5 Day Garden Route and Addo Safari - Best of South Africa Small Group Tour
Duration
5 days
Group Size
1 to 13 people
Ages
10 - 99
yrs
Languages
English
Tour Overview
Discover the highlights of South Africa’s legendary Garden Route – including Addo Elephant National Park, Jeffreys Bay, Knysna Heads, Wilderness and Oudtshoorn – on a 5-day tour from Cape Town. You’ll explore this coastal paradise with an experienced guide: hike in old-growth forests, see endangered animals in wildlife reserves, and relax on white-sand beaches. A combination of guided tours and optional activities allows you to tailor this trip to your taste for adventure. Try extra activities (own expense) such as bungee jumping, a 4x4 game drive, and ziplining.
Additional information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The exact itinerary is subject to change and may, on occasions, run in reverse order
- Minimum age is 8 years. Children between 8 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult and book in private rooms
- Children under 18 years of age are not allowed to book in Dorm room packages
- Game drive or bush safari drives are shared with other people on especially adopted open-roof converted vehicle or truck.
- Daily drive time: about 4 to 6 hours. Total distance about 2000 km route. This packed, fast-paced itinerary is filled with many of the best highlights of the region and ideal for the young-at-heart traveller that want to explore this vast region with limited time.
- Some meals and drinks are not included on most tours; giving the ideal opportunity to experience typical South African meals (or your own preference) at local restaurants, shops or eating spots. Do check your tour's specific included and excluded section to verify the included meals for your tour package. You'll have free time scheduled daily to buy and enjoy meals. – Breakfast is mostly enjoyed at the accommodation's breakfast room/restaurant in the morning. Bed & Breakfast multi-day packages include breakfast for each overnight stay. – Lunch will be en-route with limited time & limited options to choose from. – Dinner-time during multi-day tours is scheduled in free-time after each day’s tour schedule. You can dine out at leisure; or book meals with your guide at the overnight accommodation that day. Your guide can recommend the best local restaurants, or most backpackers even have communal kitchens to prepare your own food - should you wish to buy the ingredients after the tour to prepare your own meals.
- According to availability at time of booking, accommodation will be in the mentioned hotel or in one of a similar standard and star rating in a similar area. Sedgefield accommodation will occasionally be sold out and then your accommodation will be in nearby town of Wilderness or Knysna
- Personal comprehensive travel insurance is excluded and recommended.
- The tour operator already pre-booked space at all optional activities for the group and you can simply decide on the first day of the tour if you'll partake. Optional activities can only be paid on the tour directly to the supplier. Bungy jump optional activity waiting time can vary from 1 to 2 hours and is subject to group size and how busy it is during the time visited. Optional activities are subject to weather conditions and cannot be guaranteed
- It is recommended that you bring: comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, sun hat, jacket for cooler evenings, beach towel and swimming costume
- Accommodation stay packages will overnight in different properties, each listed in the itinerary. Backpackers are usually far away from guesthouses / lodges.
Pickup
What's included
Ostrich Farm Visit + Cango Caves Exploring tickets
Route 62 Wine Tasting
Accommodation & bedding
Local English-speaking tour guide
4x4 safari drive in Private Game Reserve in open-roof truck
A portion of your trip fee is donated to help fund 2Cchange non-profit local charity projects
Knysna Heads visit
Game drive tour of Addo Elephant National Park in tour van
Tsitsikamma National Park entry ticket
Breakfast: 4
Transfers in mini van vehicle (about 3 to 6 hours travel daily)
Pickup & drop-off from Cape Town (10km radius) and Stellenbosch centre
Other
Other
Itinerary
Early morning pick up from your accommodation in Cape Town CBD or Stellenbosch (usually between 6 to 8am, subject to traffic and your address.) You can receive your pickup time a day before.
Please Note > This day-by-day itinerary serves as a guideline as your trip may need to run in reverse or a different order based on seasonal or operational availability.
(Travel route: about 450 km / 6 hours driving)
Start this epic road trip journeying along the ever-changing scenery on your first day’s drive from Cape Town to the Southern Cape. Wind your way through mountain passes and get ready for the Route 62, modelled after famous America’s Route 66, but with a distinctly local flavour and known as the longest wine route in the world. The Route 62 is more than just a leisurely drive – showcasing local culture, food, larger-than-life local characters and world-class wines. You'll stop for a quick Wine Tasting break to sample some of the local produce about midway to your overnight stop.
Saver/Dorm > Uthando Backpackers, 3*Comfort> 88 Baron van Reede, 4*Luxury> Hlangana Lodge (ask for Buffelsdrift upgrade)
(Travel route today: about 400 km / 5 hours driving)
Wake up in Oudsthoorn, where the ostrich reigns supreme. If you haven’t picked it up from the bird-filled paddocks and farms lining the highway or the colourful feather stalls on the way to town centre, you will from the many show farm signs and the palatial sandstone homesteads that hark back to an era when ostrich feathers were worth more than gold. The Cango Ostrich Show Farm gives you a glimpse into the farming industry, allowing you to observe the world’s biggest bird beak-to-beak and test the toughness of the shells.
Overnight stay: Saver/Dorm> Avoca Backpacker House, 3*Comfort> Gerald's Gift Guesthouse, 4*Luxury> Addo Wildlife Lodge
Breakfast:
(Travel route today: about 300 km / 4 hours driving)
Rise early for the chance to encounter some of Africa’s Big Five at Addo Elephant National Park. Your guide will use local knowledge to pinpoint the whereabouts of the park’s big game animals while deftly navigating the maze of dusty roads in search of some of the Big Five animals.
You'll experience an included 2 hour game drive in the tour bus. The original elephant section of the park was dedicated to providing a safe haven for the few wild elephants that survived government-sponsored culling in the early 20th century. The lush vegetation provides protection and a rich food source, supporting what is now the most densely populated area of wild elephants on the planet. This finely tuned ecosystem is a sanctuary to over 550 elephants, lions, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra and other species.
Saver/Dorm> Island Vibe Backpackers, 3* Comfort > Sea Whisper Guesthouse or similar, 4* Luxury > On The Beach Guesthouse
Breakfast:
After breakfast head to the coastal forest region of the Garden Route.
(Travel route today: about 300 km / 4 hours driving)
Lush green landscapes and adventure go hand in hand on this adrenaline-packed day... from ziplining over gushing river gorges, breathtakingly-beautiful ocean and river views atop Bloukrans Bridge and exploring dense forests along suspension bridges and footpaths in Tsitsikamma National Park - today is all about the "garden" of the Garden Route!
Calling all adrenalin junkies: get ready for the highest Bungy Bridge Jump in the world... 216m! So if you're feeling daring, why not face your fears and have a go?
Saver/Dorm> Pili Pili Backpackers, 3* Comfort > Fairy Knowe or similar, 4* Luxury > Dolphin Dunes Guesthouse or similar
Breakfast:
(Travel route today: about 500 km / 6 hours driving)
Another exciting morning awaits with a trip passing oasis-like coastal towns along the ocean-lined route hugged by forested national parks.
Breakfast:
FAQ
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Min 1 days: 100%
- From 0 to 1 days: 0%