Cape Town to East London via Garden Route

by Terry and Maria

Leg 1: 24th March 2010

We hope to travel the Garden route from central Cape Town and finish at East london for two/three days (we used to live there many years ago).

Leg 2: Return to Cape Town along Garden route arrive back in Cape Town on Tuesday 31st March 2010 pm.

Can you suggest a programme / accommodation and whether we should hire a car or get escorted tour etc

Best Regards
Terry Grace

Alison's Answer

Hi Terry,
Happy New Year - I am afraid i have been in the Drakensberg for the last 10 days...

If you are wanting to spend 2-3 days in EL, that leaves 4 days for traveling the Garden Route - say 2 days/ 1 night on the way up and the same coming back down, yes?

East London is a good 11 hours driving - my folks live there so we have done the trip often. The central Garden Route makes the best overnight halfway stop. i.e. Plett/Knysna/Sedgefield.

Do you have particular interests or thigs you would like to see or do? That would really influence where you choose to spend your nights.

Options that spring to mind are

• seeing the Knysna Elephants,


• visiting the (amazing) free-flying bird sanctuary,


• walking amongst the monkeys,


• taking a boat to the Knysna Heads?

On the way back, to avoid doing the identical route twice, I recommend you leave the N2at george and go over the Mountain pass to Oudtshoorn, then continue to Cape Town via Route 62 and the N1. It's a fantastic route.

If you do that you might like to overnight at Oudtshoorn and visit the Cango Caves before you leave the area.

Let me know if I can help further...