South Africa’s Garden Route

On arrival in Cape Town we will be met by our comfortable coach and transfer to the Old Company Garden, which takes its name from the Dutch East India Company who first started the garden in 1652 for the victualing of their ships that plied the spice trade route between Europe and the East Indies, via The Cape of Good Hope. Among the highlights are the oldest cultivated pear tree in South Africa, estimated to have been planted in 1652; historic statues and a sundial dated 1781 in the centre of the garden; a rose garden designed and built in 1929 and a Japanese theme garden with a stone Japanese lantern donated by the Japanese Ambassador in 1932.

We continue to our accommodation for the next three nights at the four-star Premier Hotel Cape Town. There will be some free time to relax before a welcome dinner in the evening.

Today, following an early breakfast, we will explore the many trails on top of Table Mountain (don’t worry - we will get to the top by the five minute cable car!). The indigenous flora of the mountain encompasses some 1470 species, including many different species of Erica and Iris. South Africa’s national flower, the Protea is also abundant on the slopes.

We will then visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, beautifully situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. These world renowned gardens are dedicated to the preservation of the indigenous plants of Southern Africa. Some 6000 different species are grown here including ancient cycads and many species of protea, erica, pelargoniums and ferns. This is truly one of the world’s top gardens. A guided tour is included here.

Following our visit here we return to the hotel.

After breakfast we depart for a visit to Babylonstoren, one of the best preserved werfs (farm yards) in the Cape Dutch tradition, comprising not only the manor house from 1777, but pioneer structures all the way back to the founding of the farm in 1690. The Koornhuis (for storing wheat and hay) and the old cellar are exceptional. An ornate fowl house, pigeon loft, leaning bell tower and historic gates embellish a traditional courtyard surrounded by a low, whitewashed wall. A fruit and vegetable garden of botanical diversity supplies a remarkable restaurant.

In the afternoon we visit Stellenbosch Botanical Garden, the oldest university garden in South Africa, featuring an enormous variety of plants from across the globe. These include aquatic plants from the Amazon, tropical orchids, insectivorous plants from Borneo, Puya plants from Chile, Mexican cacti, members of the Proteaceae family as well as Welwitschia from the Namib desert; mesembs, euphorbias and stapeliads from the Karoo and Namaqualand, economic plants, herbs and many others. Because of spatial restrictions the garden concentrates on dwarf plants such as succulents, indigenous dwarf shrubs and pot plants.

We return to our hotel in Cape Town, where the evening is free.

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and visit the Helderberg Nature Reserve, where we will have the chance to have a final look at some of South Africa’s diverse flora in the mountain fynbos.

We shall then visit the Vergelegen Wine Estate where we shall view their beautiful gardens. Vergelegen (meaning ‘situated far away’) has been a gardener’s paradise from the time the land was first tamed by Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1700, since when has passed through a succession of owners. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited during their tour of 1947 and were said to be “overcome by Vergelegen’s loveliness”. The gardens were restored in 1987 and now feature a White Garden, a Rose Garden and the magnificent Octagonal Garden, which has views to the house along 400m of twin herbaceous borders. Along with summer flowering perennials, annuals such as cleome and nicotiana are planted in September.

We continue to the Windsor Hotel in Hermanus, a lovely little town which forms the centre of the Whale Route, where the evening is free.

Following breakfast we offer the option of joining a boat trip in search of cetaceans. This is a good time of year for whale watching and we can expect to see Southern Right whales; if we are lucky we may also see Bryde's whales, dolphins, seals and a variety of marine life.

In the afternoon we head inland to the Fernkloof Nature Reserve, which covers 1800 ha in the Kleinrivier Mountains above Hermanus and ranges in altitude from sea level to 842 m. It protects coastal and mountain fynbos and a small patch of evergreen forest and there is no other place on earth where so many different species can be seen growing in such close proximity, including great numbers of Ericaceae, such as the endemic Erica hermani. Keep an eye out too for animals such as klipspringer, baboon and dassie and birds such as cape sugar bird, sunbirds, rock thrush, jackal buzzard and black eagle.

We return to our hotel in Windsor where we have the evening at leisure.

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and set out on the Garden Route, driving over Shaw’s Pass to Caledon and on to Swellendam, Riverdale and finally Mossel Bay, where we visit the Dias Complex Museum. Named after the master marnier who was the first explorer to set foot on South African soil here in 1488, the museum dates back to the 1960s and comprises a number of exhibits. The Granary Museum features a live specimen table with examples of plants and flowers found in the Mossel Bay area; the Post Tree is where seamen used to leave messages in an iron pot by the tree; the Munrohoek Cottages date from around 1830 and there is a botanical garden.

We continue to the seaside town of Wilderness, our base for the next two nights. Evening at leisure.

Following breakfast we set out for a full day walking tour with a local guide in the Wilderness National Park, which protects three major zones of indigenous forest, four types of fynbos (wild shrubs) plus various lakes and waterways. The wildlife is varied, and includes the Knysna seahorse, pansy shell, pied kingfisher, Knysna lourie, grey heron, and little egret.

Evening at leisure in Wilderness.

Checking out of the hotel after breakfast, we continue along the Garden Route via Knysna, where we will see the cliffs either side of a notoriously dangerous sea channel, and the harbour town of Plettenberg Bay to the Tsitsikamma National Park, whose name comes from the Khoeke (formerly Hottentot) language meaning ‘clear water’. Here, for those brave enough, we will take a walk over the famous suspension bridge which hangs just seven metres above the churning waters of the Storm River as it enters the foamy Indian Ocean. The pathway leading to the suspension bridge covers 900 metres of the indigenous Tsitsikamma forest. There are plenty of steps to negotiate, but it remains a fairly easy route, particularly if covered slowly and is well worth the magnificent views. Birds accompany walkers along the way and there are a number of lookout point and places to have a seat and rest, while enjoying the vistas of the turquoise ocean.

We continue to Port Elizabeth (or Gqeberha as it has been officially known since February 2021), one of several places around the world to share the soubriquet of ‘The Windy City’, where overnight accommodation has been arranged.

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and transfer to Port Eilzabeth airport for our morning flight to Durban. On arrival we will be met by a coach and transfer to the Southern Drakensberg Mountains.

Following breakfast we will have a leisurely botanical walk within the immediate vicinity of the hotel giving an introduction to the native flora.  The dramatic terrain of the Drakensberg range has made it one of South Africa’s prime mountaineering areas, however, you do not need to be a seasoned climber to get the best out of the area. The scenery surrounding the hotel is outstanding with beautiful indigenous trees and plants, including varieties of protea and ancient tree ferns. Dinner will be served at the hotel.

Today you have the option of relaxing in the hotel our joining our optional full day excursion to the nearby independent kingdom of Lesotho, travelling in 4x4 vehicles on the spectacular mountain road that runs through the Sani Pass. Originally developed as a bridle path in 1913, the pass served as an important link between the Underberg district and the remote settlement of Mokhotlong and it remains the only border crossing with Kwa-Zulu Natal. The first motor vehicle negotiated the path in 1948 since when it has become a highlight of the Southern Drakensberg. The superb scenery is one of soaring mountain peaks (over 3000m), interspersed with verdant valleys. The tour will reveal the history of the pass, the geology of the mountains, the natural history and a unique experience with the Basotho people - a glimpse into traditional Africa. A cold beer and lunch at the highest pub in Africa is included before the descent back to Underberg.

Dinner is served back at our hotel in the evening.

We leave Drakensberg today and begin our journey back to Durban, which we will break with a visit to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Botanical Garden in Pietermaritzburg, known as the City of Flowers. The gardens were established in the early 1870s and essentially focus on conservation and propagation of rare and endangered indigenous plants, and the cultivation of east coast grasslands. There are some fantastic examples of northern hemisphere plants too, such as tulip and camphor trees, giant figs, magnolias and swamp cypresses. The birdlife, as a result, is magnificent with over 150 recorded species. The garden is also famed for its long avenue of plane trees, planted in 1908, at the end of which is a bell tower that houses a ship bell from the HMS Princess on which King George V crossed the channel in 1918. There is also a garden of indigenous medicinal plants, displayed around a traditional Zulu hut.

We continue to our hotel in Durban, our base for the final two nights of our tour. Evening at leisure.

Enjoy your breakfast. We have three gardens on the menu today, beginning with the Japanese Gardens in Durban. Bamboo, reeds and Japanese blossoms provide tranquility with an authentic Eastern feel, while the garden breeze carries pretty scents from blooms that change colours throughout the seasons. Traditional ponds are home to Japanese Koi Carp who bring luck to the water features and keep the wide variety of water lilies company; clipped hedges provide visual depth mimicking the rolling Japanese hills and arched bridges hold steps of contemplation that arc across the streams where water birds and weavers play amongst Japanese frog statues.

We continue to Makaranga Garden Lodge, a luxury hotel just outside Durban with a private botanic garden which we will tour. Throughout the garden there is an impressive variety of both indigenous and exotic trees, including many rare species of Orchid, Camellia and Rhododendron. There are 18 ponds, including the Venus Pond and Long Pond, the latter being the largest waterway in Makaranga, and many beautiful statues in stone, bronze and marble, which have been imported from Italy and Zimbabwe. These graceful statues keep a watchful eye over the "Blue Pond", so named because of the bias towards different shades of blue and purple plant material.  The authentic Japanese Garden boasts original bridges, walkways, stone lanterns and hand carved figures, all imported from Japan and set out according to ancient traditions. The ponds create a sense of stillness and calm, while the exquisite water lilies proudly display their pinks and purples. Following our tour we will enjoy lunch here.

In the afternoon we depart for a guided tour of Durban’s splendid Botanical Gardens. Laid out on slopes, high enough to catch cool breezes, its beautiful collection of palms, trees, orchids and water lilies are superbly displayed. The gardens are world famous for the original specimens of Encephalartos woodii, a cycad that is still acknowledged as probably the rarest plant in the world, as well as for its comprehensive collection of other Southern African cycad species. The orchid house is named after Ernest Thorp, who built it up to its position of world fame as the first "naturalistic" display house.

We return to our hotel this evening where no doubt you will want to gather with new-found friends over a glass of something cold and look back over the amazing sights, sounds and smells we have enjoyed here in South Africa.

We transfer to Durban airport for our return overnight flight to London.

We arrive in London.