South Africa: Cape Town, the Garden Route and Addo

1. Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town

   Cape Town International Airport to your hotel in central Cape Town

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Cape Town
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Cape Town International Airport (CPT), about 20 km east of the city, and a driver meets you in arrivals for the half-hour drive in. Plan to land by about 4 pm to make the evening briefing; the exact time comes with your final itinerary. Our hotel is central, so the rest of the afternoon is easy: a stroll to the V&A Waterfront and the working harbour, or a coffee with Table Mountain filling the skyline behind the city. If the summit is wrapped in its white 'tablecloth' of cloud, that is the south-easterly wind at work, and it often clears by morning. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the ten days ahead: how the drives are paced, what to pack for both the coast and the dry Karoo, and how the plan bends around wind and weather. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, a first taste of Cape cooking and South African wine.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

2. Day 2: Table Mountain early, the Bo-Kaap at lunch

   Central Cape Town to the Table Mountain cableway, then the Bo-Kaap

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Cape Town
   Day 2 details

   We are at the lower cable station for one of the first cars of the morning, around 8 am (a little later in winter), ahead of the queues and before the wind usually picks up. The rotating car climbs to the flat summit, more than 1,000 m above the sea, in about five minutes, and easy paths lead to views over the city, Robben Island and the Twelve Apostles running south down the Atlantic coast. If the cableway is closed for wind or cloud, we swap this morning with tomorrow's peninsula day. Back down, a local guide walks us through the Bo-Kaap, the steep streets of brightly painted houses on the slopes of Signal Hill. This is the home of the Cape Malay community, whose ancestors were brought to the Cape from South and South East Asia from the 17th century, many of them enslaved. Lunch is Cape Malay cooking in the neighbourhood: bobotie, fragrant curries and syrupy koeksisters. The afternoon and evening are yours.

   Included

   • Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, return ticket, at one of the first cars
   • Bo-Kaap walk with a local guide
   • Cape Malay lunch in the Bo-Kaap

   Optional experiences

   • Robben Island tour from the V&A Waterfront (about 3.5 hours; book ahead; sailings are often cancelled by wind)

   Easier option: Stay near the upper cable station, where the viewpoints and the cafe are a few minutes' walk apart on level paths.

   More active option: Walk the summit paths out to Maclear's Beacon, the highest point of the mountain, about 1.5 hours there and back on rough, rocky trail.

   Free time: Afternoon free: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, the Zeitz MOCAA museum at the Waterfront, or Robben Island

   Activity: If the cableway is closed for wind on both Cape Town days, we try again early on day 4 before we leave the city. The cableway also shuts for about two weeks of annual maintenance, usually mid-year; we check the dates when we confirm yours.

3. Day 3: The Cape Peninsula: Cape Point and the penguins

   Cape Town along Chapman's Peak Drive to Cape Point, then Simon's Town and Boulders Beach and back

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Cape Town
   Day 3 details

   A full day around the peninsula, in the order that keeps us ahead of the coaches. We leave after breakfast down the Atlantic side through Camps Bay and onto Chapman's Peak Drive, a toll road cut into the cliffs above Hout Bay, stopping at its lookouts. By mid-morning we are in the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park. Walk, or ride the funicular, up to the old lighthouse at Cape Point for the view down both coasts, then drive down to the Cape of Good Hope sign on the rocks. It is the south-western tip of Africa; the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, further east. Look out for ostriches, eland and bontebok, and keep food out of sight of the baboons. Lunch is fresh fish in Simon's Town, the old naval town on False Bay. Then Boulders Beach, where boardwalks lead through a breeding colony of African penguins, a species now listed as critically endangered. We are back in Cape Town by late afternoon.

   Included

   • Chapman's Peak Drive (toll included)
   • Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park entry
   • Cape Point funicular
   • Lunch in Simon's Town
   • Boulders Beach penguin colony, entry included

   Easier option: Ride the funicular both ways at Cape Point and stay on the boardwalks at Boulders Beach.

   More active option: Walk the coastal trail from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope, about an hour on a rocky path with steps; the van meets you at the other end.

   Free time: Evening free in Cape Town

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot in all, on steps, boardwalks and paved paths. Cape Point is windy: bring a warm layer even in summer. If Chapman's Peak Drive is closed for rockfall or wind, we cross the peninsula by Ou Kaapse Weg instead and lose only the lookouts.

4. Day 4: Stellenbosch, a wine lunch and the coast road to Hermanus

   Cape Town to Stellenbosch, then Clarence Drive along False Bay to Hermanus

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hermanus
   Day 4 details

   We leave Cape Town after breakfast and are in Stellenbosch, about 50 km east, in under an hour. Founded in 1679, it is the second-oldest town in South Africa, and our guide walks us down oak-lined Dorp Street, past whitewashed Cape Dutch and Georgian houses, to the Braak, the old village green. Then out to a wine estate in the valley for a tasting with the cellar team and a long, sit-down lunch among the vines; nobody in the group has to drive, so take your time. In the afternoon we head for the sea at Gordon's Bay and take Clarence Drive, the R44, which clings to the mountains above the water of False Bay, with stops at the lookouts. We reach Hermanus around 4 pm. From June to November, southern right whales come into Walker Bay to mate and calve, often close to the rocks, and a late-afternoon walk on the cliff path is the best way to look for them. Dinner tonight is your choice in town.

   Included

   • Stellenbosch walk with your guide: Dorp Street and the Braak
   • Wine tasting and sit-down lunch at a Stellenbosch wine estate
   • Clarence Drive (R44) along False Bay
   • Hermanus cliff path walk with your guide, looking for whales in season

   Optional experiences

   • Boat-based whale watching from Hermanus harbour, June to November, about 2 hours, priced at booking

   Free time: Evening free in Hermanus: walk down to the old harbour, follow the cliff path a little further, or choose a restaurant in the village

   Activity: Whales are seasonal, roughly June to November, and most reliable from August to October; they are never guaranteed. Outside the season the cliff path is still a fine coastal walk.

   

5. Day 5: Whale coast to the Little Karoo on Route 62

   Hermanus to Swellendam, over the Tradouw Pass to Barrydale, then Route 62 to Oudtshoorn

   • Drive about 5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Oudtshoorn
   Day 5 details

   This is the one long day of the trip, and we say so up front: about 400 km and 5 hours of driving. The whale coast and the Little Karoo lie on opposite sides of the Langeberg mountains, and stopping in between would add another one-night hotel, so we break the day into four legs of one to two hours instead. First, the cliff path again at about 7:30 am, when the bay is often calm and whales in season are easiest to spot, then breakfast and away by 9. Coffee in Swellendam, founded in 1745 and one of the oldest towns in the country. Then over the Tradouw Pass, built through the Langeberg by the road engineer Thomas Bain in the 1870s, to Barrydale for a sit-down lunch. The afternoon runs east on Route 62 through Ladismith, past orchards and dry folded mountains, to a stretch stop in Calitzdorp, and we reach Oudtshoorn around 5 pm. We stay two nights, so you unpack once.

   Included

   • Early cliff path walk in Hermanus
   • Coffee stop in Swellendam
   • The Tradouw Pass
   • Sit-down lunch in Barrydale
   • Route 62 through the Little Karoo, with a stop in Calitzdorp

   Easier option: Skip the 7:30 am cliff walk and meet the group at breakfast.

   Free time: Evening free in Oudtshoorn

   Activity: The longest drive of the trip, over our usual 4-hour cap; it is split into four legs of about 1.75, 1, 1.75 and 0.75 hours, with coffee in Swellendam, lunch in Barrydale and a stop in Calitzdorp.

6. Day 6: Wild meerkats at sunrise and the Cango Caves

   Oudtshoorn to a meerkat burrow at sunrise, then up the Cango Valley to the Cango Caves and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Oudtshoorn
   Day 6 details

   An early start, for good reason. At sunrise we sit on folding chairs a few metres from the burrows of a family of wild meerkats, used to quiet visitors over many years but never fed or handled, and watch them climb out, stand sentry and turn their bellies to the first sun. The visit only runs in dry weather. If rain cancels it, we cannot try again the next dawn, because day 7 leaves early for the coast; we confirm at booking how the operator handles a washout. Back for a late breakfast, then about 30 km north up the Cango Valley to the Cango Caves, a limestone cave system in the foothills of the Swartberg. A local guide leads the Heritage Tour, about an hour through the great chambers of stalagmites and flowstone, on lit paths with steps. The afternoon is free: lunch in town, the C.P. Nel Museum, or a walk past the sandstone mansions the ostrich-feather barons built before the First World War, when feathers were worth their weight in gold.

   Included

   • Wild meerkat visit at sunrise with a local guide (dry weather only)
   • Cango Caves Heritage Tour with a local guide

   Optional experiences

   • Ostrich farm visit (we do not include ostrich riding), priced at booking

   Easier option: Skip the meerkat start and join the group at breakfast; the Heritage Tour of the caves is gentle.

   More active option: Take the Cango Caves Adventure Tour instead of the Heritage Tour: about 90 minutes of crawling and squeezing through narrow passages, not for anyone uneasy in tight spaces (the difference in price is shown at booking).

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Oudtshoorn

   Activity: The meerkat visit starts before sunrise and is cold in winter: bring a warm jacket and a hat.

   

7. Day 7: Over the Outeniqua Pass to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay

   Oudtshoorn over the Outeniqua Pass to George, then Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Robberg

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Plettenberg Bay
   Day 7 details

   We leave Oudtshoorn at about 8:30 and climb the Outeniqua Pass, where the dry Karoo slopes give way to green forest on the coastal side, then drop down to George and follow the coast past Wilderness to Knysna. We drive up to the Eastern Head, one of the two sandstone cliffs guarding the narrow mouth of the Knysna Lagoon, to watch the Indian Ocean surge through the channel, then sit down to an early lunch by the lagoon; Knysna is known for its oysters. Plettenberg Bay is half an hour further on, and we go straight to Robberg Nature Reserve, aiming to be at the gate by about 2 pm, well before it closes in the late afternoon. Robberg is a narrow peninsula of sandstone cliffs where Cape fur seals haul out on the rocks below and dolphins and, in season, whales pass offshore. The Gap circuit takes about an hour; the longer Witsand circuit fits only with that 2 pm start. Then check-in, and the evening is free in Plett, with the beach a short walk away.

   Included

   • The Outeniqua Pass
   • Knysna Heads from the Eastern Head
   • Lunch by the Knysna Lagoon
   • Walk in Robberg Nature Reserve with your guide, entry included

   Easier option: Walk only the short Gap circuit at Robberg, about 2 km, or stay on the beach in Plettenberg Bay.

   More active option: The Witsand circuit at Robberg, about 5.5 km and 2.5 hours, down to the sand spit and the island; rocky in places, with steep steps. It needs the 2 pm start; if we are late, the group walks the Gap circuit and you can return early on day 8 with your guide before we leave at 8:30.

   Free time: Evening free in Plettenberg Bay

   Activity: Robberg paths are rocky with some steep steps and exposed edges; good shoes matter. The reserve closes in the late afternoon (later in midsummer), so the walk comes before check-in.

8. Day 8: Tsitsikamma in the morning, Addo by evening

   Plettenberg Bay to Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma, then east on the N2 to Addo

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Addo
   Day 8 details

   We leave Plett at 8:30, crossing the high Bloukrans bridge on the N2, and are at Storms River Mouth, in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, within the hour, ahead of most day visitors. A boardwalk trail of about a kilometre runs through coastal forest of milkwoods and yellowwoods, above rocks and coves, to the suspension bridge slung across the mouth of the Storms River, where the gorge meets the Indian Ocean. Lunch is at the rest camp restaurant above the waves. Then we rejoin the N2 heading east, cross the bridge over the Storms River gorge, and drive on through the farmland around Humansdorp, skirting Gqeberha to reach Addo Elephant National Park in the late afternoon. It is about 315 km and 4 hours of driving in all, split by the morning walk and lunch. We stay two nights at a lodge near the park's main gate, and dinner both evenings is at the lodge.

   Included

   • Storms River Mouth suspension bridge trail with your guide, Tsitsikamma entry included
   • Lunch at Storms River Mouth
   • Dinner at the Addo lodge

   More active option: Climb the steep path from the far side of the suspension bridge to the lookout above the river mouth, about 30 minutes more, with rough steps.

   Free time: Evening free at the lodge

   Activity: The boardwalk to the bridge has a few hundred steps up and down; take it slowly and the walk is about an hour there and back.

9. Day 9: Addo Elephant National Park: two game drives

   A full day in Addo Elephant National Park

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Addo
   Day 9 details

   Addo was proclaimed in 1931 to protect the last eleven elephants left in the area, and today it holds several hundred. We meet our field guide at first light for a guided game drive in an open safari vehicle, about three hours, when the animals are moving and the light is low. Elephants are very likely, often in family groups at the waterholes. Buffalo, zebra, kudu, red hartebeest and warthogs are common; lion, spotted hyena and black rhino live here too but are seen less often, and leopard rarely. Watch the roads for the flightless dung beetle, which has right of way. Back at the lodge for breakfast, lunch and a long midday rest, while the animals rest too. In the late afternoon a second guided drive goes out for the golden hours and returns around dusk, when the bush comes alive with birdsong and the elephants head back to water. Dinner is at the lodge, and the evening is yours to compare photographs.

   Included

   • Morning guided game drive in an open safari vehicle with a field guide
   • Late-afternoon guided game drive in an open safari vehicle
   • Addo Elephant National Park conservation fees
   • All meals at the lodge

   Easier option: Sleep in and skip the dawn drive; breakfast at the lodge and join the late-afternoon drive.

   Free time: Middle of the day free at the lodge

   Activity: Open vehicles are cold at dawn and after sunset for much of the year: bring a warm jacket. Sightings are never guaranteed. The vehicles and field guides come from the park or our lodge, confirmed with your dates.

10. Day 10: A last game drive and Gqeberha

    Addo Main Camp south through the park to Matyholweni gate, then Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ), Gqeberha

    • Drive about 3 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 10 details

    We leave the lodge after an early breakfast for one last game drive, this time in our own vehicle with your guide, driving slowly south through the park towards Matyholweni gate. It takes about two hours, with time to stop wherever the elephants are, and the southern section gives a last look at the thick spekboom thicket that feeds them. From the gate it is about 45 km and 45 minutes on the N2 to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha, the city on Algoa Bay that was called Port Elizabeth until 2021, and we arrive around midday. Your guide sees you to departures and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm; most connect through Johannesburg or Cape Town for the long-haul flight home. If you would like to stay on, we can add nights in Gqeberha, on the beach at Summerstrand, or back at Addo, and quote them when you book.

    Included

    • Last game drive through Addo in our own vehicle, with your guide
    • Drop-off at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ), Gqeberha

    Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm.

    

Wildlife and weather: September to November brings spring flowers, mild days and the end of the whale season in Hermanus. December to February is hot and dry with long days, and busy in Cape Town over the holidays. March and April are settled and warm. Winter, June to August, brings rain and cold fronts to Cape Town and the best whale watching, with cold dawns on game drives.

• Cape Town3 nights
• Hermanus1 night
• Oudtshoorn2 nights
• Plettenberg Bay1 night
• Addo2 nights