Top Garden Route Experiences

Explore the Featherbed Nature Reserve

This privately owned reserve on the Western Head of Knysna is a ferry trip and a world apart from the Knysna waterfront.

Here you can view two of the Garden Route's most famous residents - the Knysna Lourie and the blue duiker, one of the smallest antelope to be found in Africa. You'll also see bushbuck, the Cape mountain tortoise and birds like the blue crane and the rare African black oystercatcher.

It's a tranquil spot where you can stroll through indigenous fynbos, explore the Beachcomber caves and Coffin Bay, or up the adrenaline factor and try your hand at abseiling and rap jumping (descend a mountain face first).

Other activities include luxury leisure cruises, a gentle paddle on the Knysna lagoon and picnicking under the milkwood trees or a good meal at the restaurant in the reserve.

Fly Through the Treetops

Experience the Garden Route's beautiful indigenous forest from a completely different perspective. The Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours take you on a bird's-eye passage through the Tsitsikamma Forest as you 'fly' from platform to towering platform along a route of steel cables.

Guides make sure it's both a safe and informative adventure as they point out some of the forest's inhabitants - birds like the brilliantly coloured Knysna Turaco (Lourie) and the elusive narina trogon and primates such as samango monkeys - and explain more about the amazing vegetation.

Your three-hour tour will leave you exhilarated and you'll enjoy knowing that you've contributed to job creation and an ongoing forest regeneration project.

Get to know the Creatures of the Forest

The indigenous forest of the Garden Route is home to an amazing array of birds, such the colourful Knysna Turaco (Lourie) that is even named after the area. Animals of all shapes and sizes have also made the forest their home - from monkeys to elephants.

Unfortunately, the original forest elephants haven't been seen for years. However, a place where you're guaranteed to find elephants is at the Elephant Sanctuary where the whole family can walk with the elephants.

Monkeys from all over the world now swing through the trees at the fun and informative Monkeyland and you're basically guaranteed to see the Knysna Turaco as you stroll the forested walkways at Birds of Eden.

Of course, a walk through the forest itself will reveal wonderful birdlife and possibly the small buck, chameleons, monkeys and other creatures of the forest.

Watch Playful Whales & Dolphins

Spot friendly bottlenose dolphins and the endangered humpback dolphins playing in the warm and foamy coastal waters as you travel the Garden Route.

Whale watching is also a rewarding pastime on the Garden Route. If you're lucky you could spot Bryde's Whales throughout the year, although the waters are practically teeming with whales between June and October when the Southern Right and humpback whales migrate from the cold Antarctic to warmer breeding grounds.

Plettenberg Bay is a great place to encounter these playful creatures from specially licensed boats with environmentally sensitive operators.

Not only can you look forward to seeing whales and dolphins, but also seals, sea birds and small shark species.

Go on a Malaria-Free, Eastern Cape Safari

Just north of the Garden Route is one of South Africa's premier safari destinations, the Eastern Cape. Known internationally for its success in conservation and for luxury safari lodges such as Shamwari, Kwandwe and Samara, it's the natural answer for an excellent post Garden Route safari.

So top your Garden Route Route experience with an Eastern Cape safari. Go in search of the Big 5, relax on a romantic safari or take the family on safari, the Eastern Cape is a malaria-free area after all.

Savour Oysters and South African Wine

Sitting on a deck overlooking the Knysna lagoon, feasting on the freshest oysters and sipping on a crisp, locally produced wine - is an essential Garden Route travel experience.

The first to cultivate oysters in the tidal Knysna lagoon was the Knysna Oyster Company and the delicacy has since been cultivated there for over 50 years with great success.

The oysters here are so delectable that they have an entire festival dedicated to them. So if you're a real fan of the aphrodisiac, time your travel to Knysna to coincide with this atmospheric and fun event (which includes a marathon and mountain bike race for the energetic) held in July each year.

Experience the Highest Adrenaline Rush

Give your vocal cords a workout and experience the ultimate rush on the world's highest commercial bungee. If you can stand the dizzying walk out along the sub-structure of the Bloukrans Bridge, you surely have the nerves of steel required to take the 216m plunge down into the gorge.

Make sure you have the photographic and video evidence and make full use of the bragging rights you'll be entitled to after this bungee.

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