Garden Route and Addo

Africa South Africa
OVERVIEW
Ready for one of the world’s most epic road trips – where you flicker from wildlife to city life to beach life? You’ll gawp at the Cango Caves, sample the nightlife of Cape Town, and even encounter the Big 5 at some of Africa’s finest national parks. The Garden Route has everything, and you’ll experience it all on this unforgettable 7-day adventure, with a squad of fellow 18-35s.
EXPERIENCES
Addo Elephant National Park: See these gentle giants in their natural habitat as you cruise in our Contiki coach through this scenic National park. Also be on the lookout for giraffes, antelopes, buffaloes, warthogs and all of Africa's incredible wildlife.

Cango Caves: Tour Africa's largest limestone caves system. At over 20 million years old, it makes our nan look like a spring chicken.

Gqeberha: The good folks at the SANCCOB Penguin Rehabilitation Centre work around the clock to rescue injured seabirds and help them make their way back into the wild. On this visit, we’ll see first hand how they work – and meet plenty of adorable penguins too.

Jeffreys Bay: Known for its waves, its calamari and its natural beauty, there’s no beach quite like Jeffreys Bay Beach. Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Knysna: If you’re looking for dramatic scenery, a trek through Tsitsikamma National Park will give you plenty of ops to fill up your memories and Insta feed.

Knysna: Stretch out on the golden sands and enjoy some sea air at one of South Africa’s best beaches.

Stellenbosch: Get to know the photogenic wine town of Stellenbosch. Rich in vineyards, but even richer in history.
DEPARTURE DATES AND PRICES
Tour
Departs		 Tour
Returns		 Starting From
(price per person)		 Definite Departure
What's this?		 Book Now!
11/08/2025 17/08/2025 £889 Book
25/08/2025 31/08/2025 £889 Book
08/09/2025 14/09/2025 £889 Book
22/09/2025 28/09/2025 £889 Book
06/10/2025 12/10/2025 £1,007 Book
20/10/2025 26/10/2025 £830 Book
03/11/2025 09/11/2025 £1,007 Book
17/11/2025 23/11/2025 £830 Book
15/12/2025 21/12/2025 £830 Book
ACCOMMODATION
DAY 1: Riempie Estate (or similar) - Meals:
DAY 2: Town Lodge Port Elizabeth (or similar) - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 3: Town Lodge Port Elizabeth (or similar) - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4: Knysna Quays (or similar) - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5: Knysna Quays (or similar) - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6: Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar) - Meals: Breakfast
ITINERARY

Hello Africa… and hello Cape Town. Ready to get going? It’s off to the Karoo desert via the famous ‘Route 62’. Today's scenic drive goes through mountain passes, vineyards and epic desert scenery along the way.An included guided tour of Africa's LARGEST show cave system. The Cango Caves are replete with cavernous halls, limestone formations, cave paintings and artefacts (which indicate they were in use throughout the Middle Ages)! How's that for a pitstop?Welcome to the Klein Karoo! We'll check into Oudtshoorn with our first adventure on offer. How good does a scenic bike ride (or drive down) the UNESCO Swartberg Mountain Pass, plus a Karoo braai dinner on a local farm sound? (So good!). And this evening, you can opt to do just that.

Good morning! Let's continue heading East towards one of South Africa's most loved National Parks: Addo Elephant. (Anyone guess which animal this place is famous for?) That’s right, it’s elephant time. After lunch, we’ll set out in our comfy (and tall!) coach in search of Africa's largest land mammal here at the Addo National Park, home to over 600 of these tusk-tastic creatures. (Keep your eyes peeled for lions, buffalo, and antelope too though!) We'll retreat here for the night but fear not, more safari adventures await in the morning. Stuck for something to do this evening? Let us introduce you to the karaoke bar just around the corner. (Cue your fave Lion King jams.)

Today is all about wildlife, both on land and in the ocean. We’ll start with a morning tour of the SANCCOB Penguin Rehabilitation Centre, who give sick and injured penguins the care they deserve and help them to return to the wild. Later this morning, we’ll set out on the first of today’s two private game drives (both optional but highly recommended!). The Eastern Cape’s game reserves are some of South Africa’s best spots for seeing the Big 5, home to valleys, plains, rivers and much more. Yup. That's three game drives in 36 hours, giving you the best chance of spotting the Big 5. Lucky you, right? Tonight we’ll head back to the city where a free evening awaits. Karaoke round two? We won’t stop ya.

Beach time. Desert? Tick. Caves? Tick. Safari? Tick. Now it’s time to make our way along the famous Garden Route to our next destination, Knysna – with a few sensational stop-offs on the way. Known as one of the best surf spots in the world, it’d be wrong not to start our day with some chill time on J-Bay… which is exactly what we’ll do. And of course, there's an optional surfing lesson for the wave-dodgers among us. Welcome to our next pitstop, known for the infinitely Instagramable Storms River Bridge – which we’ll take a picturesque hike to so you can get all the legendary snaps you need. Wanna up the adrenaline? You can choose to go kayaking up the mouth of Storms River. And then we pull into the beautiful coastal town of Knysna, ready to explore all the sights and activities the Garden Route is known for. (We've got two nights here too!)

Rise and shine, team. Today starts with an included breakfast, overlooking the Knysna lagoon, and then we’re off again once more. It’s ocean time! You can choose to join our marine safari and set out in search of whales, dolphins, seals and more spectacular sea life. Afterwards, we’ll spend the rest of the day relaxing on Plettenberg's main beach, catching those rays and helping ourselves to some splendid seafood. This evening, we’ll embark on an optional Township visit here in Knysna, where you’ll meet the locals and have the chance to make a positive impact for the children who live here. Afterwards, you'll have the option to cruise the Knysna lagoon & see the sunset onboard. And finally, we'll tuck into a group dinner by the water before finishing off with a night on the town (again, optional but unmissable!).

Make sure you call dibs on a window seat. As we drive back to Cape Town, you’ll watch the magnificence of the Garden Route unfold as we pass coastal towns, forests, gorges and some jaw-dropping ocean views. Marine mania… We’ll have lunch and a little free time here in the coastal town of Hermanus, which is one of the world’s best areas for spotting whales – between July and November at least – so have your binoculars at the ready.  And here we are, back in the city where it all began. Tonight, you can opt for a MasterChef-style cooking class and enjoy the food, music and drinks.

It might be our last day together but fear not, there’s still plenty planned about the Cape Winelands. And most of it revolves around food. But before that, you have the chance to hit the skies on an optional helicopter ride over the seas and peaks. After some free time to explore (and shop till you drop) we’ll set out to discover Stellenbosh’s awesome wine farms with an optional experience to sample the very finest of the Cape’s fine wines. With spectacular views, and a traditional South African braai for lunch, this really is one tasty excursion indeed. And, after a brief drive back to Cape Town for an airport/hotel drop-off, that's a wrap! You'll have the option to jump on our Cape Town Explorer trip starting this evening (that's 4 more days in the Mother City!). It’s been wild – we’re thrilled from what we’ve experienced, and we can’t wait to do it all again!
Search Tours