3-Day Garden Route Highlights with 4x4 Safari Small Group Tour from Cape Town

Spend three days exploring South Africa’s famed Garden Route from Cape Town, , stopping at all the best highlights the area has to offer.  Wander along the Garden Route - a piece of paradise on the southeastern coast of South Africa. Adventure awaits you over the next three days. Choose to join an elephant bush walk where you’ll get to meet three orphaned elephants, walk along forest footpaths and hop in a canoe to float a river in the Wilderness area, keeping an eye out for the abundant birdlife. Face your fears as you hurtle off the world’s highest bridge bungy, or visit a 100-year old tree in the thick of the Tsitsikamma forest.  Enjoy a 4x4 safari with a game ranger as you set out to spot some members of Africa’s Big Five, and connect with nature on a tranquil bush walk amongst the animals in a private game reserve. An action-packed itinerary with free time for you to partake in optional activities scheduled or venture off and have your own adventures in the nearby area.

Itinerary

Day 1: Cape Town - Oudtshoorn

Pass By: Oudtshoorn, 6620, Western Cape, South Africa, Oudtshoorn, 6625, South Africa
Begin your 3-day excursion along the Garden Route from Cape Town with a drive on South Africa’s scenic Route 62. Admire the diverse landscapes along the coast, in lush nature reserves and in the desert area of the Klein Karoo. Tour the labyrinthine Cango Caves, paddle a canoe through pristine waters and a safari game drive. Additionally, with free time in your itinerary, choose from other activities to fill your schedule — including a thrilling bungee jump from the Bloukrans Bridge (own expense). You’re also free to skip any optional excursions, choosing instead to seek out tips from your guide for nearby places to go hiking.
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After a pickup from your central Cape Town hotel, leave the bright city lights behind and travel to the Western Cape by minibus. Gaze out at the scenery along Route 62, one of the most dramatic roads in South Africa, that meanders through the desert region of Klein Karoo as well as countryside and coastal areas from Cape to Port Elizabeth.

The journey takes around five to six hours, but several stops are factored into the journey so you can stretch your legs, take photos and eat. After venturing through the landscape of rugged plains and towering cliffs, stop in Oudtshoorn, so-called ‘ostrich capital,’ and your overnight base.

Stop At: The Cango Caves, 328 Approximately 30km (19 miles) from town on the R, Oudtshoorn 6625 South Africa
Drop your bags at your accommodation, and then enjoy a visit to Cango Caves for a tour into the depths of the caves and wander along the subterranean pathways, admiring towering stalactite and stalagmite formations. your evening is then spent at your leisure, perhaps discovering the nightlife and restaurants of Oudtshoorn.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at 4-Star Buffelsdrift Game Lodge or similar or 3-Star Yamkela Guest House or Backpackers Paradise

Day 2: Oudtshoorn - Sedgefield

Pass By: Buffelsdrift Game Lodge - Activities, Cango Caves Road, Oudtshoorn 6620 South Africa
Check out of your Oudtshoorn accommodation in the morning, and take part in an optional "elephant bush walk’’ experience (own expense) at a nearby reserve as you join a ranger and walk alongside these gentle giants in their natural environment. Their parents were poached in the Kruger National Park, and in efforts to keep this family together; the herd was hand-reared and now roam in the vast Cango Valley at the Buffelsdrift Private Game Reserve. Every morning and late afternoon, they eagerly report to the waterhole to walk knee-cap-to-shoulder alongside their human caregivers. Visitors are welcome to join and experience these loveable creatures’ caring nature in the wild Karoo setting from a reasonable distance.

Stop At: Kaaiman's River, Wilderness South Africa
Leave the area and resume the journey along Route 62 to the region, roughly an hour away. Take to the water on an easy canoe ride (no training needed) with a local guide, and paddle along a calm river that winds its way through lush forests... Indigenous forests and campgrounds line the river bank and it’s not until you stop paddling and let the gentle current guide you, that the abundance of birdlife becomes apparent.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Bloukrans Bridge, N2, Tsitsikamma National Park South Africa
Relax on a scenic coastal drive, enjoying views of Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Nature’s Valley, and prepare for the adrenaline-rushing view that lies ahead: one of the world’s highest bungee sites at Bloukrans Bridge. Standing 709 feet (216 meters) above the Bloukrans River, the bridge is the perfect place to face your fears with an optional bungee jump! If it’s not for you, get your adrenaline fix by watching the jumpers bounce through the air, instead. The thrills don’t start when you jump, they begin as you zip line your way out to the jumping platform underneath the colossal bridge. Those who opt not to zipline and jump can do a short walk in the nearby Tsitsikamma forest area.
Duration: 2 hours

Pass By: Sedgefield Lagoon Mouth, 69 Kingfisher Drive Myoli Beach, Sedgefield, Knysna 6573 South Africa
Then, travel to the coastal town of Sedgefield, check in to your overnight accommodation and spend the evening doing whatever you want. If time allows and the sun is still out, go for a dip in the Indian Ocean and watch the sun slip beneath the waves, or perhaps take an evening stroll along the beach— a sweep of white sand known as one of the most beautiful spots along the Garden Route.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at 4-Star Dover-On-Sea or 3-Star Purple Heron Guest House or Pili Pili Beach Cabins or Afrovibe Backpackers

Day 3: Sedgefield – Cape Town

Stop At: Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, Gonnakraal Road, Little Brak River, 6503, South Africa
Leave your accommodation in the morning, and start the journey back to Cape Town to enjoy your last day of adventure. First on the list is a 2-hour game drive by 4x4 vehicle to see some members of the Big Five animals.

Today, these animals are some of the most elusive and exciting forms of wildlife to see on safari. Look out for African elephants, Cape buffaloes, lions and rhinos. Giraffes, antelopes, zebras and wildebeests are just some of the other animals you may see as well.

Just when you thought your bush experience couldn’t get any better, you’ll hop off your safari vehicle for an up close and personal encounter with nature on a tranquil bush walk. Follow your game ranger as you track wildlife through the coastal renosterveldt and Cape fynbos, keep an eye out for animal tracks, and learn about the medicinal value of the plants around you as you walk.

Then, it’s back to the minibus to travel back to Cape Town. End off your day with a journey through the landscape of rugged plains and green vegetation as you pass through the heart of the Garden Route on your way back to Cape Town. Reach Cape Town by late evening.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.