A recent family vacation found us taking a trip up The Garden Route and spending a week in Knysna, as well as visiting Plettenberg Bay. This area has always been a firm favourite, and we usually try and stay on Thesen Island. Thesen is ideal, especially if you have children, as they can safely cycle and walk around the island.
The Garden Route
For those of you who have never been, the Garden Route is a popular and scenic stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. The trip from Cape Town to Knysna usually takes us approximately 6 hours, with a few stops along the way.
I thought I would share a bit about our recent Garden Route trip, as well as some of the photographs I took.
Thesen Island
We booked a lovely home on Thesen Island, through Airbnb, set overlooking the parklands. Our girls love the freedom of being able to explore on their own and quite happily walk to the restaurants, which are a mere few minutes away.
One of our favourite spots to eat out on Island is Ile de Païn – they make the most scrumptious pastries, and their coffee is superb. We also enjoyed delicious, fresh oysters at Whet, which has replaced Quay Four.
A highlight of our stay was a boat trip to the Heads, ending with a Champagne cruise around the canals. It was overcast, but the water was like glass, making it particularly perfect for taking photographs.
The Garden of Eden
The weather, in Knysna, over Easter, can be quite unpredictable, but we made the most of it! One of the things on our list was a visit to The Garden of Eden, which we did many years ago when the girls were much younger.
The Garden of Eden forest walk takes you along 1km of wooden boardwalk. It is not a hike but more of a meander through the tranquil forest, surrounded by lush plant life and stately trees.
The Knysna Heads
When the weather did play along, we ventured up to the viewing point overlooking the Knysna Heads. The view is utterly breathtaking.
Plettenberg Bay Wine Route
Friends of ours organised a lazy lunch at Brammon, in Plettenberg Bay. Grant and I had not been before, so it was a real treat. I loved that fact that you can eat lunch outside, surrounded Vineyards {weather permitting}. If you haven’t been yet, it is a must. Delicious food and bubbly, in the most stunning setting – it doesn’t get better than that!
What we did not realise is that there is a Plett Wine Route. We only managed to visit one other wine farm while we were there, which was Kay and Monty. I am super keen to explore the route in more detail on our next trip.
I hope you enjoyed my travel diary of the Garden Route. Do you have any favourite spots to stay or eat at in the area, if you do, please leave a comment below with your recommendations.
Disclosure:
This post does not contain sponsored or paid content.
There are so many fun and interesting things to do in and around Knysna for example, bungee
jumping off Storms River Bridge or hiking the numerous trails available. Knysna is magnificently beautiful. Another great advantage of partaking in all these adventurous activities is that there is a host of guest houses and bed & breakfasts available to rest.
One such place I found to be of high quality was Bamboo, The Guest House.