South Africa Part 2: The Garden Route

From Johannesburg, it's possible to drive all the way down to Port Elizabeth - although we took a plane to get there! 'PE', as this city is also called, is known for being either the start or end point of one of the most scenic drives of our planet: the Garden Route! From here, we will drive all the way from the Eastern Cape to the 'Mother City' in the Western Cape: Cape Town.

We made it to the Coast!

On the airport of Port Elizabeth, one can rent a car at one of the many car rental companies. Be advised, though: if you're traveling during the peak season, it's smart to arrange your car rental well in advance. We were lucky: there was literally one (!) car available: a small but sturdy Nissan. If you're used to driving in Europe (apart from Great Britain) or The States, driving on the other side of the road and having your steering wheel at the other side inside the car, might take some getting used to.

Driving on the left, with your steering wheel on the right: welcome to SA.

From 'PE', one can take the '2' Highway which leads all the way to Cape Town. It sounds like a long drive, but you can in fact drive this 'Garden Route' in one or two days. That's not the point, however: take your time, make a lot of stops, enjoy the views, the food and the sea! First stop on your road trip from PE to CT should be the chilled-down village of Jeffreysbaai, an old hippie colony turned surfer hipster heaven. Even though I don't surf, the vibe of this small town is nice enough to get me that instant holiday feeling.

Follow the snaking roads along the coast.

Although the Number 2 Highway leads you to some very beautiful vistas, make sure to also check out the smaller routes along the way. If you look at South Africa on the map, you'll see that the route will take you along the coast, but this road is also built to get you from PE to CT as soon as possible. After checking out (and sleeping in) a town called George, we continue our way inland, to take a lunch stop at Knysna (very busy with tourists in high season) and get some afternoon snacks in the South African countryside.

In Albertinia, you'll find the best dried meat in the country.

We make a short pit stop in Albertinia, a small village in a dry area, where we find a store that is specialized in dry meat. It's a South African delicacy only vegetarians are allowed to skip: everywhere in South Africa you can get biltong (dried and sliced beef, often spiced) and Droëwors (dried sausage). With a bag of some sausages and sliced biltong, we are good to hit the road again.

Plaasvars, for your 'Vars Vleis', fresh meat.

We spend the night in a small hotel in Heidelberg, and have lunch in a small village called 'Swellendam'. Being a Dutchman, it's weird to see all the Dutch houses (in 'Cape Dutch' style) - Swellendam even has a Dutch Reformed Church. Although all the villages we visit are beautiful - all have nice restaurants, comfy hotels and pretty architecture, it's weird to see all that as soon as one leaves the town, townships pop up on the edges. With the Johannesburg Apartheid Museum insights still fresh in our minds, we are still seeing that there still is so much inequality in South Africa.

A Dutch Church in Swellendam.

Especially in the South African Summer, driving the Garden Route is quite comfortable. With the sun on your face and open windows, it's one of the best road trips I've ever been on. Even though temperatures are quite high, you'll be able to spot penguins (!) along the way. Make sure to check out Betty's Bay, where you can walk alongside a wooden boardwalk to see a big group of penguins swimming, eating and chilling in the summer sun.

Penguins?!

When you are as far as Betty's Bay, you're almost done with driving the Garden Route. If you want to extend the experience, however, you could choose to drive into Africa's most Southern peninsula, where you can visit Africa's most Southern point: Cape L'Agulhas. If you want to take a swim, however, it's best to drive a bit eastwards, and go for a dive in Arniston. It's the last place where a dive in the sea isn't extremely cold: from the most Southern tip to Cape Town, cold streams will make you think twice before taking a dip.

Made it to the Western Cape.

It's almost the last stop on the Garden Route, and although the waters around Hermanus are too cold for us to swim in, we can stroll for hours on the beautiful paths created along the coastline. Hermanus is also unique for the whales who swim so close to the shore, that you can easily spot them from the mainland! Unfortunately, we are just a bit too late for the whale spotting season, but the stunning scenery easily compensates for that. Now, we really getting close to Cape Town - but a small deroute to the wine area of Stellenbosch is a welcome point to relax, drink some wine, and get ready for our stay in the Mother City: Cape Town! See Part 3 of our trip in my South Africa Guide.

Hoi! My name is Joost Bastmeijer, and I’m a Dutch freelance travel writer and photojournalist currently traveling through Africa. Check out my photos on Instagram at instagram.com/joostbastmeijer, or visit my website to see some more of my work: joostbastmeijer.com!

Almost in Cape Town.