By air
George (GRJ), ~1 h to Knysna
South Africa
Garden Route, South Africa
Forests, lagoons and coastal towns
Getting there
Best time to visit
October to April — warm
Don't miss
Knysna Heads
Tsitsikamma
Plettenberg Bay
Wilderness
Things to do
A road trip from Mossel Bay to Storms River
The Bloukrans bungee
Whale watching in season
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: .prometheus. · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers, hiking shoes
A quieter corner
The Tsitsikamma suspension bridge
Questions travellers ask
When is the Garden Route at its best?
October to April, when it's warm. Pack layers and hiking shoes.
How should I plan a trip along the Garden Route?
Make it a road trip from Mossel Bay to Storms River, taking in Knysna Heads, Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma and Wilderness.
What adventures does the Garden Route offer?
Brave the Bloukrans bungee, go whale watching in season and cross the Tsitsikamma suspension bridge. Then reward yourself with Knysna oysters.
Which airport should I fly into for the Garden Route?
George (GRJ), about an hour from Knysna.
About Garden Route
- Coastal
- Forest
Where it is
The Garden Route is a stretch of South Africa's southern coast, running from Witsand, west of Mossel Bay, in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape, between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains.
History
Khoekhoe herders and San hunter-gatherers lived along this coast, and caves at Pinnacle Point near Mossel Bay hold some of the earliest evidence of modern human behaviour. Bartolomeu Dias landed at Mossel Bay in 1488, and later settlers felled much of the yellowwood and stinkwood forest around Knysna for timber before what remained was protected.
People
Garden Route towns are home to Afrikaans- and English-speaking communities and to isiXhosa speakers, especially towards the Eastern Cape, and Khoekhoe heritage survives in many families and in place names such as Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma. Knysna's oysters, forestry, dairy farming and tourism are mainstays of local life.
Known for
- The Knysna Heads and lagoon
- The Tsitsikamma coast and forests
- Plettenberg Bay's beaches
- The Bloukrans Bridge bungee
- Whale and dolphin watching
Did you know?
The forests around Knysna once sheltered a herd of free-roaming elephants; a study in 2019 concluded that a single mature female was the only one to have survived.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.