Great Adventure Trips

South Africa

Self-drive / Family / Walking / Romance / General Tours
Horse Safaris / Camping Tours / Victoria Falls extension

Scenic Garden Route Safari : 7 day

Discover the beautiful Garden Route, along South Africa's exquisite eastern coastline. Enjoy the famous Garden Route while staying in comfortable 3 star Guest Houses and taking in some spectacular sights along the way.
The Scenic Garden Route Safari starts in Cape Town, where you might have spent a few days discovering the 'Mother City', and finishes in Port Elizabeth. You will experience a unique 7-day Safari that includes all the highlights along this popular route.

Day 1 Cape Town to Swellendam. This Garden Route Tour starts from Cape Town and we head through the Wine lands to Swellendam. Nestling at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, Swellendam has much to offer visitors who have an interest in history, nature and outdoor activities. Situated on the N2, approximately 240km from both Cape Town and George, Swellendam is the perfect choice for a halfway stopover or as a base from which to explore the area. On our way we visit the Bontebok National Park, which is home to a variety of antelope. The Park is proud to promote its achievements in biodiversity conservation, from the endangered fynbos veld type, coastal Renosterveld to the namesake bontebok! Once these colorful antelope numbered a mere 17, and through effective management we are proud to affirm that the present world population amounts to around 3000. The Park offers much more for nature lovers, from a diversity of indigenous animal life to over 200 remarkable bird species. [D]

Day 2 Oudtshoorn. Today we travel to Oudtshoorn. Oudtshoorn is situated in the Klein Karoo 55 kilometres from the large coastal town of George. First class hotels, lodges, Inns, and guesthouses await the visitor. Enjoy the relaxed, friendly, hospitable atmosphere offered in town or or at the various surrounding farms. Experience the joy of life in the country! This town with its wide open spaces and broad streets is the capital of the Klein Karoo. The town is spread along both banks of the Grobbelaars River, a tributary of the Oliphant's River, and its fertile valleys are encompassed by the Swartberg mountains to the north and the Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Warm, dry summers and sunny winter days make it the ideal breeding ground for the most majestic of flightless birds - synonymous with Oudtshoorn - the ostrich. We then head to visit the breathtaking Cango Caves after a stop at the Aloe Factory in Albertinia. [BD]

Day 3-4 Knysna. We make our way to Knysna, where we spend the next two days. Several optional activities like the Geatherbed Nature Reserve, sunset lagoon cruise, canoeing, or the well-known Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe Train are awaiting you in this beautiful coastal town as well as a visit to Monkeyland and whale watching in season. [BD BD]

Day 5 Tsitsikamma National Park. Our next highlight is the Tsitsikamma National Park, where we take our time and explore the lush scenery while hiking. Where the booming breakers of the Indian Ocean relentlessly pound rocky shores, where temperate high forest and fynbos roll down to the sea in an unspoilt verdant carpet, where ancient rivers carve their paths to the ocean down rocky ravines. This, "the place of much water", is the Tsitsikamma National Park. The heartland of the park stretches some 5 km to sea, protecting a wonderland of inter-tidal life, reef and deep-sea fish. Dolphins frolic in the breakers, surfing and playing for the sheer joy of life, and the gentle giant of the ocean, the southern right whale visits here, coming inshore to breed. [BD]

Day 6 Addo Elephant Park. We head towards Addo Elephant Park with a lunch stop at the world famous surf spot Jeffrey's Bay. We enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park. Deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal, and the francolin's call heralds each new dawn. Safe from relentless persecution in the past, the grey leviathans of the bush now roam in peace. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 420 elephants, 450 Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. [BD]

Day 7 Port Elizabeth. After a morning game drive in the Addo Elephant Park, your guide will take you to Port Elisabeth, where our tour ends. [B]

Highlights: Wine Farms, Bontebok National Park, Oudtshoorn, Cango Caves, Knysna, Tsitsikamma National Park, Addo Elephant Park
Group Size: Maximum 10 people
Type of Safari: Non-participation guest house and hotel tour
Accommodation: Mid range 3* Guest Houses and Hotels

Price: USD 1495 Single Supplement: USD 185

Includes:All transport, meals as per itinerary, accommodation, entrance fees, activities stated in the itinerary.

Excludes: Meals not mentioned in the itinerary, all personal expenses, insurance for luggage, tips, drinks, laundry.

2007 Dates: Feb. 13, 27, March 13,27, April 10,24, May 8,22, June 12,26, July 10,24, Aug. 14,27, Sept. 10,24, Oct. 9,23, Nov. 6,20, Dec. 4,12
2008 Dates: Jan. 8,22, Feb. 5,19, March 4,18, April 1,5,29, May 13,27, June 10,24, July 8,22, Aug. 5,19, Sept. 2,16,30, Oct. 14,28, Nov. 11,25, Dec. 9

Cape Town add-on:
Before or after the tour we can offer you a 3-day package. On day 1 you'll be picked up at the airport and transferred to your accommodation. The next day you'll participate in a Cape Point Tour. The following day you'll be picked up for your Garden Route Experience. This includes 2 nights accommodation B&B, airport transfer and a Cape Point Tour.