To round out our time in Africa, Jon and I decided to take a road trip across the Garden Route of South Africa; the southern coast. We allocated one week and rented a small white Nissan Micra upon arrival at the Johannesburg Airport. Our first day was a long day of driving, taking us south to Addo Elephant Park (read more about the wildlife we saw in Africa here!) and finally to the coast. We spent each evening in a different place, taking our time while driving and sightseeing along the way. This was the perfect way to experience the Garden Route!
One of the pit stops we made on our road trip was to walk out on Paul Sauer Bridge.
Jeffrey’s Bay
Our first stop was a beachside city called Jeffrey’s Bay, where as the name suggests, the town centers around a bay. After a walk on the beach and dinner at the delicious Nina’s Real Food, we went to bed in preparation for an early morning to come. Jon has always been interested in trying his hand at surfing, so we made an appointment with Warren, a retired professional surfer who gives lessons to backpackers who visit Jeffrey’s Bay. I accompanied them to the beach where I sat with my feet in the water, watching the early morning sky and taking a few pictures of Jon’s attempts at surfing. He and Warren worked together for about two hours, with Jon finally able to get to his feet for a few seconds towards the end. At the end of the lesson, he was tired and we had a new appreciation for the hard work that goes into surfing! A hearty breakfast at Nina’s (it was so good that we had to eat there twice!) filled us up for the rest of the day.
Jon and Warren spent a couple hours in the water on a windy morning in Jeffrey’s Bay.
Our little Micra in front of our hostel in Jeffrey’s Bay.
Stormsriver
Leaving Jeffrey’s Bay, we headed west along the coast to Stormsriver. A few kilometers before arriving, we crossed and then stopped to look at the Paul Sauer Bridge. The bridge spans a deep gorge and there is a walkway for pedestrians to take in the scenery. The bridge made a good pit stop for us to fill up with gas and use the bathroom before checking into our hostel in Stormsriver. While I don’t often describe the places we stay, this hostel is definitely worth a mention. Dijembe Backpackers Lodge was an eclectic mix of furnishings, but our “room” was actually a standalone tent on a platform in the backyard. While there was a real bed, it reminded us of our overland trip camping with Intrepid. On the grounds of the hostel, we spent time petting the many dogs and cats, but were particularly intrigued by the sheep named Baz. Baz was friendly and in typical sheep fashion, would headbutt anyone gently as a sign of affection.
Baz loved to head-butt all the guests at Dijembe Backpackers Lodge.
To say that the town of Stormsriver was small would be an understatement; there were only a handful of stores, restaurants, and tourist offices along the half-mile stretch of road. We visited the Tsitsikamma Microbrewery before meeting our guide for a horseback ride through the Tsitsikamma Forest. The ride was beautiful, taking us on a pathway through the woods and ending at a cliff overlooking the forest. If you’re interested in a funny story, ask Jon about his ride back to the hostel when we were done! Dinner that evening was eaten family-style at the hostel, with a traditional stew, sausages, vegetables, and homemade bread to fill us up. A local South African man played his guitar around the fire after dinner, introducing us to a musician named ‘Sugar Man’ Rodriguez.
Along with our guide, we loved our two-hour horseback ride in Stormsriver!
The Crags
Our next stop along the Garden Route was The Crags, a short distance from Stormsriver. Since we had some time before checking into our next hostel, we found a German pub for lunch. Driving around the countryside on the back roads, we discovered a number of wineries and elected to stop at Kay and Monty Vineyards for a tasting. We sat on the patio despite the chill in the air, enjoying the scenery of the vineyard and the flight of wines to try. Back at our hostel, we walked around the grounds, petting the dogs and horses who wandered freely and taking in the fresh mountain air. The back deck of the hostel not only provided tables and chairs for dinner that evening but also a panoramic view of the forest beyond.
Although the afternoon was chilly, we sat outside to enjoy the scenery while tasting a few wines.
Wilderness
After leaving The Crags the next morning, we drove west and stopped in Knsyna for a few hours before continuing to Wilderness. Near Knsyna, we found a boutique restaurant and shop along the side of the highway where we had brunch and purchased a few gourmet snacks for the remainder of our road trip. In Knsyna, we visited two breweries (Red Bridge Brewing and Mitchell’s Brewery) to sample their beer, finding our favorite in a lager named Old Wobbly. We continued past Knsyna to Wilderness, checking into our hostel in the late afternoon. A snowy white cat made use of our open door and windows, curling up on our bed for a nap while I sat outside with a glass of wine. Being on the coast, we elected to drive into town to a restaurant for dinner rather than eating at the hostel, as we had done on previous nights. We were glad we did, dining on fresh seafood with the sound of the ocean next to us.
We sampled flights at two different breweries in Knysna.
We had beautiful views everywhere along the Garden Route, like this one in Wilderness from our bedroom window.
Simon’s Town
The final stop of our road trip wasn’t technically along the Garden Route, but provided a good ending point to our drive across the southern coast. The Cape of Good Hope lies just south of Cape Town and since we hadn’t yet visited the area, we spent our last night and day exploring the peninsula. Many small, beachside towns dot the coast but we stayed in Simon’s Town, primarily due to the proximity to Boulders Beach. This is a stretch of coastline that is home to the African penguins, making it a common stop for tourists. We walked from our hostel and found a small cove with boulders surrounding us – the perfect hideaway where we could watch the penguins. As it was approaching dusk, there was nobody else near us and eventually, we had about 20 penguins sitting on the beach next to us. It was fascinating watching the animals dive in and out of the water; Jon and I could have easily spent all evening with them. However, another seafood dinner beckoned before we could rest for the night. In the morning, we woke early and ate at a small café along the main street; it was perfect timing to watch the military parade walking right past the window! After breakfast, we drove to Cape Point, the southeastern most tip of Africa. We visited the lighthouse at the top and the oft-photographed sign at the bottom before finally making our way to Cape Town to return our car.
We spent close to two hours sitting on the beach and watching the penguins. They weren’t afraid of us and got pretty close!
It was crowded at the Cape of Good Hope but we managed to sneak a picture by ourselves!
Summary
Renting a car was the perfect way to explore more of South Africa and get to know more of the country. Having our own vehicle allowed us to detour from our plans, adding Addo Elephant Park to our trip and making pit stops along the way to check out roadside stands. Some towns offered more to do than others, but we were happy with the mix of activities and relaxation. While there is obviously a lot more to see and do along the Garden Route, we were pleased with the cities we visited, the restaurants where we ate, the animals we saw, and the people we met. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, making us feel welcome and excited to see their slice of Africa. It would be easy to spend twice the amount of time that we did exploring this part of South Africa and we hope to make it back someday to revisit some of our favorites as well as experience new places.
My horse, Marshmallow, liked to walk fast so I was frequently in the lead on our trek through the forest.