Fly to either Cape Town International or George Airport (via Johannesburg or Cape Town), and rent a car. It is a 4 hour drive from Cape Town airport to Seeplaas, and 20minutes from George airport.

Our plan is:

1. Fly to Cape Town International
2. Rent a car and drive to Garden Route (400Km)
3. Wedding on Wednesday 3 April at Seeplaas
4. Explore the Garden Route for several days
5. Travel back to Cape Town - Maybe stop at Cape Agulhas – the southern most point of Africa
6. Save at least 3 days for Cape Town exploration
7. Fly back from Cape Town International

You need a car to get around in South Africa. We will be renting a car for the time we are in South Africa. Uber operates in most areas, and there are tour operators if you want to do a structured exploration.

South Africa is generally safe if you keep away from some areas. The Garden Route is an exceptional safe area and might seem very different to expectations of South Africa.

The people are friendly and helpful, but you should be generally vigilant. Don't drive with windows down in city areas, leave valuables out in the open, or wear flashy jewellery.

The Garden Route is on South Africa's Southern coast in the Western Cape Province. It stretches from Witsand to the Storms River. 

The main towns are Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, and Plettenberg Bay.

The Garden Route has a very mild climate similar to the Mediterranean. In April the day time temperatures average 24 degrees Celsius, and nights around 17 degrees Celsius.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g1509291-Garden_Route-Vacations.html

https://www.visitmosselbay.co.za

https://www.visitknysna.co.za

https://visitgeorge.co.za

https://www.plett-tourism.co.za

Beaches

• Herolds bay – small secluded beach between cliffs
• Hartenbos – resort beach
• Tergniet tidal pool – not a place to go into the sea, but a large tidal pool
• Plettenberg bay – resort town beach
• Bollard Bay – beach on the Knysna lagoon

Cape Town is dominated by Table Mountain. It is a vibrant city with loads to do and see; from wide beaches and swimming with penguins, to wine tasting tours. 

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g1722390-Cape_Town_Western_Cape-Vacations.html

Some of the interesting towns around Cape Town are: Stellenbosch, Camps bay, Gordons bay, Blauberg and Tableview, Simons town https://www.visitstellenbosch.org https://www.gordonsbay.travel

Cape Town will be a bit cooler and generally windier than the Garden Route; weather conditions can change throughout the day.

Beaches:

•  Blauberg – Amazing views of Table Mountain, cold water, wide sandy beach, windy and the hotspot for kite-surfing
• Camps bay – South Africa’s Miami Beach
• Bikini Beach Gordons Bay – small, sheltered beach next to the marina
• Muizenberg – the surfing hotspot in cape Town

If you are in South Africa, then a game reserve visit is a must!

 https://gondwanagr.co.za – We visited here in October 2022 and it was amazing! 2 game drives (evening and morning) and 4 fantastic meals included.

There are several game other game reserves on the Garden Route such as:

• https://www.botlierskop.co.za
•   https://grgamelodge.co.za  
• https://knysnaelephantpark.co.za

You can see dolphins, orcas, whales, seals swimming along the beaches and view points - https://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/how-to-spot-a-whale-2/

Swim with seals at Plattenberg Bay - https://offshoreadventures.co.za

Close to Cape Town is Boulders Beach where you can see African penguins year round...and maybe even swim with them https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g319718-d629864-Reviews-Boulders_Beach_Penguin_Colony-Simon_s_Town_Western_Cape.html

Vineyards - https://www.winetourism.com/city/wineries-wine-tours-near-cape-town/ and https://winetram.co.zao

Cape point - http://capepoint.co.zao    

Table mountain - https://tablemountain.net and https://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/tourism/attractions.phpo  

Robben Island - https://www.robben-island.org.zao  

V&A Waterfront - https://www.waterfront.co.za

 Mountains and forests - https://www.visitknysna.co.za/experiences/nature-wildlife/visit-the-knysna-forests/ and https://scootours.co.za/knysna-forest/o  

Cango caves Oudshoorn - https://www.cango-caves.co.zao  

Ostrich farms Oudshoorn - https://highgate.co.zao  

Mossel Bay zip line - the longest over the ocean zip-line in the world https://www.mosselbayzipline.co.za/?doing_wp_cron=1690455067.3680839538574218750000o  

Dragon Dune Sandboarding - https://dragondune.como  

Bloukrans bridge bungee - the highest bungee in the world https://www.faceadrenalin.com