Garden Route National Park
Garden Route National Park
4.5
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4.5
1,255 reviews
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264
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D D
Samarate, Italy8,528 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
This fairly long stretch of road deserves to be explored calmly, but normally (as I did) you opt for 1 or two stops depending on the little time available. Wilderness is full of lakes, charming villages and many areas to stop for picnics or relax on the beaches. Knysna is a beautiful town that overlooks the bottom of the lagoon and offers walking tours on both sides or boat trips. Tsisikamma provides trekking for up to a week within the park that runs along the ocean for 68 km. I have only seen a small part of it and I would have liked to devote more time to it.
Automatically translated
Written 14 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DrhermanK
Benoni, South Africa1,255 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
We visited the Garden Route as the lockdown level 1 made it easier to travel. Awesome area to visit and really a lot to see. Some places and businesses are still closed, but there is enough to see and do. Really an area to visit for a long time.
Written 8 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Toronto, Canada313 contributions
Feb 2020
Over the last few days, we have travelled from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. We stopped wherever we saw something interesting as well as pre-researched spots of interest. Lots to see, the terrain the road changes so much
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
G K
Saskatchewan, Canada32 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We travelled the Garden Route with a private driver/ guide named Sharwaaz through Southern Circle tours. Sharwaaz was organized, patient, and extremely knowledgeable about all the places and attractions we visited. He was a careful driver and we felt very safe in his company. Sharwaaz suggested some excellent activities and restaurant stops along the route. We enjoyed his company.
Written 29 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawn C
Johannesburg, South Africa93 contributions
Mar 2022
Total and awesome beauty!
The Forests of Knysna on both sides of the N2 after leaving George is quite amazing. The vegetation is luscious & green and quite a beautiful sight, the Large lakes and water ways are also amazing. The Heads in Knysna is the most amazing mountain ocean & lake views.
The Forests of Knysna on both sides of the N2 after leaving George is quite amazing. The vegetation is luscious & green and quite a beautiful sight, the Large lakes and water ways are also amazing. The Heads in Knysna is the most amazing mountain ocean & lake views.
Written 7 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JBvdM
Johannesburg, South Africa203 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
Everyone should do the Garden Route at least once in their lifetime. There is so much to see and do. This last trip we did was from Knysna through to Mossel Bay with our home base for the week in the Wilderness which was in the middle of the two. Knysna quays waterfront and a boat cruise to the Knysna heads is a must, the wilderness offers some wonderful restaurants and beaches and beautiful viewpoints and lagoons, as well as markets like milkwood village and timber lake village. George has some amazing activities like the outeniqua power van and transport museum and elevate action centre with a trampoline park and indoor go karting. Finally reaching Mossel Bay with their awesome waterpark on Diaz beach. Amazing trip.
Written 5 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Antony C
Haywards Heath, UK33 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
What a beautiful area, we loved driving about the garden route and have traveled all over the world. What a shame to be faced with discrimination of the highest order at the gates of the park. R40 for South Africans and R150 for International Visitors. We did not expect this kind of discrimination in South Africa! We turned around and went and spent our money on other attractions in the area. We will also be telling everyone we know about this and warning them of the discriminatory behaviour of the park directors...
Written 3 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zerwickrenatevictor
Centurion, South Africa2,343 contributions
Apr 2016 • Couples
My husband and I had the absolute pleasure of spending a blissful 10 days along the Garden Route during April/May 2016.
We used Corporate Shuttle Airport Transfers which is very professional and reliable as our shuttle service to OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg). We were on a Kalula Airlines flight to George which was excellent value for money and included a car rental.
We arrived in George and got our rental car. Every time we land in George (third time in two years – November and May) it was extremely cold and windy at the airport and our jackets in our hand luggage came in very handy.
Our exciting journey started and we took the winding road to Knysna. Knysna is approximately 70 kilometers from George Airport. Be wary of the speed signs next to the road. The speed limit for most of the scenic drive is 100 kilometer/hour. When passing through Wilderness, Sedgefield and other intersections the speed limit vary between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour. Do keep to the speed limit.
We arrived at the Knysna Inn and were welcomed back like family. Knysna Inn was the perfect base to explore all the gems that Knysna and surroundings have to offer. The Waterfront boasts an array of restaurants and interesting shops. For the best Seafood feast a visit to Freshline Fisheries is highly recommended. For spectacular views of The Heads and exquisite food do pay East Head Café a visit. Noetzie beach is spectacular and perfect for an ever so romantic pick-nick.
The familiar Outeniqua “rust” which is a popular saying among locals did not wait long before it settled in and soon we were in slow – mode and absolutely relaxed.
After four days of pure and utter bliss we said our goodbyes at Knysna Inn and continued our journey along the N2 to our final destination at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma National Park.
We continued approximately 32 kilometers to Plettenberg Bay where our first stop was The Plettenberg Hotel to kick start my birthday celebration. The Plettenberg is in every sense a true five star hotel and in a class and league of its own. After the essential cocktail and spectacular views of the beach and ocean our journey took us 18 kilometers along the N2 to Bramon Wine Estate in The Crags.
We had the most exquisite shared tapas meal in an amazing setting between the wineyards. Bramon provided the perfect place to celebrate life. The Estate also boasts excellent wines and their award winning MCC Sauvignon Blanc (Bubbly) left us wanting more. The Estate boasts a convenient wine shop at the entrance of the Estate next to the N2.
Newstead Winery is situated a few meters down the road. The turn off from the N2 is on the left and from there we followed the sign posts to the parking area. Their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are excellent and wine can be bought at the tasting room.
The scenery along the road to Storms River in the Tsitikamma National Park is breathtaking and spectacular and boasts indigenous forest, commercial plantation and Fynbos. Deep River gorges make their way through the plateau down to the sea, creating deep ravines and spectacular waterfalls. It was very interesting to learn that his section of the road is also one of the few highways in the world to have three bridges in excess of 152 meters in height.
We arrived at Storms River Mouth Rest camp in the Tsitsikamma National Park and were simply amazed by the spectacular scenery with the Tsitsikamma Mountains as backdrop and the crashing boulders of the Indian Ocean right in front of our Honeymoon cottage. A walk through the canopy of forest to the iconic Suspension Bridge in combination with the saltiness of the ocean and spectacular views was picture perfect and very special.
After two blissful days we packed our rental car and headed to Storms River Village a short drive from there. We were pleasantly surprised by the quaint little village with all the gems it has to offer. We stayed in Marc Hare Cottage which provided the perfect base to explore the area. Our host, Glen was very friendly and a true gentleman.
We can highly recommend Tsitrus Café for excellent pizzas. We had a table outside right in the quaint orange orchard. Tsitsikamma Micro Brewery next to Marilyn’s Diner provided a real treat as we sampled on the testing tray. The Bistro was a haven with full bodied coffee with heavenly aromas.
If there is one thing that is not to be missed it is lunch at Fynboshoek Cheese Farm. It was an amazing experience and the rustic lunch with cheeses (made on the farm) and freshly made homemade bread was simply outstanding.
We also paid the Outeniqua Big Yellowwood tree a visit. It is situated about 1 kilometer from the turn off to Storms River on the N2 in the Port Elizabeth direction.
We departed Storms River on our second last day of our enchanting journey and made our way to Wilderness. On our way we made a lunch stop at Timberlake Village which was very interesting and had a magnificent lunch at Zucchini Restaurant which we can highly recommend.
From there we proceeded to Xanadu Guest Villa in Wilderness. Xanadu is a five star guest villa and boasts luxury, spectacular views of Wilderness beach and true and heartfelt hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed our one night stay. Xanadu Guest Villa is a mere 15 minutes drive to George airport.
For dinner we had a seafood feast at The Girls Restaurant. The quality of our meals was exceptional and we enjoyed every scrumptious bite.
Like all things that are good our holiday slowly came to an end the following morning as we headed our rental car in the direction of George. We could not resist too make a quick stop at the beautiful Herolds bay where the familiar Outeniqua “rust” made its full and final settlement.
It is said that no two people will experience the Garden Route and Tsitsikamma National Park in the same way. To us, this area is utterly beautiful and holds a very special, unique and charming ambience. We completely fell head over heels in love with this very special part of our country and cannot wait to return to savour on more of the magical bliss.
PS: I posted individual reviews of the above mentioned hotels, attractions and restaurants. The reviews contain detailed information on our experiences of the Hotels, Restaurants and Attractions.
We used Corporate Shuttle Airport Transfers which is very professional and reliable as our shuttle service to OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg). We were on a Kalula Airlines flight to George which was excellent value for money and included a car rental.
We arrived in George and got our rental car. Every time we land in George (third time in two years – November and May) it was extremely cold and windy at the airport and our jackets in our hand luggage came in very handy.
Our exciting journey started and we took the winding road to Knysna. Knysna is approximately 70 kilometers from George Airport. Be wary of the speed signs next to the road. The speed limit for most of the scenic drive is 100 kilometer/hour. When passing through Wilderness, Sedgefield and other intersections the speed limit vary between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour. Do keep to the speed limit.
We arrived at the Knysna Inn and were welcomed back like family. Knysna Inn was the perfect base to explore all the gems that Knysna and surroundings have to offer. The Waterfront boasts an array of restaurants and interesting shops. For the best Seafood feast a visit to Freshline Fisheries is highly recommended. For spectacular views of The Heads and exquisite food do pay East Head Café a visit. Noetzie beach is spectacular and perfect for an ever so romantic pick-nick.
The familiar Outeniqua “rust” which is a popular saying among locals did not wait long before it settled in and soon we were in slow – mode and absolutely relaxed.
After four days of pure and utter bliss we said our goodbyes at Knysna Inn and continued our journey along the N2 to our final destination at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma National Park.
We continued approximately 32 kilometers to Plettenberg Bay where our first stop was The Plettenberg Hotel to kick start my birthday celebration. The Plettenberg is in every sense a true five star hotel and in a class and league of its own. After the essential cocktail and spectacular views of the beach and ocean our journey took us 18 kilometers along the N2 to Bramon Wine Estate in The Crags.
We had the most exquisite shared tapas meal in an amazing setting between the wineyards. Bramon provided the perfect place to celebrate life. The Estate also boasts excellent wines and their award winning MCC Sauvignon Blanc (Bubbly) left us wanting more. The Estate boasts a convenient wine shop at the entrance of the Estate next to the N2.
Newstead Winery is situated a few meters down the road. The turn off from the N2 is on the left and from there we followed the sign posts to the parking area. Their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are excellent and wine can be bought at the tasting room.
The scenery along the road to Storms River in the Tsitikamma National Park is breathtaking and spectacular and boasts indigenous forest, commercial plantation and Fynbos. Deep River gorges make their way through the plateau down to the sea, creating deep ravines and spectacular waterfalls. It was very interesting to learn that his section of the road is also one of the few highways in the world to have three bridges in excess of 152 meters in height.
We arrived at Storms River Mouth Rest camp in the Tsitsikamma National Park and were simply amazed by the spectacular scenery with the Tsitsikamma Mountains as backdrop and the crashing boulders of the Indian Ocean right in front of our Honeymoon cottage. A walk through the canopy of forest to the iconic Suspension Bridge in combination with the saltiness of the ocean and spectacular views was picture perfect and very special.
After two blissful days we packed our rental car and headed to Storms River Village a short drive from there. We were pleasantly surprised by the quaint little village with all the gems it has to offer. We stayed in Marc Hare Cottage which provided the perfect base to explore the area. Our host, Glen was very friendly and a true gentleman.
We can highly recommend Tsitrus Café for excellent pizzas. We had a table outside right in the quaint orange orchard. Tsitsikamma Micro Brewery next to Marilyn’s Diner provided a real treat as we sampled on the testing tray. The Bistro was a haven with full bodied coffee with heavenly aromas.
If there is one thing that is not to be missed it is lunch at Fynboshoek Cheese Farm. It was an amazing experience and the rustic lunch with cheeses (made on the farm) and freshly made homemade bread was simply outstanding.
We also paid the Outeniqua Big Yellowwood tree a visit. It is situated about 1 kilometer from the turn off to Storms River on the N2 in the Port Elizabeth direction.
We departed Storms River on our second last day of our enchanting journey and made our way to Wilderness. On our way we made a lunch stop at Timberlake Village which was very interesting and had a magnificent lunch at Zucchini Restaurant which we can highly recommend.
From there we proceeded to Xanadu Guest Villa in Wilderness. Xanadu is a five star guest villa and boasts luxury, spectacular views of Wilderness beach and true and heartfelt hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed our one night stay. Xanadu Guest Villa is a mere 15 minutes drive to George airport.
For dinner we had a seafood feast at The Girls Restaurant. The quality of our meals was exceptional and we enjoyed every scrumptious bite.
Like all things that are good our holiday slowly came to an end the following morning as we headed our rental car in the direction of George. We could not resist too make a quick stop at the beautiful Herolds bay where the familiar Outeniqua “rust” made its full and final settlement.
It is said that no two people will experience the Garden Route and Tsitsikamma National Park in the same way. To us, this area is utterly beautiful and holds a very special, unique and charming ambience. We completely fell head over heels in love with this very special part of our country and cannot wait to return to savour on more of the magical bliss.
PS: I posted individual reviews of the above mentioned hotels, attractions and restaurants. The reviews contain detailed information on our experiences of the Hotels, Restaurants and Attractions.
Written 7 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ywwonglp
Cambridge, UK176 contributions
Sept 2016 • Solo
I was on a four days garden route tour, we had four individual travellers in the tour who all agreed that this route along with all the attractions are way too overrated, especially when we all came back from various overlanding tour from other parts of Africa.
The scenery along the main road are really average, mostly passing through forest with a little bit of mountain backdrop. All the small town on the route are just your regular average town that has no charm at all.
The activities along the route such as monkey/ elephant sanctuary, zipline, the highest buggy are not that attractive and interesting. You can do all these elsewhere in Africa with a more dramatic setting...(e.g. the bungy in victoria falls offers a much better experience and dramatic view).
We also went to Addo elephant national park, which was considered as the third largest in SA. Well worth skipping and not worth the time and effort to yet there especially if you've seen any other game park in other parts of Africa.
We hike a short section in Tsitsikamma to the suspension bridge...it's mostly forest walk and the view is quite average.
Spend your time and money around Cape Town instead, the view is much more spectacular all the way to Cape peninsula or if you simply take the sightseeing red bus around table mountain, that's the most stunning view ever, Garden route doesn't offer anything comparable to the landscape nearby Cape Town!
And definitely not worth doing any tour to the garden route, all they do is long drive everyday through average scenery. If you must see garden route, definitely rent a car and do all the activities in your own pace instead.
The scenery along the main road are really average, mostly passing through forest with a little bit of mountain backdrop. All the small town on the route are just your regular average town that has no charm at all.
The activities along the route such as monkey/ elephant sanctuary, zipline, the highest buggy are not that attractive and interesting. You can do all these elsewhere in Africa with a more dramatic setting...(e.g. the bungy in victoria falls offers a much better experience and dramatic view).
We also went to Addo elephant national park, which was considered as the third largest in SA. Well worth skipping and not worth the time and effort to yet there especially if you've seen any other game park in other parts of Africa.
We hike a short section in Tsitsikamma to the suspension bridge...it's mostly forest walk and the view is quite average.
Spend your time and money around Cape Town instead, the view is much more spectacular all the way to Cape peninsula or if you simply take the sightseeing red bus around table mountain, that's the most stunning view ever, Garden route doesn't offer anything comparable to the landscape nearby Cape Town!
And definitely not worth doing any tour to the garden route, all they do is long drive everyday through average scenery. If you must see garden route, definitely rent a car and do all the activities in your own pace instead.
Written 7 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amm1u
Glasgow, Scotland193 contributions
Jan 2014 • Solo
Maybe because I designed an entire tour of South Africa round the Garden Route section, I was expecting too much, but I was sorely disappointed by what is often said to be one of the "must sees" in the world. The indigenous forest is attractive and interesting, while there are pretty bays and views. However the scenery is not particularly dramatic and doesn't compare with eg the Great Ocean Road, Route 101, the Scottish Highlands and many, many Mediterranean coastlines. Plettenberg Bay is a nice town, but others are bland and Knysna's attractions defeat me. Definitely not worth crossing a continent for!
Written 30 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sightseer04305591543
Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa
Hi, i would like to know the strength and weakness of the National park
Written 16 September 2019
Hi - wer hat fĂĽr die Garden Route Streckenempfehlungen? Unterkunftsempfehlungen? Park- und/oder sightseering-Empfehlungen? Hat jemand eine SĂĽdafrika und/oder Namibia-Route auf dem TomTom-Navi, die er mir zuschicken kann. Wir (3 'Jungs 63;64;64 Jahre) sind vom 11.4.-7.5.19 auf Rundtour: Johannesburg-KrĂĽger Nat Park-Garden Route-Kapstadt-Namibia-Sun City-Johannesburg. Sind aber erst am Beginn der Streckenplanung und fĂĽr Empfehlungen dankbar. many thx + bye Rolf
be happy - have fun - good luck - keep cool - take care
Written 1 January 2019
If you can Don't go to Kruger prefer private reserve. You can see more animals
Written 3 January 2019
Hi, Niru. What would you like to know about this attraction?
I would like to know the major/must do attractions in and around (hour drive) Knysna. Depending on , I am planning to book hotel. We have total 3 days for Garden route. 1 day we are spending in oudstroom (Congo caves and may be Ostrich Farms) and other 2 days we have put aside for Knysna and surroundings.
We are flying to Johannesburg from Port Elizabeth the 4th day.
Thank you
Written 22 March 2018
Hi, besides those things mentioned I would suggest you visit Knoetsie beach. It has castles on the beach which is beautiful as well as swimming in the sea at the venue.
Written 26 May 2018
Hi, KJSNovaScotia. What would you like to know about this attraction?
Written 13 March 2018
what is your question as I have been here?
Written 14 March 2018
How much is entrance fees to see the storms rivier and do the suspension bridge? If you are SA citizen? Thank you, and much appreciated.
Written 21 February 2018
i would always suggest checking sanparks for latest costs....its showing currently r54 per adult...you pay at the gate to enter the park but we found no other charges once there to do bridge or walk around
Written 24 February 2018
We are family of four travelling to knysna from Capetown in a self driven car on 23rd dec and reach same day. Please guide proper route,must see places enroute and good time to reach knysna. Thanku.
Written 16 December 2017
I agree...its quite a long drive, especially if u want to stop at a few places in between and dont want to just drive..
If you have some spare time (actually a day), i would recommend you go via Stellenbosch winelands, can plan to do a whale watch boat ride in the afternoon on the day you reach Gansbaai (We did Ivanhoe sea safaris - and they are amazing) and have a night stopover in Gansbaai...these are small but interesting small villages on way...
And then maybe add-on a Shark Cage dive next day morning...(Just for knowledge anybody can do it...and its not even necessary you actually do the dive..you can watch the sharks from the boat...its equally amazing...so nothing to worry).
You usually get free by noon from Shark cage dive...then you can head to Knysna...with maybe a short stopover at Brenton on Sea beach to catch the sunset..
Hope it helps...Enjoy
Written 17 December 2017
Hola, estoy planeado hacer la garden route con 4 chicas más( vamos a alquilar una van). Sabe alguien si es seguro aún siendo 5 mujeres de entre 20-25 años? Leà que las rutas están en buen estado
Written 20 August 2017
You're welcome. If I can help you again, let me know.
Regards
Max
Written 24 August 2017
Did you have to pay any conservation fees? if so how much ?. Thanks
Written 20 March 2017
Just a question about the park fees as it's not clear on SAN website. We are driving the route from East to West. Do we need to pay separate fees for all 3 areas or is it a case of paying one fee for Tsitskamma and not paying for the others? Which is the best part in case we need to sacrifice something because of the time and extra cost of visiting all 3?
Written 28 February 2017
We only visited 1 park (Tsittsikamma Storms River) and there was a fee of R196 about ÂŁ11
Written 23 May 2017
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