Garden Route Self-drive
14 days London to London
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- Days 1 to 4. Cape Town [B days 3 & 4 only]
- Depart UK on an overnight flight to Cape Town. On arrival you transfer to the Radisson Waterfront Hotel for three nights. Enjoy an excursion to Cape Point Nature Reserve.
- Days 5 to 6. Paarl, Cape Winelands [B, D]
- Your hire car will be delivered to your hotel before you depart for Paarl in the Cape Winelands for two nights at Roggeland Country House. An eighteenth-century Cape Dutch masterpiece surrounded by the Drakenstein Mountains and extensive vineyards, the farmhouse of Roggeland is a national monument, featuring a variety of original features. Exposed Yellowwood beam and reed ceilings, thatch, antique furniture and art all make this a wonderful place to stay.
- Days 7 & 8. Grootbos Nature Reserve [B]
- Continue to Gaansbai today, to the Grootbos Nature Reserve for two nights. Each suite has its own secluded balcony from which you can admire the sunsets over the ocean or start the day in tune with the forest birds. Whale-watching is excellent here between July and November when Southern Right Whales come into the bays. Grootbos Nature Reserve is famous for the 'fynbos' ecosystem.
- Days 9 & 10. Knysna [B]
- Continue along the Garden Route to Knysna for two nights at Belvidere Manor on the edge of the lagoon. Knysna is a great base from which to explore Featherbed Nature Reserve, the Lagoon for prolific birdlife, Tsitsikamma Forest and the surrounding coastline as well as Cango Caves and the nearby ostrich farms.
- Days 11 & 12. Shamwari Game Reserve [B, L (Day 12 only), D]
- Make your way along the scenic coastline to Port Elizabeth where you drop-off your car. Transfer to Shamwari Game Reserve where you spend two nights at Bayethe Tented Lodge. Steeped in settler history, this 20,000 hectare reserve boasts five eco-systems and a tremendous variety of wildlife. Morning and evening game drives are the order of the day here.
- Days 13 & 14. Homeward [B (Day 13 only)]
- Return to Port Elizabeth for your overnight flight home via Johannesburg. Arrive home on day 14.
