The Garden Route, Southern Cape, South Africa
The Garden Route stretches from Mossel Bay in the west to the Tsitsikamma in the east and is regarded as South Africa’s “Garden of Eden”. The region offers stunning scenery including pristine sandy beaches, lush indigenous forests, giant trees, deep gorges, tranquil lagoons and quaint seaside villages.
Any time of the year is good for visiting the area, depending on whether you want to enjoy a peaceful retreat during the winter months, or a slightly more bustling holiday destination during the summer.
Sample Itinerary
To help you, we have put together a sample itinerary based on a 2 week stay with added suggestions for
a 3rd week. Download Sample Itinerary (PDF)
What’s on throughout the year
- Hermanus Whale Festival – End of September
- Kirstenbosch Open Air Summer Concerts – December to March
- Symphony of Fireworks Competition – March & April
- Million Dollar Golf Challenge, Sun City – December
- Horse Racing J&B Meet in Capetown – January & February
- Grahamstown Arts Festival – July
- Bastille Festival in the Franschoek Winelands – Mid July
- Capetown Fashion Week – August
- Simons Town Penguin Festival – September
- V&A Waterfront, Capetown, Dragon Boat Festival – November
- Franschoek Cheese Festival – Last weekend in April
- Knysna Oyster Fest – July
- Capetown Jazz Fest – March
- Summer Arts Season at Spier – November to April
- Cape Gourmet Festival – May
- V&A Waterfront, Capetown, Wine Festival – May
- Jeffreys Bay Billabong Surfing Competitions – June & July
- Whale Season – July to October
South African Climate – Garden Route
The Garden Route, Western Cape has a Mediterranean maritime climate with nicely warm, sunny Summers and mild Winters, and there are always at least 10 hours of daylight throughout the year. When there are showers, the rain is brought by the balmy sea-winds from the Indian Ocean, and any damp days are always interspersed with wonderful days to rival the best of any British Summer.
- SPRING – average 12- 22°c September, October, November
- SUMMER – average 17 – 27° c December, January, February
- AUTUMN – average 13 – 24° c March, April, May
- WINTER – average 8 – 18° c June, July, August
