5 Day Garden Route and Addo Adventure

Join us for the road trip of a lifetime. Earthstompers Adventures operates a 5-Day, one-way tour from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth departing every Monday. The trip includes the Southernmost point in Africa, the Garden Route, Addo Elephant Park, and more. Prices from R 5200.

Unfamiliar with the area?  Traveling alone?  On a budget?  Don’t trust your better half with the driving? Our tours are a great way to have a safe and eventful journey in a short period of time.  We take all the hassle out of arranging a trip, and provide accommodation, most meals, a guide/driver, and a well-chosen itinerary. We have been operating Garden Route tours since 2006, and have chosen our favorite sites and activities to include along the way. Our tours offer a great mix of nature, culture, and adventure.

Tour groups typically range between 4-12 persons, from all over the world.

Price:

Itinerary:

Day 1: Cape Town – Hermanus – Cape Agulhas

We depart from Cape Town/Stellenbosch early on Monday morning for Hermanus. We follow the scenic coastal road stopping at Betties Bay to view a colony of endangered African Penguins. You can spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for hundreds of Southern Right Whales during the Whale season (July to November) and many shops, beaches, restaurants and markets. In the afternoon we will drive on to Cape Agulhas (the most Southern Tip of Africa). We will visit a view point at the most southern Tip of Africa also known as the “real” place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. You will have plenty of time to have a walk down to the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere.

* Shark Cage Diving Clients will be picked up in Cape Town early Monday morning by the Shark Operator. Shark diving clients will only meet up with the tour group after lunch on the 1^st Day and will miss out on the first half of Day 1.

Day 2:  Cape Agulhas – Mossel Bay – Sedgefield

We depart for Sedgefield after breakfast. We will stop in Mossel Bay for lunch and to spend some time on the spectacular beaches, hike the Cape St Blaize trail along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, and visit the famous Diaz Museum Complex. The more adventurous can try a 10 000 foot Tandem Skydive or Sand Boarding on the highest dune in South Africa. Late afternoon is for a leisurely walk on Myoli beach or just relaxing with a beer overlooking Myoli beach. 

Day 3:  Sedgefield – Knysna – Plettenberg Bay

After breakfast we head for the Touw River Waterfall in Wilderness National Park with some canoes. Enjoy a paddle up the Touw River through the indigenous forest, enjoying the abundance of birdlife. After about 40 minutes of easy paddling the canoes will be left for a 2km hike along a boardwalk which will take us to the waterfall, where you will be able to relax and enjoy the sounds of nature. After the canoeing we will head to the famous town of Knysna via the spectacular Lake District of the Garden Route. In this up-market little town filled with curios, restaurants and a waterfront you will be able to replenish and lose yourself. After Knysna we will head to the Knysna Heads viewpoint with some spectacular views over Knysna River estuary and the Indian Ocean. Late afternoon you can spend exploring Plettenberg Bay with its spectacular views and beaches.

Day 4: Plettenberg Bay –Tsitsikamma - Addo

After breakfast, off to Tsitsikamma National Park. En route a stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge (216 metres). There is plenty of time for the adventure seekers among you to test their courage. The afternoon will be spent in the National Park with its unique combination of indigenous forest and the beautiful Indian Ocean. This provides a wide choice of activities for all, including long and short hikes, crossing the suspension bridge and swimming. Late afternoon we will leave the Garden Route for Big 5 country, Addo.

Day 5: Addo – Wilderness

This morning we will spend exploring Addo Elephant National Park. We will spend up to 4-5 hours exploring a 28 000 hectare National reserve with over 450 elephant and some Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino, warthog, zebra, eland, koedoe, hartebeest and many more animals. Tour will end between 13:00 and 14:00 in Port Elizabeth.

Tour Information:

Pick Up

Guests will be picked up between 07:00 and 09:00 from accommodation establishments in Cape Town and about 09:30 in Stellenbosch. If guests do not live in Cape Town or Stellenbosch additional transport has to be arranged into the city, or guests will be picked up along the way.

If guests choose to do the optional shark cage diving, they will be picked up in Cape Town early Monday morning by the shark diving company. They will meet up with the tour group after lunch on the first day and will miss the first half of the Day 1 itinerary.

Itinerary

The company reserves the right to change itinerary, accommodation, and transport along the way should circumstances dictate. Unfortunately many of these outdoor activities are weather dependent, which could force changes in the itinerary. The guide will try his or her best to arrange events according to prevailing weather conditions.

Vehicles

The vehicles that we will be touring in are fully air-conditioned and can comfortably seat 8 adults including driver/guide or 14 adults including driver/guide. We also have a CD and Mp3 player in the bus. You are welcome to bring your own music (and if it is not too terrible we can play it).  All vehicles have valid operating licenses to convey paying customers.

Guides

All guides are well trained, experienced, and African born. By law we are required to use THETA registered and qualified guides with professional drivers licenses. Earthstompers makes use of only the best guides that will make sure you get a laid back, funny, relaxing, informative and safe trip.

Meals

All meals have been selected by management and include traditional South African meals. Breakfast would normally be a combination of healthy continental breakfast with fruits, cereals, yoghurt and toast or cooked breakfasts. Please advise us of any special dietary requirements in advance.

Lunch and drinks are on guests’ own account.

Accommodation

All the accommodation has been selected over many years for its cleanliness, unique setting, closeness to nature and great atmosphere whilst not forgetting the need for home comforts.

Accommodation at the backpackers takes the form of dormitory rooms with shared bathroom facilities. Upgrades to single and double backpacker rooms with shared bathroom facilities and upgrades to backpacker rooms with en-suite bathrooms are available. 

Guest House upgrades to single, double or twin en-suite rooms are available at an additional cost. All bedding and towels will be provided. 

Cancellation Policy

The following cancelation fees will apply should you wish to cancel your tour. Please note we will charge a cash-handling fee of 15% if you should cancel more than 30 days before departure to cover our bank charges.

30 days – 15 days: 25% of the total of the booking

14 days – 8 days: 50% of the total of the booking

7 days or less: 100% of the total of the booking

No-show: 100% of the total of the booking

Insurance

It is strongly recommended that you hold comprehensive travel insurance to safeguard you against possible unforeseen emergency. Earthstompers has comprehensive passenger and public liability insurance.

Exclusion of liability

Earthstompers, or its employees and agents shall not be responsible for and shall be exempt from any liability in respect of loss, damage, injury, accident, delay or inconvenience to any person or their luggage or other personal property under any circumstances whatsoever whilst on tour.

What do you need?

A love for nature, an adventurous spirit and an earthstomping sense of humour. Of course it would not be a bad thing to bring along a rain jacket, camera, swimming clothes, sunscreen, towel, hat, warm jacket and personal toiletries.

Malaria

Our tours take place in a malaria-free area. No anti-malaria precautions are necessary. You are however advised to bring insect repellent during summer. 

Optional Activities

The Optional Activities are not included in your tour price because these are activities that not everybody will be able to do. For example: Not everybody would like to jump of a 216 m bridge or jump from a plane at 10 000 feet. These activities can be paid in cash or credit card directly to the operator. Your guide will book these activities the day that the tour departs. Shark diving and whale watching optional activities need to be booked at least a week before the tour departs.  All included activities are not physically demanding and can be enjoyed by all ages, shapes and sizes on tour.