South Africa
The Garden Route with Target Travel. Another very popular Target Travel self-drive tour with a selection of different things to see and experience, including a mosquito-free safari as the finale. This is a year-round option with only a two-hour time difference and minimal jet lag. If you’ve taken the kids on a California road trip then The Garden Route with Target Travel could be the next chapter.
Starting with a flight into Cape Town, we would then suggest 3 or 4 full days staying in the city. Enables you time to ascend Table Mountain, drive around the Cape and see the penguins, a trip to Robbin Island, enjoy the Victoria and Alfred Docks, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and a day trip out to the Winelands, an hour away. Hermanus we would recommend for a night, but only if it’s in the whale season. Then head east, with a possible side trip south the Cape Agulhas the most southern point of Africa. Eventually, you will reach the Indian Ocean at Mossel Bay. Continue east along The Garden Route which runs parallel but not that close to the coast. It is very pleasant, but despite the marketing, doesn’t compare with the grand Californian Pacific Coastal Highway. Some people divert north to George, the last remaining steam train service in Africa was the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe and is expected to return to private service at some point, but that might be a few years away. Knysna is a charming town and well worth a stop.
The destination on this leg is Plettenberg Bay a seaside town on the Garden Route. The delightful warm water of the Indian Ocean is the main attraction, in contrast to the freezing Southern Atlantic around Cape Town. Apart from lounging on the beach and splashing around in the sea, there are trips out by boat to see the seal colony as well as dolphins and whales. There are some good restaurants in town. We suggest staying at a charming boutique hotel hidden among the sand dunes only a few steps from the beach. Depending on how much time you have, most people would stay 3 full days here. Once again, the next leg is heading east. First around Port Elizabeth and then inland to a private game reserve, the size of an English County.
With an early afternoon arrival, a one-night stay would include an afternoon guided game drive with a naturalist and then a sunrise game drive the following morning. Which with food are included in the price. Accommodation is in villas, most with a pool. For a family, this is usually enough time. You will see plenty of animals up close and also probably lions (but not so close). This is a lot less hassle than visiting The Kruger National Park, with a different style of safari, you are not expected to be bouncing around in a truck for 10-12 hours. Despite the smaller scale, this is not a safari park, it’s the real thing.
A flight out of Port Elizabeth with a connection in Johannesburg is the way home for most. You can do a side trip from Jo’burg or Pretoria to stay at the outrageous Palace of the Lost City at Sun City for some R&R. Please let Target Travel arrange a trip like this for you too.
HOTLINK- South Africa