Eastern Cape Tour
Garden Route - South Africa

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Leaving Cape Town we travel north along the N1 highway to Paarl and Worcestor.

Paarl is one of the wine growing areas in Cape Town and is famous for its wines and beautiful old restored buildings dating back to the times when Van der Stel was governor of the Cape. (1690’s) The streets of Paarl (Pearl) are lined with oak trees and in the summer months when the trees are in full leaf the town is exceptionally beautiful.

Between Paarl and Worcestor we have the Du Toit’s mountain range to cross and this can be done by either driving through the Huguenot Tunnel, or over the Du Toit’s Kloof mountain pass. The pass is exceptionally beautiful with views over Paarl and Wellington and Table Mountain in the distance. We, however, took the route through the tunnel which shortens the trip by about 18 kilometres. Once through the tunnel we once again join up with the old pass on the north side of the tunnel and wind our way through the Wemmershoek and Slanghoek mountains to Worcestor.

Worcester was established in 1822 and has become the shopping and business centre of the Breede River valley. This is another large wine producing area and has twenty wine cellars and its own wine route. Another place of interest is “ Kleinplasie” which is an open air living museum where the lifestyle of the early farmers is depicted. The area also has many old buildings, museums and gardens to visit.

From Worcester we branch off the N1 and take the (R60) road to Robertson. This town is well known for its horse breeding. The road continues through Robertson to Ashton with its fruit processing plants and then onto Swellendam. This is the halfway mark between Cape Town and Mossel Bay and the place where the garden route (N2 highway) and the (R60) roads meet.

The main street of Swellendam is filled with quaint coffee shops where one can stop for a cuppa and a scone. There are some beautiful old buildings to see. This is a farming area where fruit is farmed and forms part of the Breede River valley with the river winding its way past the outskirts of the town. Just outside the town is the Bontebok Nature Reserve where one can see some of the flora and fauna of the area, and, if it is warm enough, take a swim in the river as it flows through the park.

After a short stop we continue our drive through Heidelberg, Riversdale and Albertinia to Mossel Bay along the N2 highway.

As we approach Mossel Bay we drive past the huge Mossgas oil refinery which has become the centre of South Africa’s search for oil. Drilling for oil happens about 100 kilometres off the coast of MosselBay and the oil/gas is brought ashore here. Mossel Bay is a very beautiful town and has many scenic views over the bay. Cape St Blaize lighthouse situated on the hill above the town looks out over the Indian Ocean and the harbour at is base. In the harbour area we find the Diaz Museum Complex with its replica of Bartholomew Dias’ caravelle. This ship was purpose built in Portugal in 1988 and sailed to Mossel Bay to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Dias’ discovery of Mossel Bay in 1488. The Post Office tree which is a large milkwood is still growing and can be seen close to the Museum complex. Its been around for hundreds of years.

There are many beautiful beaches and fishing spots around Mossel Bay.

Oudtshoorn and the Cango Caves are just an hour away by car in a landscape that differs drastically from the one you experience on the Garden Route. Mossel Bay is a good place to base oneself to explore southern Cape region. We leave Mossel Bay and travel to George the next town on the route along the N2 highway. The road bypasses this town but we will make a detour here to visit it.

George is the capital city of the Garden route. The town is situated on a coastal plateau between the Outeniqua mountains and the Indian Ocean and is a major business centre in the Southern Cape region. Here is a list of some of the places to visit.

The George Museum in the old Drostdy (magistrates court) which was built in 1811.

Outeniqua Railway Museum with a large collection of old steam trains and antique motor vehicles.

Two lovely beaches at Victoria Bay and Herold’s Bay.

Some breathtaking mountain drives over the historical Montagu Pass and the Outeniqua Pass. The views from these passes are absolutely spectacular.

We leave George and travel to the Wilderness via the Kaaimans River pass. (Watch out for the speed traps in the pass I got caught.)

At the top of the pass overlooking the Wilderness is a lookout point where you have some excellent views of the railway bridge crossing the Kaaimans river. If you are lucky you can see the Choo-Choo crossing the bridge while underneath it the waves break into the mouth of the river. I sure that this is one of the few places in the world where one can see this. I know that train enthusiasts travel from all over the world to take a trip in the Choo Choo along this stretch of coastline. This part of the Garden Route should not be missed. Its absolutely spectacular.

From the lookout point above the Wilderness beach we follow the coastal road to the east and pass through Sedgefield and the lake district of the Southern Cape. The Groenvlei lake on the eastern side of Sedgefield is the only fresh water lake in the district. Bass fishing in it is apparently very good. All the other lakes have salt water and are tidal, when the mouth of the lagoon is open to the sea. In the summer months fishing is this area is good.

There are many nature trails and plenty of birds to be seen in and around the lakes.

After Sedgefield our next port of call is Knysna, the home of the Knysna elephant.

Knysna Lagoon with Leisure Isle on the right

Unfortunately these have now died out but a skeleton of one of them can be seen in the town. We enter Knysna from the west and follow a narrow winding road along the banks of the Knysna lagoon. The town is situated on the banks of the lagoon and from the new Waterfront development one can take boat rides out to the famous Knysna heads where the sea and the lagoon meet.

The channel through the Knysna Heads taken from the Featherbed Nature Reserve.

On the left hand head is a residential area with some spectacular views of the lagoon and on the right hand head is a Nature Reserve which you can reach by boat from the Knysna Waterfront. There are some spectacular cliffs overlooking the sea and abseilers from time to time abseil down them.

For the shopaholics Knysna's main road is an absolute must. There are plenty of small shops selling everything from a needle to an anchor. If that is not enough there is also a craft market where one can buy clothing arts an crafts and many other interesting articles. In July the Knysna area is very popular as it has a good climate and is suitable for swimming and other activities while Cape Town is freezing with its winter weather.

Knysna uses this time of the year to market itself by having an Oyster festival, a 100 kilometre bicycle race to Sedgefield and back and a marathon for the athletes. For the first week of the winter school holidays it is impossible to find a place to stay. On the outskirts of Knysna is a little place called Noetzie It is about 5 kilometres off the main road along a gravel road. Here, built on the side of a mountain slope are some beautiful stone castles. To see them you have to climb up and down about a 150 stairs to a beautiful little beach enclosed by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other.

It's tiring especially if you are unfit but worth the effort.

Leaving Noetzie we continue on to Plettenberg Bay.

Plettenberg Bay is a millionaires paradise with its own millionaires row. It has some spectacular views from its perch on top of the hill. To the east, the spectacular view of the Keurbooms River Lagoon and river mouth.

Lookout Beach and the Keurbooms River Mouth near Plettenberg Bay

To the west is the Beacon Isle hotel/timeshare on its little island on the edge of the bay. It used to be an old whaling station. When the tide rises the island has water on three sides and would be surrounded were it not for the road that leads to it. Plettenberg Bay has a fantastic climate with beautiful beaches that stretch for miles to the east and west. There are no fewer than 15 private and public nature reserves in the vicinity of Plettenberg Bay, each with it’s own treasures, all beckoning you to explore them.

The Tsitsikamma nature area has many indigenous trees and forests to visit. Just outside Plettenberg Bay on our journey east we turn off the main highway and follow the old highway through the Grootriver mountain pass to Nature’s Valley at the foot of the pass.

The Harkerville Forests just outside Plettenberg Bay

This is a very pleasant drive and here you can look down into the untouched forests of the area with their large yellow wood and other indigenous trees which have grown there for centuries. You will find monkeys and baboons living in the trees and small buck and other creatures living on the forest floor.

The small town of Nature’s Valley is well worth a visit just to see the beautiful unspoilt beaches and the lagoons in the area. Leaving Natures Valley we make our way up the Grootriver pass and back onto the N2 highway .

A few kilometres from Natures valley we arrive at the Bloukrans River Bridge which is used for bungy jumping. This is one of the highest bridges in South Africa and is the highest bungy jump in South Africa. After a short stop to watch the crazies do their thing we continue on and at Humansdorp which is about an hour and a half’s drive from Natures Valley we take a detour and visit Cape St Francis. Here we find a very wild coast with a lovely sheltered bay.

On the banks of the bay we have Cape St Francis which is the older residential area where the lighthouse is also sited. The newer area called St Francis Bay is very pretty and is built as a marina with canals running between the houses. What really adds to the beauty is the building code. All the houses have thatch roofs and are painted white no matter what the style of the building. In the summer months this area must rate highly if you are a surfer, beach bum, or just love nature.

Our next port of call is Jeffreys Bay, the home of the perfect wave and the surfing capital of the Sunshine Coast. This is a surfer’s paradise where the world famous Billabong surfing competition is held. “Super Tubes” is one of the surfing beaches in the area and is well known for the tube surfing that is practiced when sea and tide come together to provide the perfect wave. If you are a beachcomber and love to pick up shells this is the place for you.

After our short stopover at Jeffrey's bay we travel on to Port Elizabeth. “The Friendly City”. This town has miles of beautiful golden beaches that are safe for swimming, fishing and surfing and any other beach activity you would like to do. There are many hotels situated along the beachfront which provide stunning views over Algoa Bay.

Port Elizabeth is South Africa’s fifth largest city. A holiday in this city can take you back 500 years in time as you explore its architecture, museums and monuments and visit the renowned Oceanarium with its performing dolphins, seals and marine birds.

Cape Recife Lighthouse near Port Elizabeth

At Cape Recife to the west of Port Elizabeth there is a lighthouse. This lighthouse is situated on the beach and if it were not for bulldozers would soon be covered in sand as the south winds blow the sand against its walls. The lighthouse has a bit of history of its own. Two light keepers who lived and worked at the lighthouse had a scuffle while on the balcony of the lighthouse tower which is about 20 metres above the ground . Sadly both of them fell to their deaths when they overbalanced and landed on the cement pathway below. To leave Port Elizabeth we follow the highway which runs along the edge of Algoa Bay until we reach the turnoff to Port Alfred and the Fish river.

Port Alfred is known as the heart of the sunshine coast with its glorious unspoilt beaches which spread into the distance as far as the eye can see to the east and west. The town is built on the banks of the Kowie River and near the mouth the Royal Alfred Marina has been built. It offers angling, boating, surfing an excellent scuba diving from Port Alfred’s own dive school. The mouth of the Kowie river has been turned into a large canal which is lined with rocks on both sides with a breakwater on the right hand side as you face the sea.

When boats go to sea they sail down the canal and the moment they leave the protection of the breakwater they meet the breaking surf as it rolls into the mouth. This exit and entrance can be quite daunting for the skippers of the boats as you have to time your run in and out of the mouth so as not to be wrecked. Once you are committed to either come in or go out and there is no turning around.

Notices on the banks of the river warn fishermen to pull up their lines when boats are entering or leaving harbour so as not to snag the propellers of the passing boats.

To reach the Fish river one has to drive through Port Alfred. The road runs through a very wild and desolate area as it wends it way up the coast to the Fish River and onto East London about 130 kilometres away. The Fish river is approximately 28 kilometres from Port Alfred and the only life to be found there is at the Fish River Sun Hotel. This complex used to be a Casino but it has closed down and moved to Port Elizabeth. The hotel is being converted into vacation units and is situated on a hill on the left bank of the Fish River as you look towards the sea. It boasts an excellent golf course and long walks to the pristine beaches that are found on the south side of the large sand dunes that line this part of the coast.

The hotel has a laid out a nature trail where we came across two different species of buck and many vervet monkeys. These monkeys can be quite destructive when they visit the hotel complex and find a window open. They immediately climb inside and steal anything that appears to be edible leaving cupboard doors open and things strewn all over. Fishing along the beaches and at Bats cave is apparently very good in the summer months. Bats Cave is a small cave found on the left bank of the Fish River as it flows into the sea. This bank has a high cliff face that extends about 200 metres into the sea where it is buffeted by waves when the tide is up.

We have come to the end of our tour up the coast to the Fish River. From the Fish River the road continues up the coast to East London through some very wild country side. We will however not go further on this trip.

It was nice to have you along, I hope you enjoyed the ride.

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