Garden Route National Park

• Address: Dumbleton road, Wilderness, 6560, South Africa;
• Phone: +27 44 877 0046;
• Area: 1210 km2;
• Foundation date: March 6, 2009;
• Website: https://www.sanparks.org/

The Garden Route National Park is a place that can hardly be avoided by wildlife lovers who traveled around South Africa. Its name, which also sometimes sounds like Garden Rout, translates as "road gardens." And this pearl of the "black" continent fully justifies it.

The park is located in the very south of Africa in the territories of the Eastern and Western Cape areas. It stretches along the coast of the Indian Ocean, starting from the Mossel Bay, famous for its mussels, to St. Francis Bay and is known for its varied landscapes: from forests and mountain peaks to lakes, rivers and a few hilly beaches. Usually rains here go year-round, especially at night, so you do not need to grab a raincoat.

In the area of ​​Naizna, if you are lucky, you can admire elephants and leopards, Wilderness has wonderful sea fur seals, and in Tsitsikamma , whales and dolphins often splash at the shore.

How to get to the park?

The nearest settlements in the vicinity of Garden Route are Port Elizabeth and George. From Cape Town - the capital of South Africa - you can get there by purchasing tickets for any of the regular flights of South African Airways. To get from these cities to any point of the park, it is best to take a bus that does not go very often, or rent a car. The main thoroughfare running through the entire Garden Route area is Highway No. 2 connecting Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

If you want to start this unique sightseeing with Oudtsvorn, you should take the Bus of Translux Bus, which goes there from the Gulf of Mossel. The ticket costs 7 dollars, and the trip will take no more than an hour. On Saturdays, a train departs from Cape Town, usually packed full of tourists.

Even if you were looking at the sights at the other end of the country, visiting the park is not out of the question. Even from remote corners of the country, for example, from Johannesburg, to Oudtsvorn there are daily buses of the company Intercape (the fare is 43 dollars).

You can stay here both in cottages and camping grounds, and in comfortable forest huts.

How can you have fun while visiting the park?

If after a busy workday you want to relax and soak up the sunshine, Garden Route is a very suitable place for this. The purest sandy beaches and warm waters of the ocean will not leave even the aesthetes of tourism indifferent. The season of bathing here lasts from September to May, but even in winter (from June to August), the water temperature does not drop below + 17-19 degrees.

For those who are going to examine the national park thoroughly and for more than one day, it's best to stay in George, a fairly large city with an airport and a host of hotels. Among the attractions of the Garden Rout are worth noting the following:

1. Naizna is a picturesque town located in the heart of the park. After visiting here, you will be able to brag to acquaintances that you saw a unique oyster farm in your own way. It is open from 10.00 to 22.00. It is more preferable to inspect the beauties of Garden Route while traveling on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe excursion train, which runs daily, except Sundays. It is necessary to specify in advance the time of his departure, since he walks from George to Naizna only two times a day. Usually George leaves the train at 14.00, and from Naizna at 9.45 and at 14.15. Distance between the end points, he overcomes in 2-2.5 hours. Here is located one of the most beautiful places in South Africa - Naizna-Handes. These are two giant cliffs that are separated by the Straits of the Straits.
2. Zoo and caves of Kango . According to experienced travelers, they are worth a look at. Farm-zoo, where you will be impressed by crocodiles, reptiles and even predators from the cat family, including Bengal tigers, related to the almost endangered species, works from 8.00 to 16.30 daily. In the caves of Kango you will have the opportunity to choose the most convenient route for you from half an hour to an hour and a half. Excursions on underground passages are held every hour from 9.00 to 16.00.
3. The elephant park, where you will get to know these amazing animals closer, is 20 km from Naizna and it works from 8.30 to 16.30.
4. Oudtsvorn is a real paradise for ostriches. Here there are about 400 ostrich farms, four of which are guided tours from 7.30 to 17.00 every half hour. You will be able not only to sit or ride on ostriches, but also to enjoy a real delicacy - ostrich steak.
5. The resorts of Pletenberg Bay and Storms River. From the last hand, you can reach the unique area of ​​Tsitsikamma, and Plettenberg Bay is a favorite place for tourist pilgrimage, especially for surfers.
6. The natural valley, which is worth a visit to all connoisseurs of wildlife, untouched by human activities.
7. Mossel Bay, which is located in the middle between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. On the local coast, the museum of the great seafarer Bartolomeo Dias, a shell museum with a huge aquarium, the Postal Tree, is the first post office in the whole of South Africa and the Maritime Museum.

Diving

If you have never tried diving, Garden Route is a great place for such impressions. Since there are two currents mixing here - the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and the cool Atlantic Ocean, the local underwater world is really unique. The best period for diving is the months from May to September, because at this time the water temperature is + 18-20 degrees, and visibility reaches 20 meters.

Experienced travelers recommend for diving Grut-Bank, located in the Bay of Plettenberg. Here you will not be indifferent to the mysterious underwater caves with small tunnels, where parrot fish, saber-toothed sharks live, etc. The depth here is equal to 25 m. The competition to this place is successfully made by Bruce-Sebek Bank near Nyzna where you can dive to the depth up to 31 m. Here you can admire the whole variety of sea sponges and hard and soft corals.

The Garden Route will appeal to fans of hiking, as well as to avid bicyclists. From west to east, the park is crossed by the 108 km long pedestrian path The Outeniqua. You can easily go on a journey through the mountain paths on a bicycle, choosing a route of suitable length and complexity. You will also be offered a ride or rent a kayak.

Cost

The cost of visiting the park depends on the site. In Wilderness, the ticket price for an adult is 96 South African rand, and for a child from 2 to 11 years old - 48 rand. A visit to Tsitsikamma will cost you 120 and 60 rand, and in Naizna - 80 and 40 rand, respectively. At the same time, Tsitsikamma is open for visits from 6.00 to 22.00, and it is possible to get to Wilderness from 7-7.30 to 18.00.