14-Day Best of the Cape and Garden Route Luxury Tour

• Clients collect their self-drive vehicle at the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Arrival in Cape Town

On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you'll collect your rental vehicle and drive to the 5-star Cellars-Hohenort Hotel & Spa, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Nestled in the heart of Constantia, only 15 minutes from the Cape Town city center, Cellars Hohenort with its picturesque vineyards and tranquil gardens will be your luxurious accommodation for the next four nights. All accommodation on this tour is offered on a bed and breakfast basis.

Set at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans and backed by the iconic Table Mountain, the bustling city of Cape Town presents an alluring combination of drawcards. Incredible powdery white beaches, highly acclaimed wine routes, and astonishingly beautiful mountain trails surround a cosmopolitan hub. This diverse metropolis is filled with superb shops and restaurants, extraordinary heritage monuments, a multitude of entertainment venues, and a spectacular, chic waterfront harbor.

Main Destination:

Cape Town (City)

Accommodation:

The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Cape Town (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Explore Greater Cape Town at your Leisure

This self-drive tour includes a medium-sized group E rental car (automatic). It is possible to upgrade or downgrade to a different vehicle, or to request a privately guided tour instead of a self-drive tour (extra cost).

You'll explore greater Cape Town. Once you have booked, we'll provide you with a handy travel information guide for Cape Town, along with our useful self-drive guide with safety tips. We'll provide you with our best recommendations for what to see and do during your time in Cape Town.

Here are some of the optional attractions, activities, and day tours in the Cape Town area (not included in the cost estimate below):

Table Mountain Cableway.
Cape Point and Cape Peninsula, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.
Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour.
Cape Town Sightseeing Bus.
Boulders Beach Penguin Colony.
Robben Island museum.
Guided township tour.
Guided hike up Lions Head or Table Mountain.
A boat cruise to a colony of Cape Fur Seals near Hout Bay.
The famous GOLD Restaurant.

Main Destination:

Cape Town (City)

Accommodation:

The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Cape Town (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Hermanus

A 90-minute drive from Cape Town lies the quaint seaside resort town of Hermanus, known as one of the best whale-watching destinations in the world. This town is also famed for its natural scenic beauty, featuring long stretches of pristine beaches. An excellent variety of restaurants, cafes, and bars are on offer. Hermanus is more than just a popular holiday destination and offers visitors all kinds of activities, both energetic and relaxing. You can explore the Old Harbour Museum and Fisherman’s Village, the Whale House Museum, hike through the Fernkloof Nature Reserve, and sample an array of top-quality wine along the Hermanus Wine Route. Choose from various optional activities like whale watching, boat trips, guided sea kayaking, and horse riding (activities and excursions cost extra).

You'll spend two nights at the luxurious Marine Hotel. The Marine is one of South Africa’s most spectacular seaside hotels, located on Hermanus’ famous cliff path, overlooking Walker Bay.

Main Destination:

Hermanus (Whales)

Accommodation:

The Marine Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Hermanus (Whales)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Cape Agulhas and on to Plettenberg Bay

Leaving Hermanus after breakfast, you'll head east toward the Garden Route, and take time for a short detour to visit the southernmost tip of Africa, at Cape Agulhas. From here, you'll continue along the N2 to the popular seaside town of Plettenberg Bay, in the heart of the spectacular Garden Route. The Portuguese explorers called it the 'Beautiful Bay', and it’s easy to see why — Plettenberg Bay is a picturesque, charming town with endless pristine beaches, tranquil lagoons, clean rivers, Indigenous forests, and a dramatic rocky peninsula. Playground to the wealthy, beach mansions overlook the Indian Ocean, often dotted with luxury yachts. You'll feel at peace here as simply swimming in the warm water on a safe beach is a great way to experience the beauty of Plettenberg Bay.

Your luxury accommodation for the next three nights is the Plettenberg Hotel, perched on the hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. This is the perfect base from which to explore the Garden Route.

Main Destination:

Plettenberg Bay (Garden Route)

Accommodation:

The Plettenberg Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Plettenberg Bay (Garden Route)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Explore the Garden Route

The scenic Garden Route (sometimes called the Garden of Eden) offers different activities and sightseeing attractions. Our detailed Garden Route travel guide will help you choose what to include and what to leave out. (We will send you this useful information guide once you have booked).

Close to Plettenberg Bay, you can go on beautiful coastal or forest hikes, go swimming with seals, enjoy a boat cruise, or go kayaking. Adrenaline seekers can visit Bloukrans Bridge to do the highest bridge bungee jump on earth, or just try the tied-in, stomach-turning "bridge hang" if the bungee is not for you. Other optional activities nearby include the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour (ziplines through the forest), Blackwater Tubing, Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, Knysna Elephant Sanctuary, Knysna Township tour, Knysna Lagoon cruise, and some of the world's best golf courses.

It is possible to customize this tour by spending one or more additional nights along the Garden Route (at an extra cost).

Main Destination:

Garden Route

Accommodation:

The Plettenberg Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Plettenberg Bay (Garden Route)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Garden Route - Oudtshoorn

You'll now head inland, away from the coast, to a drier part of the Garden Route. Located along the well-known Route 62 in South Africa’s beautiful Klein (Little) Karoo, the charming town of Oudtshoorn is known as the ostrich capital of the world. It is surrounded by numerous ostrich farms and the golden arid landscape of the Little Karoo. You can enjoy the locally produced wine and port; sample ostrich meat and biltong; learn about the ostrich feather boom at the C.P. Nel Museum; and visit the world-renowned Cango Caves, the largest cave system in Africa featuring stalactites and stalagmites. Other popular activities include a sunrise Meerkat safari, a game drive at Buffelsdrift Game Reserve, mountain biking or hiking in the Swartberg mountains, horse riding, a visit to Rust-en-Vrede waterfall, or a leisurely drive up the scenic Swartberg Pass.

You'll spend two nights at the Denne Country Guesthouse. Need more time to explore? Ask us about adding an extra night (extra cost).

Main Destination:

Oudtshoorn (Garden Route)

Accommodation:

De Denne

• Luxury guest house located near Oudtshoorn (Garden Route)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Cape Winelands

You'll drive along the R62 towards Franschhoek, nestled among the inspiring landscapes of the Cape Winelands. Franschhoek is a heritage town and a world-renowned food and wine destination. Whatever inspires you — nature, cuisine, or culture — you will find plenty to see and do in this scenic little village. The popular Franschhoek Wine Tram visits several top estates, which attract wine experts from around the globe with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cap Classique sparkling wine (among others). Five-star restaurants alongside the cellars are surrounded by the same valley scenes that have brought artists and writers to the area for centuries. The town’s epic scenery, outdoor trails and activities, Cape Dutch manor houses, fascinating museums, and charming boutiques, make Franschhoek a wonderful place to visit in summer or winter.

You'll stay overnight for two nights at Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa, a luxury oasis just outside of town with beautiful gardens and views.

Main Destination:

Franschhoek (Winelands)

Accommodation:

Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa

• Luxury hotel located in Franschhoek (Winelands)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Back to Cape Town International Airport

You'll enjoy your last morning relaxing in Franschhoek. You'll check out by 10 am and drive to Cape Town International Airport (just over an hour away). You'll return the rental car to the airport and fly home with wonderful memories of an epic South African adventure.

This tour includes a group E rental car (automatic). It is possible to request a different rental car (price change). It is also possible to book this tour on a fully guided basis, with a private guide and vehicle to take you everywhere. This will cost more.

This tour does NOT include a safari (apart from the option to book a game drive at Buffelsdrift in Oudtshoorn). If you wish to include a few nights on safari, we can assist you in tweaking the itinerary to add a couple of nights on safari at Sanbona Game Reserve, close to Montagu, or at Gondwana Game Reserve, close to Mosselbay, or else adding two nights at a game reserve in the Eastern Cape. This is very doable but will extend the tour length, and will cost extra.

Main Destination:

Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• Clients return their self-drive vehicle at the airport.