If you’re going to experience the Garden Route, then do it properly. Take your time, plan it well, and don’t spend the whole journey rushing from one attraction to the next.
There are some outstanding places that are frequently overlooked, and these are a few of the stops that Convoy Tours loves.
1. Betty’s Bay
Most visitors know about the penguins at Boulders Beach, but fewer make the time to visit Betty’s Bay.
Stony Point is home to a large African penguin colony, with boardwalks allowing you to get close enough to watch them without disturbing them. The setting is fantastic, with the ocean and mountains surrounding the colony.
It’s a much more relaxed experience than simply ticking another attraction off your list. Take your time, watch the penguins and enjoy the coastline.
2. Robberg Nature Reserve
If there’s one thing we like doing on a Garden Route tour, it’s getting out of the vehicle.
We cover some big distances, but there’s no point driving all this way just to spend the entire day looking through a windscreen.
Robberg Nature Reserve, near Plettenberg Bay, is perfect for getting outside. The peninsula has spectacular coastal scenery, cliffs, beaches, wildlife and walking trails.
You don’t have to tackle the longest route to enjoy it. Even a relatively short walk gives you an entirely different appreciation of the landscape.
This is the Garden Route at its best — walking, exploring and taking your time.
3. The Crags
The Crags is an area that many visitors drive straight through without really appreciating what surrounds them.
Situated between Plettenberg Bay and Tsitsikamma, it’s an exceptionally beautiful part of the Garden Route, with forests, mountains and plenty of opportunities to explore.
What we like about The Crags is that it encourages you to slow down. There’s no need to race through the area ticking off attractions. Take a little time, look around and enjoy the scenery.
Sometimes the places between the major attractions are the ones you remember.
Bloukrans Bridge – A Masterpiece of Engineering
Bloukrans Bridge is a masterpiece of engineering and one of the most spectacular sights along the Garden Route. The bridge spans the enormous Bloukrans River gorge, with the road high above the forest and river below.
It’s famous for its bungee jump, but you certainly don’t have to throw yourself off it to appreciate the place. Just standing there and looking across the gorge gives you a real sense of the scale of the engineering and the dramatic landscape surrounding it.
I’ve done the bungee jump so I know how awesome that is, so if you do want to expereince the highest bungee bridge in the world, this is your chance
It’s one of those stops where I think it’s worth getting out of the vehicle, taking a proper look and appreciating what you’re actually seeing.
5. Glentana Beach
Glentana Beach, near George, is another one of those places that can easily be missed if you’re concentrating only on the major Garden Route attractions.
I used to stay overnight here but logistically it didn’t work but the coastline is stunning, I mean next level. Ever been on an endless beach and not seen another soul? It’s a rare thing
Sometimes you don’t need an attraction, an activity or a packed itinerary. Sometimes you just need a beautiful beach, fresh sea air and a chance to slow down for a while.
Glentana is a great place to get out of the vehicle, stretch your legs and enjoy the coastline.
Do the Garden Route Properly
The Garden Route is not somewhere we think should be rushed.
Yes, there are some big distances to cover, but that’s part of the journey. The trick is to plan it properly and leave enough time to get out of the vehicle and experience the places you’re travelling through.
These five stops are just a few of the places we love, and there are plenty more.
So take your time, look beyond the obvious attractions and don’t be afraid to stop somewhere simply because it looks interesting.
That’s often where the best parts of the Garden Route begin.
