Route 62 and The Garden Route
12 Day Self Drive Itinerary

Day one (±250kms / 155 miles)
Cape Town - Camps Bay - Hout Bay - Constantia - Muizenberg - Simonstown - Cape Point - Scarborough - Kommetjie - Fish Hoek - Ou Kaapse Weg - Kirstenbosch - Cape Town Code CCR Ask us for rates...the lodging recommended for this trip are part of a collection of Classic Hotels of all sizes.

Start the day with a ride around the playgrounds of the rich and famous in Cifton and Camps Bay and continue along Victoria Drive to Hout Bay - overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the road makes for one of the most magnificent drives in the world. End the day with views across the Atlantic ocean or experience the serenity of Cape Town's private game reserve.
Overnight: Cape Town - Winchester Mansions (****) /
Clara Anna Fontein Reserve (***)
Options: Seal island cruise, Cape Point, Penguin Colony at Boulders, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Wine tasting.

Day two (±162kms / 100 miles)
Cape Town - Somerset West - Sir Lowry's Pass - Houwhoek Pass - Fransschoek Pass - Helshoogte Pass - Stellenbosch.

Depart the Mother City on a full day's scenic adventure along the 'Four Passes Route'. Leave Cape Town on the N2 to Elgin and Grabouw in the heart of the apple industry and then cross back over the highlight of the day - Franschhoek Pass - into the winelands. Franschhoek is a unique 'French' Town named after the French Hugenot's who were settled in this valley by the Dutch in 1688. Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in the country is settled in the heart of the winelands and is reknown for its Cape Dutch architechture, water furrows along oak-lined streets and its university.
Overnight: Stellenbosch - d'OuweWerf Country Inn (****)
Options: Farm visits, Hugenot Monument, Wine Tasting, Van Rijn Brandy Cellar, Stellenbosch Village Museum.

Day three (±290kms / 180 miles)
Stellenbosch - Worcester - Matroosberg / Kogmanskloof - Route 62 - Robertson - Montagu

Start your cross-country journey. Drive via the old Du Toitskloof pass to Worcester and the famous historic Route 62. Visit the KWV Brandy Cellar, largest of its kind in the world, for a cellar tour and brandy tasting. For lunch depart for Montagu and Bonnievale where you can enjoy a cruise on the 'Breede River Goose' with wine tasting and a traditional 'braai'. Taste wine at one of the 23 wine cellars along the historic Route 62 in the fertile Breede River valley Montagu is famous for its heritage in brandy making, wine and the natural hot springs.
Overnight: Montagu Country Hotel (***)
Options: Visit the 'Kleinplasie Living Open Air Museum' the KWV Brandy Distillery, wine tasting, Country 'braai' - typical barbeque, visit the Brandy Exhibition at the Montagu Museum.

Day four (±320kms / 200 miles)
Montagu - Barrydale - Ladiesmith - Huisrivier Pass - Calitzdorp - Oudtshoorn

The Langeberg Mountain range along the eastern part of the historic Route 62 forms a natural barrier between the fertile Breede River valleyand the sunburned rock garden of the Little Karoo. Fertile valleys are linked to the Garden Route on the one side and the Groot Karoo on the other side by rugged, beautiful mountain passes such as the spectacular old 'Seweweekspoort Pass' and Schoemanspoort. Enter Oudtshoorn, the capital of the Ostrich feather industry at lunch time.
Overnight: Oudtshoorn - Queens Hotel (***)
Calitzdorp - Port Wine Guesthouse (****)
Options: Ronnie's 'Sex Shop', Cango Caves, Cango Ostrich farms, Cheetah Ranch, visit the Barrydale Wine Cellar and the Boplaas Estate for port, wine and brandy tasting in Calitzdorp.

Day five (±250kms / 155 miles)
Oudsthoorn - Swartberg Pass - Prince Albert - Meiringspoort - Oudtshoorn

The side-trip north across the mountain via the historic and challenging Swartberg pass is an adventure not to be missed. Arrive in the quaint Groot Karoo town of Prince Albert on the edge of the Great Karoo. The town is known for its annual Olive Festival and for its fruit - peaches in January and grapes in March and Merino sheep.
Overnight: Oudtshoorn - Queens Hotel (***)
Options: Cango Wildlife Ranch, 'Ostrich Stories' - cabaret show, Wine and Brandy tasting at nearby private distilleries: Grundheim, Kango Co-Operative and Mons Ruber.

Day six (±420kms / 250 miles)
Route 62 - Oudtshoorn - De Rust - Misgund - Joubertina - Kareedouw - Port Elizabeth

Continue on Route 62 with the Kammanassie Mountains and the Kouga Mountain ranges flanking the lnog fertile valley called 'Langkloof', one of South Africa's oldest farming communities. This eventually narrows down to a small valley in the shadow of the Tsitsikamma mountains as you make your way back to the N2 Highway and on to Port Elizabeth.
Overnight: Zuurberg Mountain Inn (****) / Beach Hotel (****) / Lentaba Lodge (****)
Options: Brandy tasting at the Kango Co-Operative and the Mons Ruber distillery.

Day seven (±90kms / 55 miles)

Port Elizabet is a harbour city known as the "Friendly City" and has a strong colonial history dating back to the 1820 British Settlers. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the area around Port Elizabeth or relax in the bracing mountian air of the Zuurberg with game drives into Addo Elephant Park. Lentaba Lodge offers the full wilderness experience with game viewing on the property.
Overnight: Zuurberg Mountain Inn (****) / Beach Hotel (****) / Lentaba Lodge (****)
Options: 'Big 5' Game viewing, golf casino, aquarium, beaches, Addo Elephant Park.

Day eight (±320kms / 200 miles)
Port elizabeth - Tsitsikamma - Nature's Valley - Plettenberg Bay - Knysna

Drive along the most spectacular stretches of the Garden Route, the Eden of South Africa. The Lush vegetation of the Garden Route is in spectacular contrast to the arid beauty of the Klein Karoo. Arugged coastline, indigenous forests, waterfalls and lng beaches of white sand are found all along the route. The world's highest bungy jump (216 meters) is situated at the Bloukrans Bridge near the Tsitsikamma Forest and Coastal National Park. Visit the Dolpin Research Station and the Knysna Elephant Park. Knysna is a quaint seaside village on a lagoon known for the yellowwood forest, fresh-water oysters and art & crafts.
Overnight: Knysna - Belvidere Manor (****)
Options: Bugy jumping, Monkeyland primate sanctuary, lagoon cruise, Knysna Quays & Waterfront, Featherbed Nature Reserve, Dolphin Research Station for dolphin and whale watching.

Day nine (±150kms / 95 miles)
Knysna

Full day at leisure to relax or explore the area around Knysna, "The Heart of the Garden Route".
Overnight: Knysna - Belvidere Manor
Options: Knysna market, Knysna Elephant Park, The Old Fort, NSRI Aquarium, Knysna Forest.

Day ten (±150kms / 95 miles)
Knysna - Wilderness lakes - George - Great Brak River - Mossel Bay

Travelling west pass through the Wilderness lakes - a favourite nature spot for sailing and fishing - to Mossel Bay, where Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias first met with the indigenous Khoi-San people in 1488.
Overnight: Mossel Bay - Huijs te Marquette (***)
Options: Post Office Tree (a massive milkwood tree over 500 years old), Dias Maritime Museum, seal island cruise, Khoi-San cave at Cape St. Blaize.

Day eleven (±490kms / 310 miles)
Mossel Bay - Swellendam - Cape Agulhas (southern tip of Africa) - Stanford

Say farewell to the Garden Route and travel inland to the one time rebellious colony town of Swellendam. Heading south, make for the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. Lunch at the 19th Century lighthouse. The coastline in this area is infamous for the numerous sailor's lives it has claimed. A museum in Bredasdorp commemorates the many ships that fell foul of the turbulent currents and raor sharp rocks. Arrive in Stanford at day's end, with the possibility of seeing whales or sharks as the sun slips over the horizon.
Overnight: Stanford - Stanford House (***)
Options: Sunset cruise on the river, Whale watching, Birkenhead Brewery, Elim Moravian Mission, Shipwreck Museum (the only one in S.Africa)

Day twelve (±130kms / 80 miles)
Stanford - Hermanus - Betty's Bay - Kleinmond -
Gordon's Bay - Cape Town

For the adventurous, an optional shark diving experience in the morning. Then a ride through one of the World's richest floral kingdoms - the small Kleinmond region alone is home to more species of flora than the whole of Western Europe! Ride into Cape Town via Betty's Bay and Gordon's Bay, hugging the False Bay coast. The glorious sight of Table Mountain greets you from a distance as you approach Cape Town, where you return your motorcycle or vehicle.
Overnight: Winchester Mansions (****)
Options: White Shark Diving, whale watching, wine tasting