I had such a hard time planning my own Garden Route road trip because every blog post I read was completely different. After hours of research, I finally whipped up the perfect 7-day Garden Route South Africa itinerary traveling round trip from Cape Town. The Garden Route is a scenic and ecologically diverse region in South Africa and one of the most famous road trips in the country! It highlights some of the most stunning landscapes in the country, with epic coastlines, towering mountains, and lush forests.
You could alternatively start in Cape Town and end in Port Elizabeth or vice versa , or drive round trip from Port Elizabeth, to cut out some of the drive time. The Garden Route in South Africa is one of the best road trips in the country. Here are some of my favorite photos from my trip to inspire your travels! The best time to drive the Garden Route in South Africa is during the spring or summer. Some of my packing list recommendations are featured later in this post!
If you want to catch the Fynbos in bloom, spring is the best time to see the flowers, and the season only has moderate chances of rain.
July to October is also an excellent time to plan a Garden Route road trip if you want to see pods of migrating whales with their calves off the coast of Hermanus! The weather in Cape Town is similar to SoCal, and my new stomping grounds are beautiful days a year.
Here is the best time to go to South Africa! You could easily do two weeks and still not see it all! Remember that I was traveling with my parents, so my accommodation recommendations reflect family-style accommodation with sleeping for 4. However, you can eat for MUCH cheaper, especially if you stay at self-catering accommodation and cook for yourself. You could rent a much more economical car and spend much less than we did. Before you touch down in South Africa, check the weather forecast for your travel dates and use that as a guideline to pack for your trip.
