We spent the last week driving the Garden Route, one of South Africa's most famous drives along the coast (it's not really a specific route, but rather a collection of nice beach towns). We broke the drive up into five stops, then retraced our route back to Cape Town yesterday.
Day 1: Gordon's Bay & Betty's Bay
Alex and I started the day with maybe the best breakfast we’ve had in South Africa: a home-cooked meal prepared at our somewhat quirky accommodation, The Chocolate House. After taking a quick Uber to the rental car office we were appalled that Dollar Thrifty managed to mess up our reservation yet again, despite multiple email confirmations and Alex’s in-person confirmation last week. We had to wait three hours for the city location to fetch a car from the airport location but we decided to pass the time wandering around the craft market at the V&A Waterfront - it was a beautiful morning and I even found a nice blouse...so the delay wasn't a total bust! (Plus they gave us a really nice car again - an Infinity Q50 - so we can't complain!)
The drive to Gordon's Bay only took 45 minutes from downtown Cape Town but the timing was perfect for lunch by the water. We dined on fresh fish, walked along the beach for a bit, then continued on to Betty's Bay, about an hour further along the coast.
The beach at Gordon's Bay.
The view of Rooi-Els as we drove along the beautiful coast.
We saw a shark-spotting station just off the road. Apparently the black flag means low risk, but poor visibility...so be careful!
The views of the ocean were stunning - Alex had to make sure to keep his eyes on the road! - and we stopped several times to snap some pictures. It reminds us so much of California and Australia!
When we arrived at our B&B in Betty's Bay, our host explained that not much was open (because it was Sunday) so rather than getting greasy fish & chips from the one restaurant that was open, we decided to head to a grocery store to pick up some meats and cheeses. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the B&B, catching up on some blog posts and enjoying the beautiful views of the ocean.
Day 2: Hermanus
As the smell of sizzling bacon called to us from our bed, Alex and I woke around 8am for breakfast at our B&B. Knowing the nearby botanical gardens had a handful of hiking trails, we ate a hearty breakfast, packed up and headed out for the day.
I had researched the hike we wanted to do – the Zig Zag Trail – but was nervous as the description noted it could take anywhere from 4 – 8 hours roundtrip. However, after our grueling hike up Table Mountain we figured we could handle it!
We were relieved that the hike was not as strenuous as advertised. We made it up high enough for these views after only 15 minutes!
A little further up we traded places and I took a few pictures of Alex.
The waterfall at the end of the hike. We rested here for half an hour before retracing our steps down the mountain.
Great views as we hiked down the trail.
There were tons of lizards around but this one let us get the closest without running away.
We were back in our rental car two hours after we started the hike. I think there should be some uniformity to the hiking-difficulty-scale - we finished the Table Mountain hike in almost exactly the time the park suggested we allow; we finished this one in half of the shortest recommended time!
The drive from Betty’s Bay to Hermanus was only 45 minutes, so I decided to test my left-side-of-the-road navigation skills and help out with some of the driving! We checked in at our next B&B and asked our host for a recommendation for the rest of the afternoon. She suggested we check out Creation Wines for their wine tasting, which is paired with food. I'd actually heard about this before but once our host confirmed it, we headed straight over to Creation.
We tasted ten (!) different wines – small pours I swear - accompanied by small “bites” and enjoyed a delicious meal as well as a great lesson in wine pairing. South Africa has one of the highest concentrations of wineries in the world and we have definitely been able to sample some of the most delicious wines and see some of the most beautiful vineyards during our time here.
Adequate view from our table at Creation Wines.
Full from our 3-hour wine pairing, we grabbed a few snacks – and the bottles we purchased – and headed to our guesthouse to watch the sun set over Hermanus. Reminded of Montauk, we settled in to enjoy another beautiful evening in South Africa.
The tide was out at sunset, exposing these rocks and allowing us to walk out to get a good view.
Waves breaking on the rocks.
High surf at sunset.
Day 3: Knysna
Our gracious host in Hermanus drew out a map for us before we left on Tuesday morning so we wouldn't get lost on the drive to Knysna. We mispronounced it the first time we told her that's where we were heading next (you drop the "K," FYI) so I think she thought we were totally clueless. Fortunately the drive couldn't have been much easier - there aren't many roads around these parts!
One last view of the B&B before we took off - I could get used to waking up to this!
Our first stop for the day was Cape Agulhas, the southern most point on the continent. Many tourists mischaracterize the Cape of Good Hope as the southernmost point of Africa, but it falls about 300km short of Cape Agulhas. We parked the car at the famous lighthouse then walked the last kilometer to the tip to take some pictures.
We saw a fisherman among the rocks on our walk to the tip.
Obligatory shot.
From here we spent most of the rest of the day driving. We stopped in Mossel Bay for lunch, then I took over the driving for the rest of the journey to Knysna. When we arrived we checked in with our B&B and watched the sunset from our balcony - a great way to end the day!
The view from our balcony - hello Knysna!
Another beautiful sunset along the Garden Route.
We headed to town for a late, but delicious, dinner then headed back to get some sleep. We both underestimated the amount of driving today...but by getting most of it out of the way today, we only have a half an hour drive tomorrow!
Days 4 & 5: Plettenberg Bay
Before heading to Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday morning, we explored Knysna for a couple hours. The town surrounds a lagoon, which creates some of the interesting topography we had a view of last night. There's also a beach not far from town, but technically that's a separate village called Brenton On Sea (fitting name...).
The beach at Brenton On Sea.
The weather started to clear up as we drove to Plettenberg Bay so we decided to change at our guest house and do one more hike before the clouds rolled back in. Our hosts, and my research on TripAdvisor, suggested that Robberg Nature Reserve would offer the best views in the area. We definitely agree! The hiking wasn't strenuous at all (compared to what we've done recently at least!) and the views were amazing - a must-do if you're in Plettenberg Bay.
"The Island" at Robberg.
The tide was out which created these cool looking pools by the rocks.
The high wind caution sign was 100% necessary - we had to concentrate to keep our balance on the rocks because the gusts were so forceful!
One more beautiful view from the end of our hike.
Hot, sweaty and wind-blown we returned to our guest house to shower before dinner. Our hosts inundated us with recommendations when we arrived and we had bookings at two seafood restaurants in only a few minutes. For dinner tonight we ate at Seafood at The Plettenberg, one of the nicest hotels in town. The views of the bay were great and the food was amazing - it was a bit of a "splurge" by South African standards, but definitely worth it!
Seafood platter for two? Yes, please!
The great weather we've had on our trip down the Garden Route had to come to an end, eventually. We woke up Thursday to a gloomy, overcast day with some drizzle here and there. We took the opportunity to catch up on some blog posts and run some errands (Alex even got a haircut!). We ate lunch at Bramon Wines, which had great food (especially the bread) but only average wine. Oh well - still a great way to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. Dinner tonight was at The Fat Fish. This restaurant had a decidedly more casual feel than SeaFood, but our meal was still fantastic.
Plettenberg Bay was our last stop on the Garden Route, and (basically) the last place on our South African itinerary. We drove back to Cape Town on Friday, which took almost the whole day, then packed up this morning to go to the airport. We had an excellent time here and would highly recommend a visit to all of our friends - it's a loooong flight from New York, but definitely worth it!