Travel guide to the Garden Route, Western Cape, South Africa
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THE GARDEN ROUTE & ROUTE 62, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA - 
TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

The Garden Route, South Africa
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THE GARDEN ROUTE,  SOUTH AFRICA - TRAVEL GUIDE

Garden Route car hire - South Africa car rental
Featured Garden Route accommodation

Dramatic river cut gorges, beautiful beaches, rocky headlands and deep tangled forests are the quintessential Garden Route images. Stretching from anywhere between Stilbaai and Mossel Bay in the west, to Stormsriver or Port Elizabeth (PE) in the east, it's a gorgeous stretch of coastal paradise strung out along the N2. Purists will squash it up between Mossel Bay and Stormsriver but, as the popularity of the Garden Route grew and small towns at its edge realised the marketing potential, it just seemed to spread. No problem - it spread to some cool places.

Plettenberg Bay

The towns generally accepted to be part of the Garden Route are Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Stormsriver. Stilbaai and Albertinia have snuck in on the West and Humansdorp and even Port Elizabeth are muscling in from the east. Inland, the Little Karoo and Route 62, which have no pretensions to being the Garden Route, are often treated as the same destination, as it's pretty easy zigzag between them by driving the many scenic passes over the Outeniqua Mountains. Initially the Garden Route was seen as very much a beach and/or family holiday destination, which it is, but there is also so much to do.

There's great hiking, with rambles ranging from an hour to a few days covering rocky coasts, deep forests, pretty fynbos and long sandy beaches. The diving is good, as is the surfing, and there are some fun sea kayaking and flat water paddling trips. Some of the country's best mountain bike trails snake through the forests, and there are horse trails for every taste and level of ability. Tandem skydiving, paragliding, and a range of scenic flights all offer different birds eye views.

Storms River Mouth

The Garden Route offers some of the best boat based whale watching in the world, flower lovers and birders will also have a field day traipsing off through the forest or the fynbos, and there are numerous national parks and nature reserves. Steam buffs will love the narrow gauge Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. For the more culturally inclined, there are township tours, museums, lovely old buildings, funky craft shops, markets, art galleries and loads of live music venues. And, of course, a flotilla of great restaurants - many of which specialise in seafood - in each town. The Garden Route is a golfer's dream destination - you could play a different course every day for a week and still have a few left over.

Of course, this is not all good news as golf courses use an exorbitant amount of water and take up vast amounts of space but, as long as the golf-estate-building spree fizzles out soon, there should be sufficient space remaining between the fairways for a bit of forest, perhaps some shops and even a house or two. But that's not your problem, is it? If you fancy a round in paradise, get in now before it closes down. And if golf is too slow for you - there are more international standard polo fields in Plett alone than there are in the rest of the country put together. You could spend anything from a weekend to a month at a tailor-made polo clinic.

But what the Garden Route is most suitable for is relaxation - and even that's been somewhat institutionalised with almost every second hotel housing a wellness centre or spa. Not that that's a problem, mind. After a hard day on the beach you'll probably need a chocolate mud bath, colour therapy or hot stone massage.

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BRENTON-ON-SEA ACCOMMODATION - NEAR KNYSNA

Brenton-on-Sea is a seaside resort town located 15km west of Knysna on the Garden Route in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The town is named for Sir Jahleel Brenton, who declared Knysna a harbour in 1818 and the area is home to the endangered Brenton blue butterfly.
Brenton Haven Brenton Haven Beachfront Resort, BRENTON-ON-SEA
Located on a dune at Brenton-on-Sea main beach, Brenton Haven Beachfront Resort offers well appointed, beach-front homes and luxury suites. The modern accommodation will provide you with an open-plan living area, a kitchen, TV and a bathroom with bath or shower. Enjoy the fresh air and ocean views from your private deck. Offering panoramic sea views, The Butterfly Blu restaurant serves a variety of Mediterranean cuisine, seafood, pizzas and vegetarian dishes. Guests can work out in the fully equipped, air conditioned gym and there is an outdoor pool on the property.
Brenton on the Rocks Brenton on the Rocks, Holiday Rental Townhouse, BRENTON-ON-SEA
Do you yearn for a piece of heaven on earth, a resting place built on rocks, where the Southern Right Whale can be seen when they return from the South Pole (July to November) to mate and to give birth to their calves? There is just such a place, where the lapping of foam-white waves soothes a fatigued mind and body, with a heavenly view over a shining sea in which the dolphins play. This heavenly little town is also the last remaining habitat of the endangered Brenton Blue Butterfly.
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