Roger

Nice itinerary! A couple of thoughts:

Addo: it looks like an overnight at Addo? If so, I'd highly recommend staying onsite, preferably in a rondavel. Details at http://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo/t...ommodation.php (B'n'bs are generally a distance away.)

Also, after hiking at Tsitsikamma. the drive to Addo is fairly long which could influence what you do at Addo. Better yet, stay more than one night if you can to benefit from night drives as well as day drives.

If time is short, consider a one way rental from CT to Port Elizabeth - commonly done and not expensive - and a one way flight from PE to CT at the end. IMO a better use of time.

I find driving in SA pretty easy, as long as you remember that (most ) traffic drives on the left. I've given up using manual transmission and now go for automatics, more expensive but less strain.

Cheetah_SA

The Garden Route rewards those who don't seek a WOW around every corner. It is full of gorgeous scenery and opportunities to be in nature. So I'm happy to see that you seem intent on maximising those! Just judging from the general tone of your post and the information contained in it I am quite sure you will find the whole thing trip worthwhile.

I would just caution about the weather. You will be here smack dab in the middle of our rainy season. (And the Garden Route gets more than its fair share - after all, that's what makes gardens grow!) That could mean lots of rather grim, rainy days that make hiking/canoeing etc. (but not wine tasting!) a lot less fun. Or it could mean wonderfully mild weather which is perfect for those activities. So depending on how hard core you are in your pursuits I would just advise that you allow some flexibility to deal with the elements.

And allow enough time for Addo - it is worth it.

konagirl2

Driving is easy (though easier if someone is map reading for you). We did a tour of the Western Cape over 2 weeks and didn't get as far as Addo, but I believe it is well worth doing, so it worth missing out on other bits - you will want to go back!

I think even if you stick to the main trunk roads between places of interest, you won't have any spare time with this itinerary. It's good, there are good choices of places to visit, hike etc, but if you want to drive both there and back then after taking into account travel time and you also want to experience the place, then you have enough pencilled in. Assuming / recommending you spend at least 3 days in Cape Town at the beginning and at least 2 nights at Addo.

From your itinerary I assume you like the great outdoors, and the whole area has fantastic scenery and outdoor activities throughout. You can easily spend 7 days in and around the immediate vicinity of Cape Town hiking, mountain biking, white water rafting, sea kayaking and so on. I really like wildlife watching and scenery. For us the highlights were:

Cape Town itself, taking in the history and city, hiking up Table Mountain and/or Lion's Head (make sure you have a few days in CT and get up TM as soon as you have a clear morning), driving round Cape Point with sunset at Oudekraal or sundowners at Camp's Bay.

Betty's Bay penguin colony, whale watching by boat in Hermanus (you get very close) and whale watching from white sand dunes at De Hoop. De Hoop is a bit of a detour, some of which is over gravel roads which takes some time, but the whales were fantastic, displaying and communicating over the whole bay. Of course we could have just been very lucky!

I loved driving the R62 through the different climatic zones between the grenery of the coast and the arid Little Karoo. The Outinequa Pass (Oudtshoorn to George) is very pretty and you get a look-out when travelling south. Though as said with it being winter it is possible it will be clouded in. There are natural hot springs at Warmwaterberg on the R62 with very basic accommodation.

For information on great hikes and accommodation in reserves, see Cape Nature.

As well as August/September being the best time to see Southern Right Whales, it is also the flowering season for the Proteas and wildflower (daisy-type) meadows. The Kirstenbosch botanical gardens should have lots of colour and nectar-feeding birds around.

Enjoy, it's a fantastic part of the world.

Doc Savage

Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments. I'm really looking forward to the trip - except for the 15 hour flight from ATL-JNB, maybe.

Thanks for the Cape Nature recommendation; it looks like they have some nice specials on for part of the time I'm there.

I do plan to spend several days in Cape Town itself at the beginning and likely a day or two at the end.

ThudAndBlunder

Put me in the minority that doesn't see the attraction of the Garden Route for a first time visitor.

Everything you can get on the Garden Route ito scenery etc, you can get in Cape Town and its immediate environs in spades, plus world class dining, lodging etc etc. Garden route is what you do once you've done Cape Town over and over, in my opinion.

Stewie Mac

jumping in on this thread - down CT way later in the month, and will have an evening off. Thinking of going out to Stellenbosch, anyone have any recommendations for somewhere nice for dinner in town (don't want to have to drive to/from a vineyard). No particular requirements in terms of cuisine, etc, just somewhere 'nice' - not too loud, not too quiet, not too fancy, not too simple.

fozziedoggie

So we will be in CT for four nights beginning Christmas, anyone have some local restaurant recommendations? Would like places that showcase local talent/innovative chefs; items you normally won't find in the states. ^

konagirl2

From the middle of this thread there is a discussion of restuarants in and around Cape Town: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/afric...ly-2015-a.html

If you really want up-market then it is worth booking well in advance (i.e. months). You'll find interesting / different seafood in the V&A and all the good seafood restuarants around. Carne is a bit touristy but offers lots of options for meat-eaters.

Lussac

For informal (burgers etc.) then Ryneveld is good, for steaks and Italian stuff then I've heard the Gino's is very good. Trouble is most of the rated restaurants are out on the wine estates.

Cheetah_SA

Remember that some of those vineyard restaurants are little more than a 15 minute Uber ride away. Just saying...

Well if you are going to stipulate so many criteria I'm not sure if anything will satisfy you!

The Wild Peacock Food Emporium is effectively a deli with some tables and a short, frequently changing menu of excellently prepared dishes. May fail the "not too quiet" test.
Decameron is a basic Italian place that is popular. Usually very buzzy but not too loud. May fail the "not too simple" test.
Col'Cacchio is another pizza staple (it's a chain in ZA) and the (thin crust) pizzas and salads are usually very tasty. A nice feature is the ability to concoct your own half-an-half with two different toppings. Again pretty standard fare

There are loads of other places on TA that sound enticing but I have no first-hand experience of them, I'm afraid.

Cheetah_SA

Two of my favourites are Bizerca Bistro and the Test Kitchen. Excellent chefs producing very fine dishes in both cases.

Now that Luke Dale Roberts has been named as one of the top 100 chefs by someone or other it's going to be harder than ever to secure a table at the Test Kitchen though. I believe booking only opens a few months out and then everything gets snapped up within days. Bizerca isn't quite that hectic but booking is essential.

fozziedoggie

Thanks, I'll check out their websites. ^

rev

Reviving this to prevent starting another thread with a similar scenario...

Only difference though is I have a stay in September thats less than a week. I just wanted to see if anyone had some opinions about my itinerary since at the moment some of it is tentative and I'm close to confirming. I tried putting it together based off other recommendations, and I'm aware it's tight, but I don't know the next time I'll ever make it back!

Wed - check out the town after landing, relax
Thurs - Cage Diving
Fri - 3 day Tour to Overberg, Garden Route, Myoli Beach w/ Game Drive.
Sat - 3 day Tour to Knysna, Tsitsikamma w/ Bloukrans Bungee and Elephant Sanctuary
Sun - 3 day Tour to Little Karoo, Outstshoorn w/ choice Cango Cave or Wildlife Ranch
Mon - Early morning Hike Up Table Mountain Venster Route; Afternoon Tour of Peninsula
Tues - Find local stuff to do before afternoon flight out.

With the exception of the weekend, most of the transports get me back to town by the late afternoon so there's time for dinner, nightlife, or other brief things to squeeze in before the sun goes down on three of these days, so I'm also open to suggestions just for areas or streets that have good food/bars/experiences I can walk through without needing to commit much time. In the meantime Ill be checking out that thread link konagirl posted about potential restaurants.

Thanks to anyone with advice on this itinerary!

WeekendWarr1or

Lots of nice things but it involves a fair amount of driving, but as you said.. you are aware it is tight.
Recommendation: On you tour of Cape Peninsula make a turn at Hout Bay for lunch at the harbor
On the way back from Oudshoorn take a drive back via Route 62 nice road with plenty of little stops along the way and some great scenery as well

konagirl2

Rev, I really hope you enjoy your short visit to the Western Cape.

I agree it's a bit whistle stop. You'll be seeing a lot of the Cape from a window driving past but at least you will see further than the city bowl! For eateries, the V&A waterfront meets your needs - a bit touristy but reasonable prices and a really nice atmosphere with lots of places close together.

With regard to hiking Table Mountain, obviously you may not get clear weather or more importantly low winds that make the India Venster route dangerous and stop the cable car from running, so you either need to be flexible or accept you may not get those views in the short time you have. Unless you are going with a local / guide, I would recommend the Platteklip Gorge route because it is so much easier to navigate.

I also have to note that I wouldn't personally chose some of the 'activities' you have listed, because of the methods used to lure, train or 'domesticate' animals. YMMV with what you find acceptable. (The treatment of elephants where riding is offered is well known to be cruel in order to make the elephants obey their handlers, just search the web. Similarly to the 'lion petting' places where there is growing evidence of involvement in the trophy hunting business. On a lower level, I also don't like the practises of shark cave diving because the sharks have to be lured towards the ship! Whale watching is so much more pleasant because the whales come towards you when they feel inquisitive.) I realise that not everyone is interested in these aspects and I don't want to come across as 'preachy', I just hope anyone reading this forum would go away and research these places for themselves so they get an honest view of what they are offering.