Discover the picturesque Garden Route in South Africa.

Go whale watching in South Africa.

Humpback whales are abundant in the Hermanus Sea area, just a 90-minute drive from Cape Town. Here, you'll have the chance to see these whales exhale towering columns of water, just a few dozen meters from the shore. The town of Hermanus hosts a whale-watching festival every September – the time when these giant whales from the south pass through the area in large numbers. During the festival, there's even a person who warns the crowd about the whales' arrival by blowing a whistle made from kelp. If you don't like the tedious wait on the beach, you can choose a hotel near the beach to watch the whales from your balcony.

Dive into the Serengeti Sea

Just a 40-minute drive along the Garden Route, you'll find Gansbaai. Locally known as the Serengeti of the sea, it boasts an incredibly rich underwater ecosystem, home to five major marine species: whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, and sharks.

The Serengeti is a renowned savanna grassland ecosystem in Africa, stretching from northern Tanzania to southwestern Kenya within the latitudes of 1 to 3 degrees South and longitudes of 34 to 36 degrees West, covering an area of ​​approximately 30,000 km².

See Ogle the ostrich in Oudtshoorn

Although it takes four hours to travel from Gansbaai to Oudtshoorn, the journey is well worth it, with stunning scenery along the way, including the treacherous Tradouw Pass and the winding Huisrivier Pass, a popular spot for leopards to roam. While Cango Cave boasts impressive prehistoric limestone formations, stalactites, and stalagmites, Oudtshoorn is home to the world's largest ostrich population, with numerous farms offering tours or walking tours to observe these majestic birds.

Experience the feeling of happiness on the water.

Continuing south towards the coast, you'll reach Knysna – a charming resort town right in the heart of the Garden Route. Here, you'll find a large, beryl-blue lagoon that spills out into the sea from between two massive sandstone headlands known as the Heads. Here, you can choose from activities such as hiking through the lush green forest, considered the town's lungs, or heading to the lagoon area for fishing, kayaking, waterskiing, and swimming.

Go sightseeing in the town.

Just a half-hour drive east will take you to Plettenberg Bay. Here you'll find the rocky Robberg Nature Reserve, where you can spot seals, visit the sandy central beach, or explore the Stone Age Nelson Caves. It's also a great place to take a town tour, meet locals from the Qolweni community, visit the Liyakhula town nursery, and learn about the town's rich history along the way.

In the evening, you can stay at Tsala Treetop Lodge just outside town – an elegant high-altitude resort decorated in an African-American style and nestled in an ancient native forest.

Relax in a green environment.

Locals like to call Tsitsikamma, north of the Storms River, the Garden Route. Tsitsikamma, meaning "place with abundant water," boasts a long river valley, a volcanic "ocean," and mist-shrouded forests clinging to lush mountains. If you have the chance to visit, be sure to pack some hiking boots to explore the verdant trails, visit the Storms River, and cross the Bloukrans Bridge – the world's highest bridge – for a bungee jump.

*Bungee jumping is an extreme sport in which participants climb a tall tower, strap a harness around their body, and hurl themselves down towards the ground (or water). When they are just a short distance from the surface, they are pulled back up. This adventurous experience has developed into a popular tourist activity in many parts of the world.

Hannah Nguyen