Lazy Days and African Adventures - the Garden Route has it all

You'll be spoilt for choice wherever your stay along the Garden Route. From beautiful unspoilt beaches to African adventures all surrounded by stunning scenery of forests, lakes, wetlands and indigenous fynbos, all topped of by and the friendliness of the people who live there.

With the world's second-most temperate climate, the Garden Route offers an all-year-round, unforgettable African experience. A lively attraction through its summer months and an ideal pleasant retreat in South Africa's winter months.

Hermanus

The beaches are a sun worshippers dream with long expanses of soft powdery white sands or cosy rock protected coves. Grotto Beach is the longest while Voelklip Beach is closer to town and has terraced lawns. Kammabaai Beach is popular with surfers with braai and picnic facilities under milkwood trees. Langbaai is a secluded beach and Onrus is the beach for surfers.

Hermanus boasts that it has the best land based whale watching in the world. From its rocky cliffs, whales can be seen from as close as five meters. The peak whale season when sightings are virtually guaranteed every day is from August to the end of October. A must to see is the worlds only whale crier who walks the streets of Hermanus who by giving different blows on his kelp horn, alerts everyone to the whereabouts of the whales. His sandwich board tells where each of the horn codes refers to and the number of whales spotted at each location

The Fernkloof Nature Reserve Over 50km of hiking trails showcasing a diverse variety of unspoilt coastal mountain fynbos. There are guided tours by arrangement for a nominal fee plus a series of graded trails for all ages and fitness levels giving everyone the chance to experience the wonderful flora found in Fernkloof.

The Cliff Path is a unique attraction - stretching from the new harbour to Grotto Beach 10km long. You can pick up the path at many points and view the beaches, watch whales or just sit and watch the scenery.

Day Trips from Hermanus include Bettys Bay (51kms) to see the colony of Jackass penguins at the Stoney Point Reserve. The historical town of Swellendam (151kms) for its ancient oak tress, stately white washed homesteads, the Drostdy Museum and the Marloth Nature reserve. Danger Point is the rocky peninsular which extends for 8km our to sea. This is there the Birkenhead rock which sank the HMS Birkenhead in 1852. There are tours to the lighthouse and the Birkenhead Memorial arranged on request. Just a few of the many places to visit. You can pick up good tourist information at many points in Hermanus giving you full details.

Knysna

Located on Leisure Isle Bollard Bay Beach is ideal for families with safe swimming in shallow waters. Buffalos Bay is a fine sandy beach stretching al the way to Brenton-on-sea. It offers safe swimming for families, for walking and fishing and whales and dolphins can be spotted from the shore too. The beach at Brenton-on-sea is suitable for walking and sunbathing but with strong currents it is not suitable for swimming, but offers lovely little bays and coves to explore. Sedgefield-on-sea is sheltered by its famous dunes and is a haven for fauna and flora.

For adventure there is abseiling at The Knysna Heads, boat trips through The Heads, canoeing , fishing , cycling , golf and horse riding, plus for those who enjoy a real thrill, the worlds highest bungy jump at Bloukrans Bridge!

Take a ferry ride across the estuary to the Featherbed Nature Reserve where a 4x4 drawn trailer takes you to the top of the Wester Head. You can then choose to walk back along the trail or stay with the trailer on the way down.

If you like steam trains there is the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe which leave Knysna in the morning and arrives in George by lunchtime, with a return trip mid afternoon from George back to Knysna.

The Knysna Elephant Park has up to 3 young, tame elephants and offers a rare and exciting opportunity to get close to these gentle giants, who live in a controlled, free range environment.. Y ou will also learn about the sad and mystical story of the Knysna Elephants - the world's Southern most elephant.

Day trips can easily be made to the Robberg Nature Reserve at Plettenbery Bay , forest and costal walks at the Tsitsikamma Forest , the dramatic beaches at Wilderness , the historic George and finally Mossel Bay

Plettenberg Bay

The endless sandy white beaches of Plettenberg Bay are legendary but there is also la lots more to do then sit on the beach, soaking up the African sun and relaxing..

Robberg Nature Reserve should be a priority on any list of things to do in Plettenberg Bay. Offering sweeping views, superb whale and dolphin watching, excellent bird watching, interesting hiking routes, and the Nelson Bay Cave - an archaeological site with evidence of human habitation that stretches back for more than 120 thousand years.

If its big game you're after then a guided drive or hike at Buffalo Hills Private Game Reserve to see if you can spot white rhino, buffalo, impala giraffe or many other mammals.

Then there is Monkeyland , the world's only multi species free roaming primate sanctuary. It offers a home to many varied species of monkey that are captive bred prior to their release at Monkeyland.

Making the most of the natural landscape and scenery there is also canoeing, boat cruises, diving, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and township tours.

Being less then half an hour from Knysna you can enjoy all the day trips listed for Knysna too.