We moved around a bit during our time along the coast, and ended up spending most of our time in Knysna, Plettenburg Bay, and Storms River.
Plettenburg Bay
If you’re looking for the beach, then it’s definitely Plett Bay for you! The beach is gorgeous and you can surf, if that’s your thing. Plett is in the middle of the three towns, and we ended up spending a lot more time there than I thought we would as it is a perfect base for so much – Robberg Nature Reserve, Tsitsikamma National Park, where we had an excellent time on a kayak and lilo up the Storms River Gorge, bungee jumping, and a few animal reserves. It also has the most nightlife of any of the three options, which some would miss staying elsewhere. We spent a lot more time in Plett than I thought we would.
Storms River
Storms River was so, so green. It was also tiny and quiet and a fantastic base for the nearby
activities. We loved Storms River and if we were to go back we’d stay here the whole time. Our days were exciting enough that all we wanted from our base was a place to relax, and Storms River was exactly that. That said, a couple we met ziplining didn’t like how small it was or the distance from the beach, so they cut their time there short and moved to Plettenburg Bay. If you’re traveling solo, I’d avoid as this is such a small town it could be hard to meet others (though this was the only place we made friends, as it’s where the ziplining base is).
Knysna
Knysna was the best of both worlds. We stayed up in the hills where it was very green and quiet, and we over overlooking the lagoon from our cabin. The town, however, was the largest of them all and the lagoon has some great actives: boats, hiking, and if you count eating as an activity, it had the most (and best) restaurants.
The Verdict
We personally preferred Storms River to stay, Plettenburg for activities, and Knysna for food, but each is wonderful in its own way and has something different to offer. Like I said, Storms River won our hearts the most, but it’s not for everyone. No matter what, you can’t go wrong as they are all fantastic and the commute back and forth is quick and easy.
Though our hike in Robberg Nature Reserve was perfect, there are loads of other amazing hikes along the Garden Route as well. Find a breakdown of the ones I was most interested in below.
This one follows Touw River into the forest, where you take a pontoon across to the eastern bank of the river, where you walk down a 2km boardwalk that leads to a waterfall. We were really sad to miss this one — if you go let me know how it was!
This trail is opposite the eastern bank of Island Lake. You follow along the Duiwe River to a waterfall where there is a natural pool where you can take a dip!
This hike is another one we were really sad to miss! You pass by a waterfall with another natural swimming pool beneath it, and it’s said to be relatively easy.
This hike starts at the top of a tall waterfall and the trail winds down to the bottom gorge, and then goes back up, ending at the Kranshoek view point. This is a moderate hike with over 200m ascent and descent.
There are three routes here of varying difficulty, all along old woodcutter paths and by old yellowwood trees. The Black Trail is the easiest (9km) and passes through the King Edward VII picnic site. The White Trail is moderate (8km) and has a rock pool. The Red Trail (7km) is the most difficult and crosses a small stream about midway through that is ideal for a rest stop.
This easy trail takes you to the suspension bridges, one of Storms River’s claims to fame. They are stunning and you won’t want to miss checking these out!
This is an easy trail that will allow you to see the indigenous forest without too much time or effort. After a quick but steep climb up, you’ll emerge at the Agulhas lookout, and then through some gorgeous fynbos and the coastal forest.
For half this trail you’ll be following along the incredibly famous and beautiful Otter Trail (if you have time/interest in multi-day hikes, check out the Otter Trail!).It follows the gorgeous coastline and ends at a stunning (in the rainy season) waterfall.
Before setting out I was quite nervous, as I had read it was fairly difficult and maybe not for beginners. It was not technically difficult. There were two steeper bits where a rope is provided for balance, and one point where you’re climbing up a bit vertically, but if I can do it (me, who is terrified of heights) anyone with a reasonable level of fitness certainly can.
There trail has three options. The third is the longest, taking you completely around the point, which is around 9.2 km. The first half is much easier than the first, as it’s mostly a well-defined grass/dirt trail. The views are stunning and there are so many families of seals along the way. They smelled terrible but it was incredible to see them just playing in the surf.
The second half was for sure more difficult. There’s a long stretch where you’re moving up and down through big rocks, and we had to slow down quite a bit. That said there were a few locals who were running, so I guess how fast you go is just down to confidence!
The other two route options are shorter and easier – option two brings you around the The Witsand sand dune and gives the option to circle The Island (only accessible during low tide) and is around 5.5 km. Option one brings you to The Gap and is only 2.1 km, but still quite beautiful.
It was also one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The colors of the rocks, the sea, and the land were like a painting. Or like I was living inside an Instagram filter!
About 75% of the way through, we came to a little beach where we had one of the most refreshing swims ever! There weren’t many people around and it felt like we had discovered a hidden treasure. It’s also where the sunburn to end all sunburns happened. Top tip: if you are on Malarone, never expose any skin to sun, regardless of the amount of SPF 50 you slather on.
If you’re on the Garden Route and looking for a hike, I highly, highly recommend this one. While there are tons and if we ever go back there are so many more I want to explore, I really do think this was the pinnacle. If you’re up for an adventure, we passed a little cottage about midway through with an INCREDIBLE view that can be rented for around 55 GBP a night. It’s about a two hour walk to and from, and there’s no electricity, but would be a fairly epic night! You can find more info about that here. (Book way in advance!)
After Kruger, I was worried we peaked too early, and leaving was quite bittersweet. Luckily, a road trip through the Garden Route was just what the doctor ordered to lift our spirits, as I don’t think there’s a more beautiful drive on the planet. This is a long post because there is an insane amount to see and do in this part of the country. Our itinerary and additional recommendations are below!
Jeffrey’s Bay
We went straight from Port Elizabeth to Jeffrey’s Bay so G would get some surfing in. Tip: we had a harder time than expected finding the beaches to surf on (bad preplanning), so know where you want to rent your board from and base it around that. We spent a few hours surfing and eating and taking in the scenery – beautiful beaches but we also drove by/through our first Township, which was quite shocking. We later spent an evening at Mzansi restaurant in the Langa Township in Cape Town, which was incredible.
Storms River
We spent our first night in Storms River. This little town was adorable and our hosts absolutely lovely. It felt like staying in our grandparent’s comforting home. It was green and beautiful, and I highly recommend booking there! If we go back, we’d spend all three of our nights along the Garden Route in Storms River – though it’s not for everyone. See where to stay along the Garden Route here.
Dinner (and breakfast) in Storms River
We went to De Oude Martha and loved it. The food was so good, the service excellent, and the venue gorgeous. Go back for their breakfast buffet – after our sad little grills in Kruger, this delicious food was much appreciated (and overindulged).
Activities in Tsitsikamma national park
The two best things we did in Storms River were ziplining and kayaking down the mouth of Storms river. Ziplining was fun, and not scary at all, even for me. If you’re looking for some serious adrenaline, instead go a bit further down Route 2 and hit up Face Adrenalin for one of the world’s highest jumps at Bloukrans Bridge. As that sounds like my personal hell, we skipped it, but everyone we spoke to who had done it said it was one of the highlights of their lives.
After ziplining we went kayaking and lilo-ing down Storms River mouth, which was gorgeous. It was fun, just a little challenging (swimming against the tide at points was not easy!) and there was cliff jumping! The water is full of tannans, but it doesn’t taste (or smell) nearly as good as wine. It looks dirty but we were assured it’s not, and I wouldn’t miss the jumps as they are just high enough to turn your stomach.
We didn’t do the hike to the waterfall as it was pouring rain and visibility was low, but if you’re up for it, it’s meant to be beautiful (though better in the wet season than dry).
Knysna
We spent the next two nights in Knysna. Storms River, Plettenburg Bay, and Knysna are all close enough together that you can easily get to each one no matter where you stay, so it’s not necessary to move each night if you don’t want to. Knysna is cute and mid-size (though the biggest of the three) and if you want to hop around the coast, is a great place to stay.
Dinner in Knysna
Go to The Waterfront, where many of the most recommended restaurants are clustered. We were there right at the end of March and a reservation wasn’t necessary at even the most popular places. This allowed us to wander around the pier and window shop restaurants. We had heard the best things about 34 Degrees South, which is a Knysna institution. It was delicious and lively – full when most other places were nearly empty. Knysna has great food – Drydock and Easthead Cafe, if you’re willing to drive a bit farther out, were also both highly recommended.
Plettenburg Bay
The next morning we woke up early and headed to Robberg Nature Reserve for one of the best hikes of my life. If you like hiking and beautiful landscapes, do not miss this one!
After the hike, swim, and ensuing sunburn, we went to Monkeyland for lunch – you don’t have to pay for entry if you’re only eating/accessing the restaurant, but the restaurant is inside the park and you can see quite a few monkeys just eating lunch.
From there we went to Elephant Sanctuary. This was recommended by a host as a rehabilitation centre and right next to our lunch place, but we didn’t do the right background research before going. It called itself a sanctuary but the elephants were too well trained to be wild and it felt more like a circus. When asked, they said they only trained with food and never violence, and the elephants were given to them by the governments from South Africa and nearby countries because they couldn’t survive in the wild. However they all seemed fine and though the goal was rehabilitation, no elephant has been released thus far. I write about this as a warning to others. Don’t be me, ALWAYS research thoroughly first. If you really want to see some elephants, Knysna Elephant Park has actually rehabbed and released elephants, though they’ve also had some abuse claims.
Wilderness
We set off the next morning for Wilderness. We were going to hike but it was cloudy with low visibility and I was suffering from one of the worst sunburns of my life – Malarone is no joke, and sunblock doesn’t help. All this to say, we ended up skipping the hike, but you can find a list of the best ones we researched here.
Mossel Bay
We stopped in Mossel Bay to see the Post Office Tree. Back in 1501, a Portuguese explorer took shelter in Mossel Bay after a bad storm. He wanted to get a letter to another explorer, warning him, so left a boot nailed to a tree with a letter inside. It managed to reach the correct man (!) and for decades was used as the “post office” in Mossel Bay for explorers. Now there is a little monument there with a slot to put mail into, so I sent myself a postcard. I do this everywhere I go as a type of journal entry about the trip, and with the local stamp and such. I like sending them from cool locations, and this one and the one I sent from the top of Table Mountain are of the few that actually made it to England from South Africa (I think the only two, actually).
From Mossel Bay we drove to Franschhoek, and thus ended our time on the Garden Route. I was getting used to feeling both sad and excited that one part of the trip was ending while another was beginning, but the incredible drive to Franschhoek softened the blow. It was astounding!
MORE GARDEN ROUTE ACTIVITIES
There is so much more you can do on the Garden Route. We only had a few days, and would strongly recommend a longer trip if you can. Some of the most popular things we missed out on were:
Addo Elephant Park. This was our back up in case we didn’t see any elephants in Kruger. We were innocent babies who didn’t realise how incredible (and elephant rich) Kruger would be.
Whale Watching in Hermanus – this is something we would have done without hesitation at a different time of year, but it wasn’t the right season so we gave it a pass. If you’re there between June and November, don’t miss it!
Birds of Eden – right next to Monkeyland and really highly rated among bird lovers.
Shark Diving – we left this up to the last minute, and then decided not to go. Mostly because I truly don’t think I’d ever get in the ocean sans protective cage again. If you’re less of a baby, this is something loads of people put at the top of their list.
Featherbed Ferry to Knysna Heads – this one we missed only because we didn’t know about it. One the list for next time for sure!
Obviously, there is a HUGE number of things to do on the Garden Route. The natural beauty, wildlife, food, and activities means there’s something for everyone, and to be honest, just writing this post has me desperate to go back and do more. Until then, I’ll live vicariously through this blog post!
After writing up our Kruger photo diary, I realised I had a lot of tips for practical information while on safari that I want to share.
To start, I want to talk about guided vs self-drive safaris. As you know, we did two guided tours and the rest we did on our own. As the price isn’t too steep, anyone with a semi-flexible budget can probably do both, and I’m going to outline the pros and cons of each.
Guided
Pros:
You can spend more hours on Safari as guided trucks can leave before the gates officially open and return after they close. They have giant lights installed to search the bush in the dark, and everyone looks for eyes reflecting in the lights.
There are more eyes to look for hidden animals. I honestly don’t think we ever would have noticed half the lions we saw were it not for others’ keen eyes. Honestly, the only one we discovered for ourselves was moseying down the road only a few feet away.
Guides (and sometimes other passengers) know so much about the animals you are seeing, and having that insight is really valuable and adds to the experience.
You have a driver – I think Gareth actually loved driving through Kruger, but the freedom of just sitting back and letting someone else do it all for you is really appealing.
Guides have a network of other guides who can let them know where the best sightings currently are.
Some tours (not our government sponsored ones) have both a driver and a spotter, and I imagine these people saw LOADS, as our drivers managed to drive huge trucks while spotting the tiniest, smallest animals from quite far away.
Cons:
Our second tour was in a huge truck. It fit about 20 people, and was so big and rattley I can’t imagine a single animal didn’t hear us coming from miles away.
We were also among about 18 other people who were on their first tour and shrieked every time we saw anything – even our tenth zebra. Everyone is having their own experience and if you’re not with a group who wants to be quite and try to spot the rarer animals, then you’re probably going to miss out on them. I definitely left our second tour feeling like we would have seen more and covered much more ground in our quiet, quick little sedan.
Self-Drive
Pros:
We loved the freedom of self drive. It feels so much more special when it’s just you and an elephant right next to your car, or giraffes, or a lion! You also have the freedom to do everything at your own pace, like the time we waited for two hours to try to see a leopard.
The drive is an adventure – you can choose left or right, when to turn and when to skip a place, and where to end up. Doing that allowed us to spend time at Lower Sabie and Sakuza as well.
While you won’t have a guide or ten other people in your car, you still have lots of eyes looking out. The best tip from Kruger is anytime you see a car pulled over, it usually means there’s something cool to see. We may not have been the best at spotting things ourselves, but people are more than willing to tell you what they’ve found. We also made a point to drive with the windows down, so as you passed other cars you could exchange tips – even if it’s just a thumbs up or down. Guides will also tell you want they know (though are more likely to be in a mood to share if you have any info to trade).
You can see my pictures here, I made sure to label what we saw on guided vs self guided tours. I think the end result was the same, honestly. I’d recommend a mix of both, but I originally was thinking we’d only do guided tours and I’m so glad we gave self guided a chance. Self-drive allowed us to spend as much time as we wanted in each place and to take breaks just to be in awe of the scenery. We may have missed a few things, but the best moments we had were all when it was just us, and even more magical for the quiet privacy (or the low tunes of Toto’s Africa).
Other tips:
Book Early
We missed out on our first choice, Lower Sabie, because we didn’t book early enough. We almost missed out on our second choice, Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp, but luckily three months was enough notice to get one of the last permanent tents – they still had bungalows available three months out as well.
Lights out!
Each permanent structure has its own little deck, and so many people made the mistake of sitting outside with the lights in their tents/bungalows on. By the time they went in to go to sleep, their spaces had filled with bugs. We were really strict with it – but were one of the only people who didn’t wind up covered in bugs while we slept. I didn’t see any inside our tent the whole time.
Charcoal
This will depend on where you’re staying, but I only realised we’d need this about an hour before we arrived. Luckily if you’re going in via Crocodile Bridge Gate, there is a Super Spar in Komatipoort, which is only like ten minutes from the gate. This is also were we stocked up on food and water, though each camp has a shop as well.
When to drive
The animals are far more active in the mornings and evenings. We woke up around half five every morning and came back just before the gates closed every evening. From about 10 am – 4 pm there was much less to see. Still feel free to drive around during this time, but we saw some very disappointed looking people on guided drives in the middle of the day, which would be a real waste of money.
Guide Boards
Every camp has a map with that day’s sightings, so if you’re looking for something in particular (leopards and cheetah alluded us!), they can be pretty helpful.
Guided Tours
We considered doing a tour with a different camp that offered a tour with a driver and a spotter, but it ended after the gates locked and we would have been stuck at the wrong camp. Something to consider when deciding where to stay/booking your guided tours.
Kruger was the best introduction to South Africa. It was the most anticipated, dreamed of part of the trip, and even with sky high expectations, it didn’t disappoint. This post is more of a photo diary, but you can find my tips for going on safari in Kruger here, and a cost breakdown here.
We arrived in Kruger around midday, and spent an hour getting settled in to our home for the next few days. Our tent had everything we needed – even a full-size refrigerator and a wardrobe! It was hot, so the fact that we were in separate twin beds was not as tragic as it could have been.
KRUGER DAY ONE: GUIDED DRIVE
We left a few hours later for a sunset game drive, one of the two guided drives we went on. It was a perfect start to an incredible few days – we saw four of the Big Five on that drive alone! This experience was different (read: better) than our second guided tour. Here, we were in a smaller truck with just 5 other people, who were all experienced and knew so much about the animals we were seeing.
One of my favourite people in the world was in Europe in February, so I popped over to Paris for a few days to meet her fantastic boyfriend and crash on their couch. It was so lovely.
I spent about two weeks there in 2010 while studying abroad, so I had seen most of the main tourist attractions. This time I made it to the catacombs and dragged everyone up on the ferris wheel and then kept my eyes closed the entire time, ha.
Otherwise I had a wonderful time just wandering around the city, walking from side to side and basking in the Parisian glow. Photo diary below.
I know we’ve only just returned from South Africa, and yes I am ABSOLUTELY still basking in the glow from how fantastically wonderful that trip was. But I also can’t be happy unless I’m planning something, and Greece is right there and on the list.
Before actually planning our safari in Kruger, I thought safaris required years and years of saving and cost thousands of dollars. And that can be true, but a safari in Kruger National Park can absolutely be done on a budget.
Yes, there are private reserves you can stay at where you’re living in the luxury many associate with going on safari, but there are also government run camps that are quite affordable. The public camps, plus the fact that Kruger allows self-drive through the park, means you have a lot of control over the total cost.
We opted to stay in Crocodile Bridget Rest Camp, in a permanent tent. This was the mid-range option, as you could rent a spot to pitch a tent, or a bungalow. When we arrived and I saw how cute the bungalows were, I felt a bit of regret, but our tent was actually really nice.
We stayed for three nights and it was 100 GBP total for both of us. However, there are conservation fees that depend on nationality – people from South Africa pay a much, much lower rate than people from the US or Europe, which I fully support. These fees were more than our accommodation, and were an additional 120 GPB. We booked two drives with a guide, and those were about 20 GBP per person.
There was a Super Spar just outside the nearest gate, and we used that to stock up on groceries. We ate out a few times, but even with that we spent about 100 GBP on food.
Basically, to break it down for you, two of us stayed in Kruger for three nights and went on two guided game drives for £400 total. Compared to the safaris you see listed for ten times that, we were so pleasantly surprised that it was actually affordable for us.
We also rented a car for four days for 50 pounds, which allowed us to do self-guided drives all the other times, which we ended up preferring. We may have missed a few things, but the best moments we had were all when it was just us, and even more magical for the quiet privacy.
I know I’m spending ages talking about the money side of this, but I feel like it’s not talked about enough! That going on safari can be affordable, that it’s something you can possibly do sooner rather than later. It’s so much more accessible than I thought and now that I know I want to do 100 more trips just like this one.
Anyone familiar with my 30 Before 30 knows I still have quite a few countries to visit before I reach my goal. South Africa had been #1 on my list for a while, so we decided to take advantage of the double bank holiday and go. And once we realized how easy it would be to have a stopover in Egypt, we couldn’t pass that up!
We decided to fly Egyptair from London to Cairo to Johannesburg, with an 18 hour stop over on our journey down. I was worried it would be too hectic after a redeye the night before, but luckily it ended up being AMAZING and so worth it. I cannot recommend a stopover in Cairo enough.
Before leaving we had booked in with Memphis Tours. We had what felt like the perfect Cairo itinerary. It fit everything in but didn’t feel rushed — ideal when you’ve only got a day. When we first arrived, I may or may not have cried a few happy tears – we were IN EGYPT!
I’d wanted to visit Cairo for years and years but kept worrying it was too dangerous. I wasn’t the only one, as tourism dropped considerably in the last few years. In 2010 about 15 million people visited Egypt; by 2016 that number was 5 million. It’s hit the economy quite hard as tourism accounted for 11% of GDP. Tourism is now steadily rising, which is good for everyone – the locals who work in the industry, but also for travellers, as Egypt isn’t a place anyone should miss. Personally, I felt completely, 100% safe during our time there.
WOULD I GO WITH A GUIDE AGAIN?
Other than one walking tour I did in 2010 in Barcelona, I’d never been an organized tour and was worried we’d miss the autonomy, or feel like the guide was an awkward third wheel. I am so happy to say that’s not at all what it felt like, and instead having Ahmed made the whole thing so much more meaningful. It also wasn’t too bad having someone there to force G to pose for pictures!
The Ministry regulates tour guide certifications, and requires guides to pass licensing tests in Egyptian history, local museums, cultural attractions, and at least one foreign language. As we only had 18 hours, having someone with us who could explain the history behind everything was invaluable. It also allowed us to ask a lot of questions about life in Cairo, and in 18 hours we might not have gotten close enough to another local to get that insight.
Because we had such limited time (and knowledge), a guide was definitely the right choice for us. I’d feel comfortable without a guide, but in a place with such a rich history I could definitely see booking another tour when I go back to explore a different part of the country.
ITINERARY
1. THE PYRAMIDS
I’m going to really show some ignorance here, but I thought it took hundreds of years to build the pyramids. Apparently it was more like 20 years for each one. The Giza pyramids were built by one ruler, then his son and grandson. Each was a bit smaller than the previous out of respect, and there are smaller pyramids that were built for wives and mothers. Because all the pyramids look the same from the inside, we went into one of the (free) smaller ones. As it was less popular, we had it all to ourselves! This was great because getting down was actually much more scary that I had imagined – it’s really narrow and really steep. It would have been easy to feel claustrophobic had it been more crowded.
2. THE SPHYNX
The Sphynx was erected around 3000 BC for the pharaoh Khafra, who also built the second pyramid. The nose was carved off by a Sufi Muslim man who disapproved the of iconoclasm, and he was hanged for this offense. Not much else is known, but wikipedia has some cool images of the Sphynx from the 1800s when it was still half buried in sand.
3. CAMEL RIDE!
This was such a cool experience. I remember first learning about the ancient Egyptians in school, and I NEVER imagined that one day I’d be riding a camel through the Sahara to the Pyramids. And yet, there I was! On a surprisingly wobbly, tall camel, making our way through the desert. I was really into it.
4. FELUCCA
We had the boat to ourselves and cruised around the Nile for about 45 minutes. Again, 7 year old Kristen’s head would explode.
5. SHOPPING
The one part of the tour I didn’t love were the shops. They weren’t presented as shopping as much as we were told we’d be taken to see how Papyrus was made, and after the demonstration it was incredibly clear we were then meant to buy something. The shopkeeper followed us around, and once we made our choice (around £30), was clearly angry we hadn’t spent more. The guy at the next store was less aggressive, but it still felt like we were completely obligated to make a purchase. This part of the tour was optional, so after the second shop we just opted out. I understand tourism is suffering, so tried not to be too put off by the aggressive expectation that we drop some serious cash.
6. EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
This museum was incredible! It housed SO many treasures, it would take days to go through everything. However, Ahmed knew exactly where the most important stuff was, and gave a thorough history of everything we saw. The highlight was King Tut’s tombs and the artefacts found inside. Did you know that Egyptian pharaohs were buried with everything? And I mean everything — beds, chairs, cats, cows, you name it, and it’s there.
7. HOTEL
Do not book an 18 hour stop over without also booking a hotel. We didn’t but by pure luck our airline gave anyone with an 8 hour or more layover a free hotel room. Originally the plan was to land at 5:00 am, “do Cairo,” and depart at 23:30. Without the hotel that would have been terrible, and I’m so happy Egyptair saved us that experience. After our tour we were exhausted, so we had a shower and went down to our free buffet dinner, also provided by Egyptair (as well we breakfast and lunch, what!). We flew out that night for our next adventure: a safari in Kruger!
My first Egyptian excursion was wonderful, but not nearly long enough. I can’t wait to go back!
Otherwise I had a wonderful time just wandering around the city, walking from side to side and basking in the Parisian glow. Photo diary below.
I’m going to really show some ignorance here, but I thought it took hundreds of years to build the pyramids. Apparently it was more like 20 years for each one. The Giza pyramids were built by one ruler, then his son and grandson. Each was a bit smaller than the previous out of respect, and there are smaller pyramids that were built for wives and mothers. Because all the pyramids look the same from the inside, we went into one of the (free) smaller ones. As it was less popular, we had it all to ourselves! This was great because getting down was actually much more scary that I had imagined – it’s really narrow and really steep. It would have been easy to feel claustrophobic had it been more crowded.
