Wild Oats Market - The Lounge (Sedgefield)
We stopped at the Wild Oats Community Farmer’s Market on our way from Mossel Bay to Knysna. While the market is only open on Saturdays, the gas station, a few shops, and this restaurant, The Lounge, were still open when we visited on a Monday. Maybe it helped that we were the only people in there, but the waitress was really nice and offered up a bunch of recommendations to check out in Knysna. They had a series of craft beers and gins which Chesney tried, we had lunch, and we even took home some of the craft beers, and the whole thing cost us 460 rand ($24 USD). Mind blown.
4. Blue Shed Coffee Roasters
Filled with an eclectic mix of trinkets and mismatched second-hand furniture and lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Perfect spot to grab a coffee or tea before heading over to the St Blaize Hiking Trail or leaving for your next destination.
5. Fire Roasted Coffee
We stopped at this very unassuming cafe because it was the closest thing on the map when we were ready for some breakfast and a bathroom break. It way exceeded our expectations but primarily because the owner was so excited about his coffee. He says it’s the only place in South Africa where it’s roasted on an open fire, which I’d say is unverifiable… but I’m happy for him.
It was unbelievably affordable, at 45 rand ($2.50 USD) for a chicken toastie and 60 rand ($3.20) for a full breakfast. They both came with little side salads that had edible flowers in them. I had their special coffee with condensed milk because I don’t actually like coffee but will *obviously* drink anything with condensed milk in it.
Blue Shed Coffee Roasters
Fire Roasted Coffee Shop
6. Elvis Coffee
This is sort of in the middle of nowhere but was worth the slight detour. However if you’re flying into the George airport to start the Garden Route this is just outside of it. Both the indoor and outdoor sitting spaces were nice, and they had a ton of artisanal products which would make good souvenirs! For us, the best were the steak and pepper pies.