Garden Route
MOSSELBAY: Also known as "Mosselbaai", the name Mossel Bay literally means “Bay of Mussels.”
Situated halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, beautiful Mossel Bay is a coastal village and harbour of the World Famous Garden Route. This popular holiday town is surrounded by a sunbathed peninsula and the refreshing waters of the Indian Ocean. It is a busy summer destination as well as an ideal winter retreat. It is blessed with a mild climate all-year round but its most important feature is its status as the historical capital of the Garden-Route.
OUDTSHOORN: Oudtshoorn is situated in the Klein Karoo 55 kilometres from the large coastal town of George. First class hotels, lodges, Inns, and guesthouses await the visitor. Enjoy the relaxed, friendly, hospitable atmosphere offered in town or or at the various surrounding farms. Experience the joy of life in the country!
This town with its wide open spaces and broad streets is the capital of the Klein Karoo. The town is spread along both banks of the Grobbelaars River, a tributary of the Oliphant's River, and its fertile valleys are encompassed by the Swartberg mountains to the north and the Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Warm, dry summers and sunny winter days make it the ideal breeding ground for the most majestic of flightless birds - synonymous with Oudtshoorn - the ostrich.
WILDERNESS: Wilderness lies 15 km east of George, on the Cape Garden Route between the Kaaimans River and the Goukamma Nature Reserve. Wilderness is renowned for its vast stretches of beach, tranquility and the absence of windswept wetlands, wild and stormy seas. Wilderness overlooks not only the sea, but also the placid lagoon, the Serpentine, which meanders between the Touws River, Island Lake, Langvlei and Rondevlei. Island Lake is a favourite water sport venue.
Encompassed within the boundaries of Wilderness one finds the 2500 ha Wilderness National Park. Five rivers and five lakes, two estuaries and 18 km of Southern Cape coastline are protected within the Park. This rare and sensitive eco-system is home to a wealth of water birds.
KNYSNA: The name Knysna is a Khoi word but it's uncertain as to its exact meaning. It could mean 'place of wood', or it could mean 'fern leaves', but its most probable meaning is 'straight down' - an obvious reference to the Heads. Knysna Heads must be the most striking geological features along the entire southern African coastline. They flank a deep but potentially treacherous channel through which the sea pours in to flood the wide and breathtakingly pretty lagoon at the mouth of the Knysna River.
Knysna is one of the Southern Cape coast's best known holiday destinations, situated between lush forests and the shores of the peaceful lagoon - it offers many activities and attractions of a wide variety.
PLETTENBERG: Originally christened "Bahia Formosa" (beautiful bay) by early Portuguese explorers, Plettenberg Bay can now be accessed by first class national roads, by sea or by scheduled air flights.
The great forests lying at the feet of the fabled Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains are the gateway to the incredible indigenous African wealth of Plettenberg Bay, which lies on South Africa's spectacular south coast 210 kms from Port Elizabeth and +/- 600 km from Cape Town. The Outeniqua-Tsitsikamma indigenous forests are a unique mixture of Cape Fynbos and temperate forest and offer the nature lover world-renowned hiking trails and an exciting opportunity to see the last remaining forest elephants of South Africa. The entire area teems with birdlife. Nearly 300 species are to be found in the great variety of habitats ranging from fynbos to forest to wetlands.
No less than ten important nature reserves embrace the varied ecosystems of the Plettenberg Bay area as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals and a host of other marine life. The bay itself is Nursery to the endangered Southern Right Whale which come here to calve in the winter and spring (July to December).
NATURES VALLEY: Natures Valley is the most beautiful part of the Garden Rout. Natures Valley is a small village situated at the mouth of the Groot River at the bottom of the Groot River pass alongside the Groot River estuary and forms part of the Tsitsikamma De Vasselot nature reserve.
The famous Otter trail ends in Nature’s Valley and most hikers seek accommodation in Natures Valley after doing the Otter trail to rest up before moving on. Natures Valley is 29 km from Plettenberg Bay on the Port Elizabeth side next to a beautiful lagoon on the Indian Ocean, enfolded with mountainous forest with rich fauna flora and a bird watchers paradise. The Knysna loerie is plentiful in the forest and trains of bottle nosed dolphins can be seen in the waves with whales visiting frequently, especially the southern right whale is common here in early summer.
Arguably the most beautiful part of the Garden Route in South Africa, Natures Valley is unique in that it lies nestled in the Tsitsikamma National Park coastal forest, - the only residential area within a South African National Park. Southern Cape Bushbuck, Bushpigs, and wild birds can frequently be seen in the gardens of Natures Valley village.
PORT ELIZABETH: Port Elizabeth is South Africa’s second oldest city and also the commercial capital of the Eastern Cape. Port Elizabeth is situated on the South Eastern Coast of South Africa (most southern country on the African continent). We form part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro which also includes the towns of Uitenhage and Despatch (approx 1.5 million people).
What do the locals call Port Elizabeth? Anything from ‘PE’, ‘The Friendly City’, ‘The Windy City’, ‘Die Baai’ to ‘Ibhayi’.
Yes, there is another Port Elizabeth in the world, but not anywhere close to here – in New Jersey in the United States of America. Bet you didn’t know that! The city is situated 260 km from Knysna and +- 800km from Cape Town. It is known for its sunshine and safe sandy beaches .
For the tourist wanting a total South African experience, Port Elizabeth is the perfect complement to the Garden Route, Settler Hinterland, Sunshine Coast and Cape. Located on the South Eastern coast of Africa, this major sea port and tourist destination is set along the beautiful shores of Algoa Bay, and is fondly referred to as the Friendly Eco-City.