Cape Town & the Garden Route

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Responsible Travel

Tourism can be a real help to local communities, providing income, positive cultural exchanges and a financial incentive to protect their natural environment. Ours is a 'total approach' to responsible tourism, covering everything from the way we plan and operate our trips to the practices of Exodus as a company.

We spend the nights in small, locally run accommodations which will bring a positive impact on sustaining a demand for local establishments and employment. Our visit to numerous wildlife orientated activities will contribute to the employment of local staff, the upkeep of facilities for people and animals and also help promote a responsible treatment of wildlife, as opposed to the alternatives like poaching and hunting. Of course, we ensure that we do not partake in any ostrich riding activities in ostrich farms in the area.

When in Cape Town, clients have the option to do a township tour which includes a visit to a local ‘Shebeen’ which was originally an illegal drinking den. The tour provides a great insight into the life of many South Africans that most tourists do not get to witness and experience. Small local businesses in the area really benefit from the tour as it is an opportunity to earn some income. Hence, purchasing souvenirs or home cooked South African meals and delicacies in the area will really help the communities gain a livelihood.

In March 2019, Exodus Travels launched the Exodus Travels Foundation where we support initiatives all around the world. But it cannot exist without travellers who care. Get involved or learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus here…

Itinerary

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Depart London.
Depart London.
Day 1
Start Port Elizabeth; transfer to Sundays River Valley.
The group flight generally arrives early afternoon. Land only passengers can meet the rest of the group at the airport; upon arrival we will transfer about 1hr to the the Sundays River Valley and the lovely Avoca Guest Farm. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax amidst this bucolic setting.
Avoca Guest Farm or similar
Day 2
Game drives in Addo N.P.
This morning we head to Addo Elephant National Park. The third largest national park in South Africa, Addo is home to some 550 elephants (up from a mere 16 when the park was initially set up) as well as Black rhino, leopards, lions, buffalos, hyenas, zebras, various antelopes and dung-beetles.
We will enjoy game drives (in our own vehicle) in the park and have the option of a 2nd game drive as well (at extra cost).
Avoca Guest Farm or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3
Drive to Storms River; explore Tsitsikamma.
Today we start heading west to the official start of the Garden Route at Storms River and Tsitsikamma National Park. Stretching along the coast, the park gets its name from a local word meaning ‘place of abundant water.’ The park is made up of rocky coastlines, fairy-tale forests, waterfalls and rivers. We have the opportunity to hike in the forest and along suspension bridges. The area is also a great place for bird-enthusiasts with a variety of sea, forest and fynbos (scrubland) species present.
Storms River Mouth Rest Camp or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4
Free day to relax, walk or explore the region.
We spend the day at Tsitsikamma where a number of hikes are available as well as other activities (though some may be dependent on the weather conditions such as canoeing).
Storms River Mouth Rest Camp or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5
Morning visit Knysna Heads; afternoon to Oudtshoorn.
We start our day with a visit to the Knysna Heads, two tall sandstone cliffs which form a channel through which the turbulent Indian Ocean enters the calmer Knysna Lagoon. We have a bit more time to relax in town before leaving for Oudtshoorn after lunch.
As we head inland and over a pass the landscape changes drastically and we enter the Little Karoo, a much dryer and hotter region. Oudtshoorn itself became famous thanks to the trade in Ostrich feathers and is still, today, the ostrich capital of the world.
Our Guest House is situated out of town in the tranquil rural Karoo village of De Rust.
House Martin Guest Lodge or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6
Visit Cango Caves and Meiringspoort Waterfall.
Today we spend all day in and around Oudtshoorn. We start by visiting the Cango Caves, an extensive complex of caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. We then enjoy lunch at Buffelsdrift where will overlook a waterhole that occasionally is visited by elephants, giraffe and springbok. In the afternoon we visit the beautiful Meiringspoort Waterfall and enjoy a short walk in the area. (the order in which we do these activities may be reversed).
House Martin Guest Lodge or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7
To Hermanus via Mossel Bay.
Returning towards the coast we make a stop at Mossel Bay and the Dias museum complex celebrating the influence of early Portuguese sailors on S. Africa and the location of the Post Office Tree (an old milkwood tree which was used to leave messages for passing ships since 1500). We then continue to Hermanus, famed as the whale capital of the world.
Windsor Hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8
Free day; whale watching in season.
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy Hermanus. From late August to November Southern Right whales are easily spotted from shore as they frolic in Walker Bay. A whale crier sounds his kelp horn when he spots whales off the coast. Those who want can also do a boat-based whale watching trip. There are also a number of other activities available from hikes to river cruises and lagoon-kayaking which are available year-round.
Windsor Hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 9
To wine region; afternoon wine tour and on to Cape Town.
Our next destination is South Africa’s famed wine region. The wine industry, which dates back to the 17th Century and was heavily influenced by French Huguenots, produces some of the best wines in the world. We will have the opportunity to taste some of these wines before continuing to Cape Town, the Mother City.
Sweetest Guest House or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Days 10-11
Two days exploring Cape Town, Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and Simonstown penguins.
We spend the next two days in and around Cape Town, Africa's most exciting city. Our activities in Cape Town will, to some extent, be dictated by the weather as visits to the top of Table Mountain, which has its own micro-climate, are determined by cloud cover and wind. Because of this, often, temperamental weather, it is best not to pre-book the cable car but to just buy tickets on the spot (not included) Those who are staying longer in Cape Town post-tour may opt to visit Table Mountain later if the weather looks as though it may be better then.

There is also the option of visiting Robben Island on one of the days, however we recommend you pre-book Robben Island with us before the trip (but pay the tour leader locally).

On one of the days we head down the Cape Peninsula. We follow the Atlantic Seaboard past the areas of Camps Bay, Llandudno and Hout Bay to the Cape Point via Chapman's Peak drive, if it is open. The highlight of the day is our visit to the famous Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which covers an area of 7680 hectares. The reserve is home to eland, bontebok, grysbok, springbok, wildebeest, baboon and ostrich. Rugged cliffs, unspoilt beaches, shipwrecks and beautiful flora are the main features of the reserve. We will go on a walk through the reserve for approximately two hours. We first take a walk to the old lighthouse for the panoramic views, before following the pathway to the new lighthouse which offer spectacular cliff views. We then follow the downhill path to the Cape of Good Hope. Once we leave the park we stop at the former Royal Navy base at Simonstown and take time to visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
Sweetest Guest House or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 12
End Cape Town.
Our final day of the trip we have the option of doing a township tour, strolling along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront or exploring various other parts of Cape Town. Those on group flights will be transferred to the airport this afternoon for their flight home, those on a land-only basis the tour officially ends today.
Meals included: Breakfast
Arrive London.
Arrive London

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Cape Town
JayAitch - Dec, 2019

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Essential Info

Visas

South Africa

British passport holders and most European and Commonwealth Passport holders do not require a visa to travel to South Africa. Please note that all travellers to South Africa who do require a visa are required to have a minimum of 2 blank consecutive pages in their passport i.e. a left hand page and a right hand page to enable an entry visa to be issued.

Please note that new regulations from the 1 June 2015 mean that any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents.

If a child under 18 is only travelling with a single parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than 3 months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

Vaccinations

South Africa

There are no mandatory vaccination requirements.

Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential if travelling in the greater Kruger area and we suggest that you seek advice from your GP or travel health clinic about which malaria tablets to take. The rest of South Africa, including the Garden Route, has a low risk of Malaria.

Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts included

The food you'll encounter on this trip is very similar to the kind of food you'll be used to at home. There may be the opportunity to try some more unusual meats such as ostrich, kudu or eland.

Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for on this holiday - please do inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so that our local team can be well prepared.

The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally coming from bore-holes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.

Weather

Summer months are from October to April and the average daytime temperature is 25ºC to 30ºC. The average night time temperature is 10ºC to 20ºC. The winter months are from May to September and average temperatures are about 10ºC colder at this time of year. In general, however, the Cape Town climate is quite mild. The summer months are typically dry and warm, but the South Easterly wind can blow up to 70km/h at least a few times a month. This helps to cool things off, but can be a little unpleasant if one is walking in exposed areas. Most of the rainfall is in the winter but it is frontal rain, which comes off the Atlantic. Therefore it can rain solidly for 2 days, and in between there will be warm sunny days! Due to the ocean's proximity to the mountains and the winds, it is fairly common to experience tabletop clouds on the higher mountains. Our programme is flexible enough to accommodate any major changes in weather, and yet still make it enjoyable.

Cape Town

Is this trip for you?

We have graded this trip as leisurely/moderate as we base ourselves in comfortable accommodation and there are no strenuous activities. This is primarily a vehicle-based trip, although there are a few opportunities to go on walks in the Tsitsikamma National Park and in Cape Point Nature Reserve. All walking is optional. At Cape Point Nature Reserve we walk along good paths to the lighthouse and along the boardwalk. Both walks will take about two hours. The Tsitsikamma walk to the Storms River mouth is along a boardwalk and is about 1 hour long. There are many optional walks in the park that are a little longer and more strenuous. Travelling from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town rather than doing a round trip allows us to visit more places at a more leisurely pace with less driving and no need to back-track.

Legal Note: all group members joining this tour will be asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the holiday. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association which our local supplier is a member of. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as not suitable for full wheelchair users, but it may be suitable for other persons of reduced mobility. Please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Accommodation

Hotels & Guesthouses

11 nights hotels and guest houses. Most properties are privately owned, clean, comfortable establishments, all with en suite rooms or private bathrooms. The properties are clean, comfortable establishments, all with en suite rooms. They are also located in areas selected for their charm whether it is amidst orchards, by the crashing sea, in the quaint village of De Rust or right in the centre of Cape Town (please note that in Cape Town the group might be accommodated in different Sweetest Guest House properties). Wifi is available most nights but is not always very reliable. Single supplement available.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

See all experts

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.