South Africa: A Guide to Cape Town and the Garden Route

I arrived in Cape Town on a clear March morning, and the first thing I saw from the airport shuttle was Table Mountain, flat-topped and imposing, rising above the city like a fortress. Over the next three weeks, I drove the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, and that Shape turned out to be the most scenic stretch of road I have ever traveled. South Africa surprised me at every turn, from the penguins waddling across Boulders Beach to the ostriches roaming the farms outside Oudtshoorn. This guide covers the route I took, the places where I stayed, and the things I wish I had known before I arrived.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." — Saint Augustine

Cape Town: Three Days to Start

Three days in Cape Town is the minimum, and five would be better. On your first day, take the cable car up Table Mountain. The round-trip ticket costs 410 rand, about 22 dollars, and the ride takes five minutes each way. Go early, before 8 AM, because the lines get long after 9 and the mountain is often covered in cloud by early afternoon, a phenomenon locals call "the tablecloth." Once at the top, the walking trails are well-marked and take 30 to 90 minutes depending on how far you want to go. The views of the city, the Atlantic coastline, and Robben Island are staggering on a clear day. I spent two hours up there and could have stayed longer.

Day two should be the Cape Peninsula Shape. Rent a car rather than booking a tour, because having your own vehicle lets you stop at will. A compact car from Budget or Avis costs about 400 to 500 rand per day, roughly 22 to 27 dollars. Shape south along the M6 through Camps Bay, stop at the viewpoint at Maiden's Cove for a photo of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, and continue to the Cape of Good Hope. The entrance fee to the Cape Point Nature Reserve is 380 rand per vehicle. The lighthouse at the tip is reached by a funicular that costs 75 rand round trip, but the walk up the steep path is more rewarding and takes about 15 minutes. On the way back, stop at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town to see the African penguin colony. The entrance fee is 190 rand, and the boardwalk takes you directly through the nesting area where hundreds of penguins are waddling, swimming, and resting.

Day three is for the city itself. The V&A Waterfront is the tourist hub, with restaurants, shops, and the departure point for ferries to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. The ferry and tour cost 600 rand and take about four hours total. The tour is led by former political prisoners, and their firsthand accounts of life in the prison are more powerful than any museum exhibit. In the afternoon, visit the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden at the eastern foot of Table Mountain. The garden is spectacular, with walking trails that wind through indigenous fynbos vegetation, and the Boomslang canopy walkway, a curved steel bridge that rises through the trees, offers panoramic views of the mountain. Entry costs 220 rand for adults.

The Winelands: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek

Before heading east on the Garden Route, spend a day or two in the Winelands, about 45 minutes east of Cape Town. Stellenbosch is the larger and more accessible of the two main wine towns, with over 200 wine farms in the surrounding area. For a first visit, I recommend three farms: Spier Wine Farm for the grounds and the outdoor sculpture garden, where entry is free and wine tasting costs 95 rand for five wines; Delaire Graff Estate for the views and the art collection, where tasting costs 150 rand; and Waterford Estate for the chocolate and wine pairing, which costs 250 rand and includes three wines paired with artisanal chocolates.

Franschhoek, 30 minutes further east, is smaller and more picturesque, with a French Huguenot heritage visible in the architecture and cuisine. The Franschhoek Wine Tram is the most popular way to visit multiple estates in a single day. A hop-on hop-off ticket costs 320 rand and includes stops at eight different wine farms along a circular route. The tram departs every 30 minutes from the Franschhoek Village, and the full circuit takes about five hours if you stop at every farm. For lunch, eat at The French Connection in the village center, where the bistro menu costs 120 to 180 rand per person and the terrace overlooks the mountains.

Accommodation in the Winelands is excellent value. In Stellenbosch, the Stumble Inn backpackers offers dorm beds for 250 rand per night and private rooms for 600 rand, with a pool, a braai area, and a social atmosphere. For something quieter, the River Manor Boutique Hotel on the Eerste River has double rooms from 1,800 rand per night, about 97 dollars, including breakfast. Book at least a month in advance for weekend stays, because Cape Town residents flock to the Winelands on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hermanus and the Whale Coast

The first stop on the Garden Route proper is Hermanus, about 90 minutes from Stellenbosch. Hermanus is famous for whale watching, and the best time to see southern right whales is from June to November, when they come close to shore to calve. The Cliff Path, a 12-kilometer walking trail that runs along the coast from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach, offers multiple viewpoints where you can watch whales breaching and tail-slapping from as close as 50 meters. There is no charge to walk the trail, and the best viewing spots are at Fick's Pool and Die Gang.

If you want to get closer, boat-based whale watching tours depart from the New Harbour and cost about 900 rand per person for a two-hour trip. The operator I used, Walker Bay Adventures, guarantees whale sightings during the season or offers a free return trip. For an even more dramatic experience, a scenic flight with Aeroview flies along the coast from Hermanus to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, for 2,500 rand per person. The 30-minute flight provides aerial views of whales in the shallow waters below, and on a clear day, you can see the curve of the coastline stretching east toward the Garden Route.

Hermanus itself is a pleasant town with good restaurants and a relaxed atmosphere. For dinner, try Bientang's Cave, a seafood restaurant built into a rock cave right on the water. A main course of fresh line fish costs about 180 rand, and the setting, with waves crashing against the rocks below the terrace, is unforgettable. Accommodation options range from the Backpackers hostel at 300 rand per night to the Marine Hotel, a luxury property perched on the cliff edge with double rooms from 3,500 rand per night.

Wilderness, Knysna, and Tsitsikamma

From Hermanus, Shape east on the N2 for about three hours to reach Wilderness, a small town sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains. Wilderness is the quietest and most natural of the Garden Route towns, and it is the best base for outdoor activities. The Wilderness National Park protects a series of lakes, rivers, and estuaries, and kayaking through the Touw River estuary costs 350 rand per person through Fairy Knowe Backpackers. I paddled through the estuary at sunrise and had the entire waterway to myself for an hour, spotting kingfishers and herons along the banks.

Knysna, 30 minutes east of Wilderness, is larger and more developed, with a waterfront area full of restaurants and craft shops. The Knysna Heads, two massive sandstone cliffs that guard the entrance to the Knysna lagoon, are the town's most famous landmark. A boat cruise through the lagoon to the Heads costs 250 rand through Knysna Ferry Cruises and takes about 90 minutes. For a more active experience, hike the East Head trail, which starts at the parking lot above the lagoon and takes about 45 minutes to reach a viewpoint overlooking both Heads and the open ocean beyond.

The Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park is the scenic highlight of the entire Shape. The Storms River Mouth suspension bridge, a 77-meter pedestrian bridge that spans the mouth of the Storms River, offers views of the turbulent river meeting the ocean. Entry to the park costs 285 rand per person, and the bridge is a 20-minute walk from the parking area. The park also offers the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour, a zip-line course that takes you through the forest canopy 30 meters above the forest floor. The tour costs 895 rand per person and lasts about three hours, and it is one of the most popular activities on the Garden Route, so book at least two days in advance.

Oudtshoorn and the Klein Karoo

Before reaching Port Elizabeth, detour north from the N2 to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. The Shape from Knysna takes about two hours and passes through the Robinson Pass, a winding mountain road with spectacular views. Oudtshoorn sits in the Klein Karoo, a semi-arid region that looks nothing like the lush coastal Garden Route, and the contrast makes the detour worthwhile. The Cango Caves, located 30 kilometers north of town, are a network of limestone caverns with enormous stalactite and stalagmite formations. The standard tour costs 180 rand and takes one hour, while the adventure tour costs 220 rand and includes crawling through narrow passages, which is not for the claustrophobic.

Ostrich farming has been the main industry in Oudtshoorn since the 19th century, and several farms offer tours. At Safari Ostrich Farm, the tour costs 180 rand and includes a chance to sit on an ostrich, which is both more uncomfortable and more hilarious than you would expect. The farm also has a restaurant that serves ostrich steak, ostrich burger, and ostrich omelette. An ostrich steak at the farm restaurant costs about 160 rand, and the meat is lean, tender, and tastes similar to beef but with a slightly richer flavor.

Accommodation in Oudtshoorn is among the cheapest on the Garden Route. The Backpackers hostel offers dorm beds for 200 rand per night and private rooms for 450 rand, and the owners arrange group dinners and braais for guests. For a unique stay, check into one of the ostrich feather palaces along Baron van Reeden Street, where grand Victorian-era mansions have been converted into guesthouses. Rooms at the Queen's Hotel, a historic property in the center of town, start at 1,200 rand per night and include a full breakfast featuring local Klein Karoo products.

Practical Information for the Shape

The full Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth covers about 750 kilometers and takes a minimum of seven days to Shape at a comfortable pace. I took 12 days and wished I had more time. Rental cars are available at Cape Town International Airport from all major companies, and a compact car with basic insurance costs about 400 to 500 rand per day. Fuel costs about 24 rand per liter, and a full tank in a compact car, roughly 50 liters, costs about 1,200 rand. The N2 highway is in excellent condition for the entire route, and the secondary roads are generally well-maintained, though some mountain passes are narrow and require careful driving.

South Africa uses the rand, and prices for tourists are reasonable by European or North American standards. A comfortable daily budget for the Garden Route, including accommodation, food, fuel, and one paid activity per day, runs 1,500 to 2,500 rand per person, about 80 to 135 dollars. Street food and casual restaurants are inexpensive, with a burger or sandwich costing 80 to 120 rand and a sit-down dinner at a good restaurant costing 200 to 350 rand per person including a glass of wine. Supermarkets like Pick n Pay and Spar are excellent for stocking up on snacks, water, and picnic supplies.

Safety is a concern that many travelers have about South Africa, and it deserves a honest discussion. Car break-ins are the most common crime affecting tourists, particularly at parking areas near hiking trails and viewpoints. Never leave anything visible in your car, not even a jacket or an empty bag. Use the trunk for all belongings, and park in attended parking lots whenever possible. In Cape Town, avoid walking alone at night in areas like Long Street and the Bo-Kaap after dark. During the day, the city center and tourist areas are generally safe, but stay aware of your surroundings and keep your phone and camera out of sight when not in use. I never felt unsafe during my three weeks in South Africa, but I was consistently cautious, and that caution is part of responsible travel here.