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Trip story

Cape Town, the Garden Route and back by the coast

  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • 2014
  • 8 days
  • Friends
  • Would go again
@traveller_9226 New Shared October 2026

A loop from Cape Town. A few days in the city for the mountain, the peninsula and the waterfront, then east along the Garden Route to Knysna and its lagoon. On the way back west: Mossel Bay, where the Garden Route begins, and Hermanus on Walker Bay for the whales. The last leg home is the R44, the coastal road past Betty's Bay and along Clarence Drive, and it is as good as anything on the trip.

Above the clouds on Table Mountain.
Above the clouds on Table Mountain.
Camps Bay from above.
Camps Bay from above.
Camps Bay beach under the Twelve Apostles.
Camps Bay beach under the Twelve Apostles.

Day by day

Notes are the traveller's own, not checked by Seenary.

Day 1 · Cape Town: the mountain and the city

  1. Table Mountain · Nature

    Up by the cableway, or on foot by Platteklip Gorge if you are fit. Go on the first clear morning.

  2. Bo-Kaap · Culture

    The painted houses and steep streets above the city centre. Walk it slowly.

  3. V&A Waterfront · Sight

    The working harbour with shops and food. The evening light over the mountain is the reason to stay late.

Day 2 · The Cape Peninsula

  1. Chapman's Peak Drive · Nature

    The cliff road from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. Stop at the lookouts.

  2. Cape Point · Nature

    The lighthouse and the cliffs at the end of the peninsula, with the Cape of Good Hope beside it.

  3. Boulders Beach · Nature

    The African penguin colony near Simon's Town, seen from boardwalks.

Day 3 · Gardens and history

  1. Robben Island · Culture

    The ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the Waterfront, and a tour of the prison.

  2. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden · Nature

    Gardens on the eastern side of the mountain. The canopy walkway is the highlight.

Day 4 · East along the Garden Route to Knysna

  1. Map of Africa viewpoint, Wilderness · Nature

    A river bend shaped like the continent, above the Wilderness beaches. A good place to break the long drive.

  2. Knysna Lagoon · Nature

    Arrive in time for the evening light over the lagoon.

Day 5 · Knysna

  1. Knysna Heads · Nature

    The two sandstone cliffs where the lagoon meets the sea.

  2. Featherbed Nature Reserve · Nature

    On the western head, reached by ferry across the lagoon, with walks along the cliffs.

  3. Knysna Waterfront · Food

    Oysters are what Knysna is known for. Eat by the lagoon.

Day 6 · West to Mossel Bay

  1. Dias Museum Complex · Culture

    The full-size replica of Bartolomeu Dias's caravel, and the old Post Office Tree.

  2. Cape St Blaize Lighthouse · Sight

    Above the cave and the start of the St Blaize Trail along the cliffs.

Day 7 · Hermanus

  1. Hermanus Cliff Path · Nature

    The path along the rocks above Walker Bay. In season, the whales come close to the shore.

  2. Old Harbour, Hermanus · Sight

    The old fishing harbour below the town, a good spot to watch the bay.

Day 8 · Home by the R44

  1. Stony Point, Betty's Bay · Nature

    An African penguin colony on the way, usually quieter than Boulders.

  2. Clarence Drive · Nature

    The R44 along the cliffs of False Bay from Pringle Bay to Gordon's Bay, then on to Cape Town.