Driving the iconic Garden Route and Knysna

Driving the iconic Garden Route and visiting Knysna was definitely a dream come true for us. Just that we did not know this was our dream till we actually went there.

Our trip to South Africa was packed with all kinds of things we wanted to do. I did say to go with the flow and keep it light with the kids but we had planned where we would be staying and how far we would be driving each day. We did not pre-plan what activities would fill up those days.

For example, the day after we landed in Cape Town, we to drove half the garden route. Our plan was to stay in Knysna for 2 nights and then drive to Kuzuko Lodge in the Addo Elephant national park. We stayed at the Lodge for 2 nights, flew back from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and spend 5 days in Cape Town.

Driving the iconic Garden Route

I want to start by talking about our drive on the iconic Garden Route. For those of you not familiar with the garden route, it is one of those must do things that comes up in all your searches of things to do in South Africa. The garden route comprises of the most exquisite drive with winding roads cutting through mountains on one side and the beautiful alluring blue ocean on the other! It really is a dream for driving fanatics looking for an exhilarating drive.

Cape Town to Mossel Bay

Up until Mossel Bay, you’re really driving through mountains, open fields and ostrich farms. You get to see some impressive sights of endless fields. The fields vary in every shade of green and brown splattered in real from a colour palette. Picture yourself driving on the curvy mountain roads with ostrich farms kissing the road. You see 100s of ostriches grazing around and chasing one another. In the distance you see the sky kissing the fields while catching a glimpse of the water once a while.

Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth

Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth is when the real “Garden Route” starts. You’re driving along the ocean taking in some remarkable sights. There are many spots to stop along the garden route to see the beautiful sights. One such stop was is at the Wilderness to see the Map of Africa. We found this spot while driving and we were so glad we did! There is a lookout point atop the mountain and here you will see the map of Africa. It was really cool to see this! Further along that road, you can paraglide and see some really gorgeous sights.

Knysna

The drive from Cape Town to Knysna is around 5.5 hrs. Knysna is a little town with splendid views of the ocean and it is nestled amongst the mountains. It is located an hour and half ahead of Mossel Bay. We chose this town because there is so much to do and it was midway to our final destination. We also wanted to pick one place to stay for 2 nights to avoid unpacking and packing with the girls.

Knysna is a dream for those who love seafood, especially oysters. Being a seaside town, you can only imagine the delicious and fresh catch of the day.

In Knysna, we visited the Knysna Elephant Park. This is a guided park that gets you up close to the glorious African elephants. You also get a chance to purchase fruit baskets to feed them! The park also had herds of zebras you can see up close. It was a fun experience for Myrra who was scared of the elephants but excited to finally see them.

Knysna Heads

Knysna Heads can be encountered by land or sea. We chose to view the heads from the look out points. The aerial views of the Indian Ocean on one side and the Knysna lagoon on the other were so spectacular. From these viewpoints, you can look at the entire town of Knysna. You can witness some of the most gorgeous sunsets (which we were lucky to able to see form our Big Tree House balcony).

Another spot to enjoy the Knysna Heads is from the East Heads Café. This is a very famous spot for lunch and the splendid views. This place is huge but always packed so make sure to factor in some waiting time when you go! Visiting this Cafe was the perfect addition to our plan on driving the iconic Garden Route and visiting Knysna.

Thesen Islands

We visited the Thesen islands while the girls napped in the car. These islands are situation in the heart of the serene waters of the richest ecological estuaries in South Africa. Multiple small islands maye up Thesen islands. Some of these islands are connected simply by a pedestrian bridge. There are tons of restaurants and private residences there. Most of the island is car-free unless you are a resident of the island.

We parked our car, watched the town of Knysna and took in the striking views while the girls napped. That night, we picked up some Oysters from a local restaurant, some pizza for the girls and a bottle of wine. We sat on our balcony, enjoyed the gorgeous sunset and ate some delicious food. Knysna was such a beautiful town and I was so glad to have picked this place to spend two nights in. It is a must see for anyone driving the garden route.

Big Tree House

To be honest, our stay was so memorable also because of the beautiful home we had rented. We stayed at the Big Tree House that I had found through Expedia! Words are not enough to describe how amazing this place and its host were. If you want to read more on this house, please visit my blog post to see tons of pictures of the home by Clicking Here.

The next morning, we headed to the Kragga Kamma Game Park for a self-drive through the park. This was an excellent opportunity for Myrra to see animals at her own pace! We received a very warm welcome to the park by a group of giraffes! Kragga Kamma was not on our list of places to go. We decided the night before that this would be a fun experience for the girls. It was on our way to the Kuzuko Lodge and we knew that we were not going to get an opportunity to see giraffes and zebras at the Addo Elephant National Park, thus, the plan to go here. Click Here to read more information on this game park!

When we planned to go to South Africa, we were really iffy about the garden route because of the long hours we would be in the car. We were convinced to go after doing a lot of research and seeing pictures of this drive! The girls were absolutely fine. We had tons of toys, snacks and activities for them in the car.

We paired up visiting South Africa with Austria! Many think it is a weird combine but we did this for a reason! If you are planning these two countries, read out blog post by clicking here. We share our 16 day itinerary on Austria and South Africa.

TIP: It is not safe to get off the car at any spot on the garden route and you really need to know where to get off – another reason why we chose to stay in Knysna. Keeping this in mind, we made sure that the drives were lined with the girl’s naps.

If you guys are planning a trip to South Africa, I would definitely recommend driving the iconic garden route and staying in Knysna! If you have done this drive, leave your experiences in the comments below or if you have any questions for me, please ask below!