The Garden Route Road Trip - South Africa

Known as the Friendly City, the Windy City or Ibhayi (the bay in isiXhosa), Port Elizabeth is one of South Africa’s most underrated creative and scenic cities. The pulse of the Eastern Cape province was my starting point for this road trip given its blend of relaxed beach culture, contemporary art and live music spaces and lovely day trip possibilities to mountains and sand dunes.

Beaches: King’s Beach for a run and the vibey Sunday flea market, Pipe beach for a surf, Sardinia Bay for a picnic between the dunes and the waves.

Restaurants: Check out Shisa at the harbour for some traditional Xhosa cuisine by the ocean or take a stroll up and down vibey Stanley Street for options upon options from dim sum bars to pizzerias.

Art: Take a stroll through Galerie Noko and ArtEC for contemporary work often for sale and head to the Nelson Mandela Bay Art Museum for more art with some historical context.

Nightlife/Music: Look out for local music, film screenings and other events at Roof Garden Bar in the city center.

This is the perfect spot to disappear into nature for an hour or a couple of days – indigenous forests, rivers rushing towards the ocean, jaw-dropping canyons and all. Nature’s Valley is usually my choice to rest my head after a day of stopping by in Tsitsikamma for the highest bridge bungee jump in the world (or watch safely from the sidelines!), Storm’s River for some canyoning or kayaking and an overall beautiful and peaceful drive from Port Elizabeth.

We spent the night at Wild Spirit Backpackers Lodge which offers camping, dormitories and private suites on their sprawling compound complete with horses, a yoga hut, a bonfire and trails through surrounding forest – one which even leads to a waterfall.

There are also many hikes and swimming spots at the lagoon to discover, not to mention the charming and delectable Nature’s Way farmstall on a family-run dairy farm.

Oudtshoorn is a little town on the edge of the Klein Karoo desert surrounded by majestic mountain ranges and ostrich farms, where many a Dutch settler made their fortune centuries ago.

A few farms and ranches are open to visitors like the Cango Ostrich Show Farm – the first in the district to stop offering ostrich rides. Instead you can expect guided tours teaching the history of the farm and different rearing methods, viewing the eggs at different stages and a chance to feed the birds and even sneak a peck.

Today it’s an exciting spot for foodies and wine and beer lovers with many family-run farms in the area that have thrived for several generations including De Krans and Grundheim to name a few.

Drop by Nostalgie Restaurant for many traditional Karoo dishes including of course, some ostrich meat!

The world-famous Cango Caves are an extensive underground network on a limestone belt 1.5km wide and over 10km long. There is evidence of indigenous Khoi and San people’s inhabiting the caves up to 80,000 years ago with rock paintings mostly of animals still visible on some cave walls.

Named after French Huguenots escaping persecution in their mostly-Catholic home lands, Franschhoek (French Corner in Afrikaans) is one of the key spots in the history of wine-making in the Western Cape Province.

The Franschhoek Valley is home to about 50 wine farms and a good number of restaurants too, so this is absolutely wine-and-dine heaven. Many of the farms offer both private and group tours/tastings of wine, brandy, cheese, chocolate and more.

One way to narrow down which one to visit is eating at one of the many restaurants in town and noting down which local wine/s are your favourites.

A unique way to experience the winelands while having your choices narrowed down for you is to take a trip with the Franschhoek Wine Tram – an old-school train carriage that ferries people up and down 8 lines to several wine farms in the area. We went for the hop-on hop-off option which leaves you at the estates of your choosing for as long as you please.

Take a couple of hours to walk up and down Main Street and pop into the art galleries, craft stores and gardens to get more of a feel of the town.

The final stop on the road trip, Cape Town is a favourite of people from near and far and it’s no wonder why. The majestic Table Mountain and Signal Hill cradle the centre of the city and its surrounds are laid with beautiful beaches, sprawling winelands and indigenous forests.

Beaches: Head to Llandudno for calm vibes, Bakoven for a sunset sitting on boulders, Camps Bay if you’re into celebrity-spotting and Clifton for a (cold) swim. The southern beaches such as Big Bay and Bloubergstrand are well-loved by surfers, windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts.

Food:  I always enjoy Biesmillah restaurant in the heart of the colourful Bo Kaap neighborhood for some authentic Cape Malay food. Kloof and Bree Streets in the city centre are lined with many star restaurants with cuisine from Peruvian to burger joints to Asian fusion and more.

Get into the spirit of the nation and the townships by heading to a shisa nyama/braai (barbeque) – my favourite spots are Mzoli’s Place in Gugulethu and Rand’s in Khayelitsha. Both are a riot on Sunday afternoons, but open all week.

Art: Start at the MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary African Art) at the V&A Waterfront area and take a stroll through Woodstock neighborhood to explore the street art, weekend markets and smaller galleries.

Culture and History: There is much to learn and discover about the history of Cape Town from the trade of slaves from Southeast Asia to life during apartheid to the stories of the indigenous Khoi and San people, the original inhabitants of South Africa. I enjoyed the the tip-based tours by Cape Town Free Walking Tours (browse the different options online) as well as visits to the Robben Island Museum and the Iziko Slave Lodge museum.