Road Trip with Your Family from Cape Town – Garden Route
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Are you travelling to South Africa with your children and want to sightsee and explore, but need to keep everyone happy?
Then a road trip with your family from Cape Town along the Garden Route is a brilliant option that is easy to do. Just remember that we drive on the left-hand side of the road.
There is a lot to explore and see along Garden Route; it will tick off the boxes for mom, dad and the kiddos too! Let’s jump in and look at my suggestion of a road trip route for your family, starting in Cape Town and ending at a safari lodge in the Eastern Cape.
What is the Garden Route?
The Garden Route isn’t a garden but it’s a 370km stretch officially from a town called Witsands in the Western Cape, to a village called Tsitsikamma just inside the border of the Eastern Cape, all in South Africa. A straight drive from point A to point B will take approximately 7 hours or so.
But living in Cape Town we loosely say the Garden Route runs from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, and that is about 650kms.
The Garden Route runs basically along the N2 highway in the southern area of South Africa and it is a very popular route for self-driving families and couples.
Note that there are tolls along this highway and you can pay by cash, credit or debit card.
Locals travel this route for a holiday, but travellers probably make the journey just as often!
The Garden Route is especially great for families who like to travel together, as it is so much fun! Most kids love being outdoors and exploring, and this is what they will get. From ostriches, and crocodile farms, deep caves and boat trips, your kids will have a blast. And so will you!
Family Road Trip Route: Cape Town – Garden Route
A journey up the Garden Route can be as long or as short as you want it to be. If you have the time, I suggest 10 days for a good, immersive trip where you can really see all of the highlights and have downtime as well.
There are packaged tours for 3 or 4 days but there is no way you will be able to explore everything that there is to see.
Young children don’t love being bundled up in a car for hours and hours, day after day, so make sure for the long stretches you have some car games in mind, or have some fun activities planned.
Approximate Driving Distances Along the Garden Route
It is a lot of driving, but there are interesting little farm stalls and many places to stop along the way if you need to get out and stretch your legs.
There are petrol stations (gas stations) along the way as well with restaurants and these are perfect for bathroom breaks and to stock up on road trip snacks.
If you were to drive from Cape Town straight through to Port Elizabeth (now called Gqeberha), it would take you around 10 hours with minimal stops.
From the road I have suggested, you can change your it slightly at certain points, or skip out what doesn’t interest you, so just use this as a base from which to plan your trip.
These distances below are the approximate distances you will drive following the route in order, starting from Cape Town.
| ROUTE | DISTANCE | APPROX DRIVING TIME |
| Cape Town – Mossel Bay | 390 kms | 4 hours |
| Mossel Bay – Oudtshoorn | 87 kms | 1 hour |
| Oudtshoorn to Knysna | 120 kms / 74 miles | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| Knysna to Port Elizabeth | 260 kms / 162 miles | 3 hours |
| Port Elizabeth to game lodge | 100 kms / 62 miles | 1 hour 30 minutes** |
| Driving to Game Lodges The distance and driving time from Port Elizabeth to a game lodge will vary but the approximate driving time will be about 1 hour – 2 hours. Driving will also be a bit longer as you move onto gravel roads and have to drive slower. |
Starting in Cape Town
You can do this Garden Route journey in the reverse order, but most people start with Cape Town as it’s a major hub with international airlines arriving here: United Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and loads more all fly into Cape Town. So, it makes sense to start off here.
You can either pick up a rental car as soon as you arrive, or book tours for your sightseeing in Cape Town, and then arrange for a rental car to be delivered to your hotel or guest house, the day before you want to head out along the Garden Route.
How long you stay in Cape Town for is up to you, but there are a couple of main attractions you can see and enjoy with your family before you start your Garden Route trip.
You can enjoy the sightseeing I’ve suggested below with your own rental car, book a set group trip, or book a private tour.
- The Cape Peninsula Tour (takes around a full day to enjoy to its fullest)
- The Winelands (yes, even with your kiddos!)
- City and Table Mountain Tour via cable car
Of course there is LOADS more to do, but if time is limited, I would suggest trying to get those in. And don’t forget the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront which is a great hit for everyone in your family!
Garden Route: Cape Town to Mossel Bay
Some people skip Mossel Bay, or just use it as an overnight stop. It’s about a 4.5 hour drive from Cape Town, and one night here is usually enough for most people.
However, if you are interested in South African history, or if you homeschool or worldschool your children, this does make a great educational stop.
Garden Route: Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn
If you decide to skip out Mossel Bay as a stop, you can take the inland route from Cape Town and drive directly through to Oudtshoorn which is a highlight and shouldn’t be missed.
Plan for stops as the drive from Cape Town to Oudtshoorn will take about 5 plus hours.
Personally, I love Oudtshoorn. I love being a tourist in my own back yard!
Two nights here will be enough to see the main highlights, but if its summer and you want to spend time relaxing by the pool and having a chill day, then rather stay for three nights.
Main highlights to see in Oudtshoorn:
- Visit an ostrich farm (Highgate Ostrich Farm & Safari Ostrich Farm are the two most popular ones) You can even stand on the eggs – yes, even you, dad!
- Tour the Cango Caves (if you’re brave enough, book the extension through the Devil’s Chimney)
- Say hi to the animals at the Cango Wildlife Ranch
A simple Oudtshoorn itinerary would be:
Day 1: Arrive around midday and in the afternoon visit an ostrich farm.
Day 2: In the morning visit the Cango Caves followed by the Cango Wildlife Ranch as they’re on the same road.
Day 3: Check out of your guest house and head in the direction of Knysna
There is another unique tour in Oudtshoorn, which I don’t think is done anywhere else in the country, and this is the Meerkat Experience.
This experience does start very early in the morning so if you are wanting to experience this with these furry little creatures, I would also suggest staying in Oudtshoorn for three nights.
Or, on your day three you can book this tour for the early morning, and then leave for Knysna afterwards.
Garden Route: Oudtshoorn to Knysna
You will need to take the Outeniqua Pass from Oudtshoorn to the town of George and then continue from George to Knysna which will take you just under an hour. This pass is incredibly scenic and worth doing.
You pronounce Knysna: nai-zzna.
I’ve called this section ‘Oudtshoorn to Knysna’ but if you don’t want to stay in Knysna, the alternative is to stay in Plettenberg Bay. Knysna and Plet (abbreviation of Plettenberg Bay) are only 30 minutes driving time apart.
In my opinion there is more to do in and around Knysna but it’s up to you.
For children, you have the beautiful Knysna Lagoon in Knysna where a lot of the activities happen. My suggestion if you have younger children, you should try and book a place to stay that is on the water’s edge. Kids love the mud and catching little crabs which they can safely do in low tide (just obviously keep an eye on them. Your kids, not the crabs).
If you choose to stay in Plet, there is the beach. So, if your preference is to stay near to the beach, then staying Plet might be the better choice.
Highlights of Knysna:
- A lagoon cruise (there are loads to choose from)
- A Scootour in the forest
- Quad biking through the forest
Highlights of Plettenberg Bay:
- Definitely a visit to Monkeyland!
- Swimming with seals
- Tsitsikamma full day tour
Now, just to reiterate what I said earlier, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are only 30 minutes apart, so it doesn’t really matter which town you book to stay in, you can do any of these activities from either town.
Garden Route: Knysna to Port Elizabeth
This is a 3-hour long stretch of driving so I would definitely include some stops to break it up.
I would recommend you almost make a day of it so you’re not feeling rushed.
Put a couple of hours aside and visit the Tsitsikamma National Forest. There is a not-so-strenuous hike where you reach the Storms River, and can cross the river mouth with the swing bridge.
It is inside the Tsitsikamma National Park so you will have to pay park entrance fees, but it’s definitely worth it.
Keep your eye out for dassies (also known as rock rabbits – but they don’t look anything like a rabbit, they’re actually considered to be one of the closest living relatives to the African elephant.) They are harmless and very skittish, so you don’t have anything to worry about.
Continuing on from Tsitsikamma, you can make a stop if Jeffrey’s Bay aka J-Bay, which is the surfing capital of South Africa. There are some awesome surf-style clothing factory shops here and it’s a good place to grab a casual bite to eat.
From here it’ll take about another hour of driving before you reach Port Eizabeth where you should stop for the night.
Add on a Game Reserve to Your Garden Route Road Trip
It’s a good idea to add on a couple of nights at a game lodge and end off your Garden Route exploration with a safari.
If you’ve rented a car and are self-driving, you can either return the rental car or have them collect it, and book road transfers to the lodge.
If you are going to a stay at a private game lodge, you won’t use your vehicle while you are there as you aren’t allowed to drive yourself around on private concessions.
If you are going to self-catering accommodation, like the SANPARKS camps for example in Addo Elephant National Park (there are also great guest houses in the area), then you can drive your own rental car around as you’ll be in the National Park.
An added bonus to booking a safari with kids in this area of the country is that it is a malaria-free area. There are still mosquitoes, but malaria hasn’t been found here so still use the big spray provided at the lodge.
Family-Friendly Game Lodges in the Eastern Cape
The following are a few suggestions of game lodges in the Eastern Cape that are geared for children and great for families.
- Mark’s Camp – Lalibela Game Reserve
- Woodbury Lodge – Amakhala Game Reserve
- Riverdene Lodge – Shamwari Private Game Reserve
- Ecca Lodge – Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Others that also offer a great safari experience but might not have programme’s set up for children (if this is important to you, check before you book):
If you love glamping and wood-fired hot tubs, then I would recommend:
There are a lot of options when it comes to family-friendly accommodation, but my biggest piece of advice would be to look at what is available for children to do depending on their ages, and book accordingly.
I would suggest that you read another article I’ve written for parents:
READ: Are safaris safe for kids?
From the lodge, the way to leave this area after an amazing road trip from Cape Town with your kids, is to head back to Port Elizabeth Airport (airport code: PLZ) and book your flight either back to Cape Town or to Johannesburg, depending on where your international flight if departing from.
This is hands down one of the best family road trips from Cape Town. Happy travelling – remember to have your batteries charged and camera ready at all times!
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