The Garden Route and Little Karoo
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outh Africa's Garden Route region is a world class tourist destination, and together with the Little Karoo it offers a diverse range of exciting and unique experiences, where visitors from abroad and locals are sure to find the perfect balance for a magical holiday. Straddling the beautiful stretches of coastlines of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, the 200km long stretch of Garden Route derives its name from the stunning natural beauty and unique, ecologically diverse vegetation that typify the region, including grasslands, wetlands, forests and mountainous regions, and the numerous lagoons, lakes and rivers that dot the coastline. Under the abundant blue skies rolling white sandy beaches beckon. Soak in the dramatic mountain scenery, indigenous fynbos, and animal attractions of the area on foot or bike, by vehicle or from the air. The Garden Route spans South Africa's Western Cape coastal belt from Heidelberg in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the Eastern Cape and provides a stirring study in contrasts. There are more than 21 towns along the Garden Route, offering an endless list of attractions for single travellers, families, couples and tour groups.
Knysna The charming town of Knysna offers accommodation in a veritable paradise of lush indigenous forests, tranquil lakes, and golden beaches, showcasing the natural loveliness of South Africa. Nestling on the banks of a breathtakingly pretty lagoon, Knysna is now a protected marine reserve that is home to the extraordinary Knysna seahorse and over 200 species of fish. Beaches, lakes, mountains and rivers provide endless opportunity for leisure and outdoor adventure. Within the town, craft shops, fleamarkets and cosy cafés beckon with small-town charm and hospitality. The area around Knysna is a veritable Garden of Eden. This is home of the only forest elephant in South Africa, the rare Pansy Shell, the brilliantly coloured, and elusive, Knysna Loerie, a plethora of waterfowl and forest birds, dolphins and visiting whales. The forests in Knysna constitute the largest complex of closedcanopy forest in southern Africa, whilst the remarkable richness of the Fynbos vegetation contributes over 8,000 plant species to the Cape floral kingdom. Exploring the Knysna forests, along demarcated walks, provides a complete escape into a former time when many elephants trod these paths,
particularly if you’ve read Dalene Matthee’s ‘Circles in a forest’. Today a mere three elephants are reputed to still roam the forest. The Knysna Elephant Park has brought the elephant back to Knysna and all the elephants are former orphans rescued from culling operations in the Kruger National Park, except for Thandi who was born in the park. A visit to Knysna would be incomplete without a trip to the heads – a striking geological feature made up of a pair of huge, brightly coloured cliffs lying at the mouth of the lagoon, flanking a channel of potentially treacherous water that flows into Knysna’s lagoon.The eastern head houses a lookout with spectacular views of the lagoon, Leisure Isle and Knysna whilst the western head is a privately owned nature reserve called Featherbed Nature Reserve. Visitors can get to the reserve via ferry. Mossel Bay Halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in the heart of the famous Garden Route nestles the seaside town of Mossel Bay. A bustling holiday resort in summer and the ideal retreat in winter, Mossel Bay Garden Route is situated on a spectacular sun washed peninsula embraced by the warm Indian Ocean.
