An 8-Day Adventure Along South Africa’s Eastern Cape
The Garden Route, which follows the Eastern Cape, is a popular drive along South Africa’s scenic coastline. Some drive it as a loop, but we decided on a one-way adventure – from Stellenbosch to Port Elizabeth – which gave us lots of time to explore the rugged topography and native wildlife before flying back to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth.
We had a week to drive the 800 kilometers, so most days included a short drive and lots of time to sightsee. We were glad to be driving in short spurts because it was stressful. Did you know they drive on the left side of the road in South Africa?
Ever wonder what it’s like to drive on the wrong side of the road? This is what I thought about it.
Day 1: Stellenbosch to Hermanus
Here we go!
We picked up the car and left Stellenbosch in the rain. Our destination was Hermanus, an easy two-hour drive east which included stops at the Mooiberge Farmstall and a visit to the Stony Point Penguin Colony at Betty’s Bay. Farmstalls are popular in South Africa, and Mooiberge is a big one. We wandered through the store and admired the local products, from wine to dried fruit to canned goods. We didn’t get out of there without buying a few treats; a bag of dried guava and another of dried pears. That should take care of our sugar cravings for the week.
The Stony Point Penguin Colony was the highlight of our day. I’d never seen penguins in their natural habitat before, so I was thoroughly entertained by their tuxedoed struts and ocean antics.
Our destination was Hermanus, and in our typical style, we waited until we got to town to find lodging. We chose a self-catering two-room apartment on the water which gave us plenty of room to spread out and have a little privacy.
We still had an hour of daylight to kill, so we despite the threatening clouds, we ventured out for a quick hike on the cliff walk. We didn’t make it too far before the clouds opened up. No regrets. We needed to stretch our legs, and after a peek at the trail, we were eager to embark on a drier hike in the morning!
Day 2: Hermanus to Wilderness
Yesterday’s Cliff Walk was just a tease. We’d been stoked to hike the rugged trail along the coast, so when we awoke to clear skies, we were ready to go.
The hike didn’t disappoint. Crashing waves, diving birds, and… armed security guards posted every 250 meters or so along the path. What? Well this is South Africa. Security guards are a good thing. South Africa may be beautiful, but it is not the safest country. If you’re planning a visit, watch this video to learn about safety precautions.
On our way out of town, we stopped at a Saturday market to admire local handicrafts and sample the fare. We loved the traditional South African treat, melktert, which reminded us of rice pudding. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try making it yourself.
I couldn’t resist buying this carved bird. We met the artist, Boniface Chikwenhere. If you like the bird, visit his website and check out his other work.
The drive to Wilderness took four hours, the longest of the trip. With short days of winter, we knew we needed to get on the road by noon to finish the drive before nightfall. We found another two-bedroom apartment just out of town and made it there before dark. Barely. But we had a few minutes to admire the beautiful location in the lengthening shadows. Our apartment opened up to a pool and a stunning view of the peaks across the valley.
For dinner, we headed to a local’s favorite, The Girl’s on the Square. We went a little crazy and tried the fried calamari, a pear and prawn salad, steamed mussels, and a fried fish dish. I’d go back in a minute. Everything was really tasty.
Day 3: Wilderness to Knysna
Since we didn’t have far to drive, we had plenty of time to explore the sights around Wilderness before heading east. We stopped at “The Big Tree” first. Apparently every town has a “big tree,” and each thinks their tree is the best tree. This particular tree was an Outeniqua Yellowwood; more than 800 years old and about 100 feet tall. It was cool, but not nearly as cool as baboons we passed while driving there.
Our next stop was the “Map of Africa” scenic viewpoint. The view is into a valley where two rivers merge and surround a treed hillside that is actually the shape of Africa (if you use your imagination just a little). Looking the other direction from the viewpoint was a sandy beach that stretched east for 18 kilometers, Since we were ready for our daily hike, we headed to the beach to stretch our legs.
We enjoyed our beach walk, but it was pretty windy. When you watch this video, you may notice that I am standing still! The movement is the blowing sand.
We eventually made our way to Knysna and found an apartment a few miles out of town called The Woodlands. It was peaceful sanctuary located on the edge of an indigenous forest. The succulent garden out front was watered entirely by rainfall.
Day 4: Knysna
We started the day with the Circle of Trees hike in the nearby Goldfield State Forest. The trail led us through an indigenous forest and dense jungle down through lush ferns growing along the river. We hiked by cool pools and waterfalls before climbing up and out.
Our host recommended a drive up to the Knysna Heads, a lookout point with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean to one side and the bay of Knysna to the other. Separating the two bodies of water is a narrow channel with sheer cliffs jutting above each side.
The ocean was furious. Towering waves were breaking on the rocks below and white caps crashed on the horizon as far as we could see. The protected bay, however, was calm.
South Africa is known for it’s wine, and we were lucky to be in Knysna for a wine festival on nearby Thesen Island. For just 150 rands, the equivalent of about $10 US dollars, we sampled lots of local wines. We made a few purchases, too. Unfortunately, the wineries can’t ship to the United States, so we couldn’t buy more than we could carry.
The 2017 Jakkalsvlei Coffee Pinotage was my favorite! I like to travel light, so I just bought one bottle.
Day 5: Knysna to Storms River (Tsitsikamma)
We awoke to brilliant blue skies. Time to move on to our next stop, Tsitsikamma National Park.
Though eager to get to Tsitsikamma, we couldn’t resist a stop at the Robberg Nature Reserve, located on a peninsula that juts out into the Indian Ocean. We chose to hike the Point Circuit, a strenuous 9.2 mile loop, and since it was off season, we had the trail to ourselves.
We followed wooden boardwalks, scampered over gigantic lichen-covered boulders, and hiked along sandy trails that climbed up and then down to the sea and then up again.
We smelled the seals before we saw them, a huge colony that alternately body surfed in the frothing waves and sunned themselves on the rocks below.
By the time we finished our hike, we were racing the clock to get to Storm’s Bay, a tiny village on the outskirts of Tsitsikamma, before sundown.
We chose an apartment that had no heat, just a small wood-burning stove in the living room and a tiny pile of wood meant to last the night. Temperatures were heading down to the low 40s, so after a quick dinner, there was really nowhere warm to hang out. I opted to read in bed. I jumped in, pulled up the covers and got a great surprise – an electric blanket over the mattress to cozy things up!
Day 6: Storms River (Tsitsikamma)
Though the calendar read July 4, it was business as usual in South Africa. We woke up in our cold cabin. Though we were reluctant to leave our toasty beds, we were on a mission to explore Tsitsikamma National Park, so we made a quick exit and headed to the park.
We had time for two fabulous hikes in Tsitsikamma.
On the first, we hiked to a suspension bridge which crosses Storms River as it spills into the Indian Ocean. The views from the swinging structure were fabulous; up a narrow canyon to the west and over the Indian Ocean to the east. Once across, we scampered over rocks and up ladders to a lookout point high above.
From our lofty perch, we watched schools of dolphins body surfing in the waves along the shoreline. Further out, we saw whales spouting and breaching. It was hard to leave our lookout, but we needed ample time to hike to the waterfall before the park closed.
The description said the seven kilometer hike to the waterfall would take three hours. Seven kilometers in three hours? We thought for sure we could cover the distance much quicker. The hike, however was proof that distance isn’t always a good indication of how long a hike might take.
In this case, the hike took the full three hours, partly because we stopped to take a lot of pictures and partly because it was a hands and feet scramble through rock fields over house-sized boulders, across sketchy bridges and up rickety ladders. We loved it, of course!
We were racing the clock to complete the out and back hike before the park closed because we didn’t want to pay a fine if we were late. The waterfall was not too impressive since it hadn’t rained for a while, but the waves crashing over the rocks along the shoreline more than made up for it. They were terrifying – pounding, deafening and so close.
We followed the yellow paw prints painted on the rocks and hightailed it back to the trailhead.
Day 7: Storm’s River to Schotia Game Reserve
We capped off our Garden Route tour with a short safari at Schotia Game Reserve, a privately-owned 4,000-acre park just north of Port Elizabeth. After all, doesn’t everyone who goes to Africa go on a safari? The package we’d booked included four game drives, tea, dinner, breakfast and lunch, and one night lodging.
I wasn’t sure if I would like a safari; I am one to sit still for very long, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching the animals. Donovan, our guide, told us we’d be looking for four of the “big five:” elephants, rhinoceros, lions and buffalo.
We piled into the open Toyota Land Cruiser and set off on a search that didn’t disappoint. We saw elephants, antelope, warthogs, buffalo, giraffe, wildabeast, lion, buffalo, jackal, zebra, hippos, rhinos and more! Check out the slide show!
We got chased by a rhino, watched a lioness hunt her pray, intimidated a hippo, and drove into a herd of Cape Buffalo. All the while, we learned about poaching issues, animal behavior, and how the reserve manages overpopulation of various species. Yup. They open the gate between the north and south sides of the reserve and herd the excess antelope into the north side where they become lion food.
We spent the night in a rustic cabin at the reserve, a little unnerved by the fact that we were the only guests staying overnight on the entire reserve. Even Donovan, our guide, left after showing us how to fire up the coal heater and turn on the propane burner for our morning tea. No internet. No phones. No people. Just a million stars shining down on us as we settled in for the night.
Day 8: Addo Elephant National Park to Cape Town
We finished our safari at the nearby Addo Elephant National Park. Zane, our guide, gave us a great tour and a phenomenal education. while we embraced this last chance to admire the impressive beasts at the park.
Our Garden Route tour gave us just a taste of the beauty and wildlife in South Africa. Though we were sad to say goodbye to the Garden Route, we were very happy to ditch the rental car and head to Cape Town for our next adventure.
the recreationalist 