Road trip on the famous Garden Route

So we set off on the famous Garden Route with freshly changed tires. Our first stop takes us to Jeffrey’s Bay, an absolute paradise for surfers. In good conditions, this bay boasts numerous popular super tubes (when a large breaking wave forms a tunnel), which is of course every surfer's dream. Unfortunately, on this day we only see a few surfers on the long white sandy beaches. Nevertheless, the vibe here is very relaxed, in the small town full of surf shops, cafes and restaurants. So we just let ourselves wander through the shops for a while and watch the waves on the beach.

Then we continue on our way to Cape St. Francis, where the wonderful accommodation recommended by Roy is already waiting for us. We are blown away! Deborah greets us and welcomes us warmly. She has already chilled two beers and prepared some snacks. We have a beautiful room in surfer style with a bathroom and separate kitchen, as well as a pretty terrace overlooking the greens. In the birdhouse in the tree in front of us, colorful little parrots chirp instead of sparrows like at home, and there is a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. And there's even a washing machine (because laundry also needs to be done while traveling)!

We go for a walk along the Wildside, where a small trail leads along the stormy coast to the Seal Point Lighthouse. Originally, we thought we would be at the southernmost point of Africa here, but that's a bit further east. Deborah recommended the restaurant "Nevermind" right at the lighthouse, where we enjoy ourselves and watch the impressive waves in the sunset with a bottle of wine. The food can only be described as excellent!! The chef used to work as a sous chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant before opening his own restaurant here, and you can taste it... A culinary dream! Feeling full and happy, we head back under the stars, quickly hang up the laundry and fall asleep.

Well, hanging laundry outside by the sea was probably not one of our best ideas, as it is still dripping wet the next morning... So first, we have breakfast and watch some surfers, but when we arrive, most of the surfers have already finished their morning routine... Nevertheless, we enjoy the view of the sea and then drive back from St. Francis to Cape St. Francis. It is always important to be aware that in South Africa you often live in a privileged white bubble, where there are plenty of nice cafes, restaurants, and accommodations. When you step out of the city into the suburbs, you only see shacks, a lot of garbage, and makeshift accommodations where the poorer, often colored, population lives. Everything seems like two parallel worlds existing side by side, with work as their only intersection point...

When we arrive back at our laundry, it is still not dry, but luckily we can stay a little longer and simply take another walk between the red rocks of the Wildside. But now it's time to saddle up and continue to the Tsitsikamma National Park!

In the Tsitsikamma National Park, we want to see the Big Tree and hike at the Stormsriver Mouth. Since the entrance fee for both can be paid together, we are recommended to do the hike first. When we arrive at the parking lot (where our car is completely hand-washed for €5 - which was urgently needed), the hiking trail initially leads along steps and planks along the coast. Then we reach the highlight of the hike. We cross the mouth of the Stormsriver over three suspension bridges. Here, the almost black water of the river flows into the beautiful blue of the ocean. Most visitors stop here and return to the parking lot, but we want to go further.

Just like in Norway, the mountain rises steeply until we reach a viewpoint with a beautiful view of the sea and the river mouth. We take a short break, but then quickly head back to get to the "Big Tree" before the park closes.

We walk through the peaceful forest on a wooden path for about a kilometer, surrounded only by bird chirping and the gentle evening sun falling through the trees. The Big Tree is about 500 years old and truly impressive in size. But it's not necessarily a must-see.

Before we continue to Plettenberg Bay, we have a delicious pizza in the small town of Stormsriver, recommended by Chris and Sophie.

On the way to Plettenberg, we pass deep canyons and lots of forest - a truly beautiful landscape where you could easily spend several days with all kinds of outdoor activities.

Since we've already eaten something, in the evening we only go to a cocktail bar by the sea, where we treat ourselves to fresh oysters. While dreamily looking at the waves, we suddenly realize that they are glowing! Here in the bay, fluorescent plankton is often visible, and the waiter tells us that he is amazed by it every evening. So, under a beautiful starry sky, we equipped ourselves with our camera and tripod, and went to the beach to try to capture the spectacle.

The next morning, we go to the highlight of Plettenberg Bay - the Robberg Nature Reserve. The peninsula can be explored via a 10-kilometer hiking trail. Along the way, you have to climb over rocks, right next to the roaring sea with lots of wind and high waves. When we start, a large cloud is still hanging over the peninsula. Together with the cold wind, it's quite chilly. Luckily, the cloud is blown away during the morning.

Soon, a strong smell reaches our noses: about 2000 seals are basking on the rocks along the coast of the national park and swimming/floating in the water. We can also spot many young seals from above. Often, you can also spot dolphins or even whales here. Unfortunately, they are not in season at the moment.

When the weather clears up, we take a break on a small island connected to the main island by a sandy beach, and enjoy our snacks. However, the wind continues to blow strongly around our ears, so we continue on the way back to the car relatively soon.

Back on Thesen Island, which is crisscrossed by many small canals, we have another good dinner. But it starts to rain, so we hide in our Airbnb.

The next morning, the rain turns into a heavy thunderstorm. On our way to Wilderness, it even starts to hail for a short time. We hadn't expected that here. In Wilderness, we had planned to go kayaking. But unfortunately, that falls through. As a bad-weather alternative, we drive to two beautiful viewpoints. From Dolphin Point, you have a nice view of the sea and Wilderness. From the Map of Africa Viewpoint, you can look out over the river and the forests.

After a coffee break in Wilderness, we drive to Mossel Bay for a small gin tasting at the local distillery "Cape Saint Blaize". We arrive just in time to taste the gins and buy two bottles of this excellent drink before they close behind us. Since Mossel Bay doesn't have much else to offer, we drive back to George, where our accommodation for tonight is located. In the fantastic restaurant "101 Meade", we try kudu meat for the first time. It tastes similar to venison but prepared wonderfully tender.

This is where our tour of the Garden Route ends. With better weather, we would have spent more time here, but still, the Garden Route seems a bit overrated to us... because South Africa has beautiful spots everywhere! Now we continue on Route 62.